Councillor Profiles is a regular feature. This month we profile two Councillors from Victoria.
Councillor Gerald Madden, Mayor of Moyne Shire Council Victoria
Q. How long have you been on Council?
I was first elected to Moyne Shire Council in March 1999 and re-elected at both the 2002 and 2005 elections. I served the first six years as chair of the Council’s former Planning Committee (which was disbanded in 2004) and I was elected Mayor in December 2005.
Q. Why did you want to become involved in Local Government?
I had been fairly active in several community organisations throughout my life and I was encouraged by community members to become involved in Local Government.
Q. Can you tell us about your Local Government area?
Moyne Shire Council was created as a result of state wide council amalgamations in 1994 and comprises five former municipalities and small parts of three others. This resulted in a Shire that is 5,500sqkm with a population of just under 16,000. Moyne is a diverse rural area encompassing 20 towns and many other smaller localities. We have over 80 kilometres of coastline. There are a number of agricultural pursuits that give the municipality a sound economic base, including dairying, prime lamb and cattle production along with the associated livestock breeding enterprises, crop growing and the dairy processing factories of Murray Goulburn and Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory. Midfield Meats abattoir and the Fonterra dairy factory are located in the adjoining municipality of Warrnambool City, along with a livestock exchange that handles more than 100,000 cattle and 40,000 lambs annually, which are predominantly sourced from within Moyne Shire.
Moyne Shire’s main office is located in the historic town of Port Fairy with another office at Mortlake, which houses the engineering section of Shire operations. The Shire is noted for its many festivals including the famous Port Fairy Folk Festival in March, and the Koroit Irish Festival and Mortlake Buskers’ Festival in April, along with several other smaller events held throughout the year. Port Fairy is also treasured for its port located at the mouth of the Moyne River, which is noted for its active professional and recreational fishing community as well as being a favourite mooring point for many sailors. The town of Port Fairy is a very popular tourist destination at all times of the year.
Q. What are some of the challenges you have faced in Local Government?
One of the most difficult aspects of being a Councillor is trying to balance community needs and service provision within budget constraints. It is also a challenge to create a team environment among Councillors and having a Council that accepts the democratic process under which we work, whereby we as individuals should be able to move on from decision outcomes that don’t always go our way.
Q. What are some of the key issues currently facing your Council?
Planning is an ongoing critical task for Council due to land use change and urban growth due to our proximity to the larger population of Warrnambool City Council, which Moyne surrounds. This land use change encompasses traditional pastoral land being planted with blue gum plantations, and former highly productive vegetable cropping localities being subdivided into smaller residential blocks.
Road maintenance is also a huge issue for a Shire with a total road network of 3,463km of which 2,705km are local roads the Council is directly responsible for. This is an ever pressing issue given the transport of dairy and agricultural raw products and subsequent processed product to export facilities and commercial warehouses adds enormous stress to our roads.
What are the key aspects of being a good Councillor?
Being a good listener but also being frank and honest so the community is kept informed and understands the financial constraints which impede the provision of some needs. Being a good Councillor also means being prepared to lobby other levels of government for a fair share of State and Federal Government funding.
Councillor Peter McMullin, Mayor of the City of Greater Geelong, Victoria
Q. How long have you been on Council?
I was elected to City of Greater Geelong Council in November 2004 and began term as Mayor in November 2005. Previously, I had served on Melbourne City Council between 1996 and 1999 and was Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne from 1996 to 1997.
Q. Why did you become involved in Local Government?
There is a real sense of satisfaction in representing the community and managing the enormous breadth of issues that impact on people’s lives in a city the size of Geelong. Serving in Local Government means being actively involved in the community. I don’t think any other level of government offers the same degree of immediacy or the variety that one finds in Local Government.
Q. Can you tell us about your City?
Geelong is Victoria’s second largest city with a population of over 200,000 people and is one of Australia’s leading commercial and industrial centres. The City has over 13,000 businesses, world class infrastructure, a capable and skilled labour force and strong social and environmental credentials.
Geelong is one of the few cities in Australia with a north facing bay and in recent years Council has implemented many infrastructure improvements that reinforce our status as a city by the bay. The Geelong Waterfront has been transformed from an under utilised former industrial precinct to a contemporary styled public space. We are now completing a complementary project which has resulted in the main business district receiving a major streetscape upgrade.
Our municipality encompasses the Bellarine Peninsula, an area of environmental significance featuring numerous coastal townships. This area is attracting many new residents drawn to the ‘seachange’ lifestyle.
Council, in partnership with each coastal community, recently completed a major strategic plan for the Bellarine Peninsula resulting in a comprehensive guide to future planning for the region.
Q. What are some of the challenges you have faced in Local Government?
It is a challenge to balance competing demands on issues where community opinion is divided. Every Councillor is faced with having to make difficult decisions at times, and one does so knowing that while it might be right it won’t always be popular. A concern I share with many people in public life is needless negativity. Criticism is an important part of the decision making process but being negative for its own sake is self defeating. In any given situation the best outcomes stem from a positive attitude.
Q. As a regional centre, what are the main issues currently facing Greater Geelong?
Managing growth is a key focus of this Council. We continue to experience significant residential and commercial growth, which while very welcome, requires careful planning. This Council has allocated additional resources to the area of strategic planning to provide long term direction on all aspects of development.
Infrastructure renewal remains a constant challenge. Geelong has waited a long time for a ring road and while this project is now underway we’re already looking to the next step, in particular to best manage traffic flow to our rapidly growing eastern townships.
As Victoria’s second city, Geelong has a unique relationship with Melbourne and we can see ourselves playing a key role in the long term vision for Melbourne in the next 15 years. We are proactively working to foster knowledge based industries as part of a long term strategy to diversify Geelong’s economic profile and build global competitive advantage.
Q. What are the key aspects of being a good Councillor?
To do their job well Councillors need to be good listeners and have a close rapport with the people they represent. It’s important to be flexible and have the ability to quickly assimilate information. The best Councillors are able to combine a concern for the day to day issues of their community with a long term vision for the municipality. It’s important to get the balance right because both are important.
Councillors need to enjoy being with people, have a lot of stamina and last, but not least, have a healthy sense of humour!
