Councillor Le Lam, Mayor, Auburn Council, New South Wales
Q. How long have you been on Council?
I was first elected to Auburn Council in 1991. In the last 16 years I have served as Deputy Mayor several times, and as Mayor in 1999–2000 and 2006–07. Last September, I was re-elected for my third term as Mayor for the 2007–08 year.
Q. Why did you want to become involved in Local Government?
I came to Australia as a boat person or refugee and have always thought that democracy is essential. I wanted to serve the culturally diverse community that had given so much to me and my family.
Q. Can you tell us about your Local Government area?
Auburn is an inner western area of Sydney, with a population of 65,000 people. It is a culturally diverse area, with over 100 nationalities speaking some 70 languages. As home to Sydney Olympic Park, the Auburn Local Government area hosted the 2000 Olympics. The area is also the location for over 8,000 manufacturing, retail, industrial and service industries businesses, which contribute over $4 billion to the country’s gross domestic product each year.
Auburn Council is an ecologically responsible Council, which, through our Sustainable Futures for Small Businesses in Western Sydney water and energy efficiency program, is working with local businesses and industries to reduce their impact on the local environment, while improving business profitability.
Q. What are the key challenges facing you and your Council?
Like most metropolitan Councils, Auburn faces the problems of ageing infrastructure and the need to provide better services for our increasing population. Servicing our increasing number of young families, childcare
and improved community facilities are rated as priorities.
Q. What innovative projects is your Council working on?
Our Cultural Plan 2007–2017 sets the direction for the creation of a distinctive, inclusive and culturally engaging Auburn. Our benchmark 2007 Employment Expo attracted over 600 job seekers, linking them with businesses, service providers, recruitment specialists and government agencies. At the same time, innovative environment policies, such as our Water Savings Action Plan, have led the way for other metropolitan Councils.
Q. Tell us about a specific success you have had in Local Government?
When I first became a Councillor, I joined in the push to have community languages used for all important Council documents, so that our Turkish, Arabic, Chinese and Vietnamese speakers could readily understand the documentation of our community.
The second important project was a Council/State Government initiative, which saw the construction of our new joint Council and police centre at Auburn. Combining these two essential services into one building is a great idea that I urge other areas to consider.
Q. What are the key aspects of being a good Councillor?
It is essential that a Councillor has the ability to take on board other opinions and reach common ground. They must also have good research skills. Importantly, you must never forget that you are in Council to represent your community and that you should be above politics. I entered Local Government with just one aim in mind – to work for the benefit of my community and to make a difference.
Q. Do you feel compassion is an essential attribute for a Councillor?
As a woman and a refugee, I have had many unusual life experiences that have enabled me to see the broader picture and to take a kinder view of the problems of our community.
Councillor Robert Bell, Gosford Council, NSW
Q. How long have you been on Council?
I joined Gosford Council in 1980 when life was easy and simple. Council had 47 unsealed roads and a program to seal them over
10 years. Rubbish was picked up in small galvanised 55 litre bins once a week by two men on a truck. Nearly all environmental, social and economic issues were State and Federal responsibilities. When land was transferred to Council from the Government it was at a $1 cost or a ‘peppercorn’ lease fee of $1 per year. The Local Government Act of 1919 was still alive and it took another
14 years before a new Act was created. Councils ran water, sewerage, electricity and gas in over 90 per cent of the State. There were clear lines of responsibility between Local Government and the State and Federal Governments. Now it is as clear as mud.
Q. Why did you want to become involved in Local Government?
I became involved in Council due to a severe viral attack of NIMBI-itis. I bought a home on the water and was told by the real estate agent that the island opposite was a nature reserve and a sewer connection would be in place for my property in no more than 18 months. Two months after purchase, an article appeared on a proposed LJ Hooker 535 housing development on the
123 acre Rileys Island opposite my house. To add insult, a week later, I received a letter from Council saying the sewering of properties in my street was not part of the current program and was not expected to occur for at least 10 to 15 years. A battle ensued and 15 months later the Wran Government purchased the island for $900,000 from LJ Hooker following petitions from over 25,000 residents. The island is a wildlife sanctuary and I was elected as an independent. A sewer came 12 years later, so being a Councillor did not seem to have the sway the community thinks, even in those days!
Q. Tell us about your Local Government area.
Gosford has 165,000 people spread over 1,030 square kilometres and 36 suburbs. Together with our neighbour, Wyong, we have a joint water authority valued at $1.8 billion. It is the third largest water authority in New South Wales.
Gosford has a budget income of $224 million. It is protected from Sydney by the mighty Hawkesbury River, which until the last decade had slowed northern migration somewhat. The cars and the bridges between the hills have allowed a mass exodus from Sydney.
We have 3,000 hectares of Coastal Open Space System (COSS) Conservation Lands valued at $62 million. Land purchased or traded into Council ownership over the last 27 years provides an attractive relief to development of the City.
It is an outstanding tourist attraction right in your face and is reducing Greenhouse gases by its expanding existence and is a source of potential carbon credits.
Q. What are some of the challenges you have faced?
Challenges include the constant need to provide for people and services and simultaneously trying to improve air, water and soil quality through our COSS Acquisition Levy and our 15 year Environmental Levy. Zoning is a prime control of settlement pattern and there are no more ‘green field sites’ in Gosford. All planning is redevelopment or renewal focused.
Q. What specific issues are currently facing your Council?
Specific issues facing Council include the future of our water and sewerage services, inadequate funding for our roads, future planning differences between Council and the Government, lack of resources for many social services, the rising costs of infrastructure maintenance and cost shifting from other spheres of Government.
Q. What are the key aspects of being a good Councillor?
A good Councillor gets the knowledge as fast as possible to efficiently and effectively assist local residents. Councillors should also attend a variety of local activities to gain people’s perspective on issues and be involved in as many varied Council/community based committees that deliver a service or a project.
