Councillor Robert Wilson OAM, Parkes Shire Council, New South Wales
In July, after what is believed to be the longest consecutive run in Local Government, Councillor Robert Wilson handed over his Mayoral position to Deputy Mayor, Ken Keith. Councillor Wilson has spent 43 years in Local Government to date, including the past 23 years as Mayor of Parkes Shire. He will now continue as a Councillor until the New South Wales Local Government elections in September.
Q. How long have you been in Local Government?
I have been a Councillor on three New South councils, serving continually since first being elected to Local Government in 1965. I served a term as Mayor of Peak Hill Council prior to amalgamation with Goobang Shire Council, on which I served until it merged with Parkes in 1981. I also served as Chairman of the New South Wales Country Mayors’ Association in 1990/1991 and I am a former Executive Member of the Shires Association.
Q. Briefly describe your Local Government area.
Located in central western New South Wales, Parkes Shire is one of the most progressive Local Government areas in Australia. We are situated on the western edge of the Great Dividing Range, within the Central Slopes and Plains region of the State. Covering an area of almost 6,000 square kilometres, the town of Parkes is the Shire’s major urban centre, followed by Peak Hill. Our 15,300 residents enjoy a diverse lifestyle, underpinned by a stable rural economy and supplemented by manufacturing and mining industries. We enjoy a developing international status through our sister city link with Coventry in the United Kingdom, which is the oldest of 532 such links in Australia and dates back to 1938.
Q. What issues are important to you?
During my time on Council, I have taken a keen interest in promoting development and tourism. Parkes is accessible – just 40 minutes on a direct airline service by Regional Express three times a day from Sydney, which carries 35,000 passengers annually. Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane are also comfortably accessed by road, thanks to Parkes strategic location on the Newell Highway. Our tourism industry is now worth $40 million per annum and is underpinned by the annual Elvis Festival in January, the Newell, a diverse range of sporting and community events and festivals, and ‘The Dish’ as featured in the movie The Dish, which attracts 130,000 visitors each year.
Q. What innovative projects is your Council working on?
While the gold rush, railway and agriculture provided the early impetus, Parkes has evolved dramatically over the past two decades thanks to mining and the development of a transport hub that has positioned us to become a national freight distribution centre. Pacific National plans to develop an intermodal freight terminal in the Shire, and has sufficient land to accommodate the rail terminal, colocation of a container storage centre, and national logistics and distribution facilities.
With the potential to provide for up to 600 additional employment positions, the search is now on to attract skilled employees in transport, logistics, metal fabrications and mining to effectively service these major companies.
The Federal Government has also allocated $120 million
for a detailed economic engineering study of the Melbourne–Brisbane inland rail corridor, with which Parkes is integrally linked. This has further enhanced our transport profile. Advent of the inland rail link is imperative, as the volume of traffic using the Newell Highway is expected to double by 2020, rendering that corridor a dangerously overcrowded option. In contrast, the introduction of a rail inspired, just in time delivery system, and the effective use of inventory would revolutionise the transport system along the eastern seaboard.
Q. What has been your greatest achievement?
In 1996, I was honoured to lead the Central West Parkinson’s Disease Research Group’s delegation to Beijing and I have continued to facilitate exchange groups from China since then. I was also involved in the publication of a detailed research document on Parkinson’s Disease, which for many years pioneered global research on the subject.
Q. What is the best part about being a Councillor?
As the tier of government closest to the people, Local Government continues to play a critical role in community development. As a Councillor, you generally have resources at your disposal to make a real difference, provided you have the attitude, commitment, interest and most importantly the support of your family. Local Government provides a close knit network and the opportunity for you to develop very close and at times life long friendships along the way. I have enjoyed my 43 year journey immensely and would recommend service in Local Government as a highly satisfying, but time consuming community commitment.
Mayor Lola Cummins, Junee Shire Council, New South Wales
Q. How long have you been on Council?
I was first elected to Junee Shire Council in 1983. I have stood and been re-elected every election since then. I was the second woman to be elected to Junee Shire Council following the amalgamation of the former Illabo Shire and Junee Municipal Councils at the end of 1980. I was the first woman to be elected Deputy Mayor in 1995 and the first woman Mayor in 1997.
Q. Why did you become involved in Local Government?
I was asked to stand by a number of people leading up to the 1983 elections. I had a couple of reasons for standing. One was that I saw it as a way of giving something back to my community. The second was that I believed the town could progress and needed to promote itself and encourage people to stop and have a look around. Deciding to stand was a brave decision in some ways as I had four small children, two of which had not started school at that time. Council meetings were held at 1pm, and as one of my children also started pre-school at 1pm, I was always late.
Q. Briefly describe your Local Government area.
The Shire of Junee has a population of just over 6,000 people and covers 2,000 square kilometres on the South West Slopes of New South Wales. Some 4,300 people live in the railway town of Junee, which is strategically placed midway on the Sydney to Melbourne railway line. In the early 1990s the Shire was dealt several severe blows with the downsizing of rail operations and the closure of the railway workshop. This resulted in the loss of 400 jobs, which had a huge impact on the then population of 4,000.
Rail operations are now growing again and there is also a substantial abattoir, a gaol, grain handling and metal fabrication businesses sustaining the town.
The Junee township is surrounded by broad acre farming land, which, when not in drought, is one of the most reliable areas for cereal crops. There are around 1,700 people in the rural area of the Shire, which include the residents of our four villages.
Q. What issues are important to you?
For rural councils sustainability of the community and the Council is always of utmost importance. There has to be progress and population growth. Standing still is not an option.
Q. What challenges are facing your Council?
In a nutshell, having to do more with less. We have some 900 kilometres of roads, with not enough money to maintain them at the present level. Further revenue raising in an equitable way is a priority. Rate pegging, especially since we had a low rate base when it was introduced, and the effects of cost shifting have all taken a toll on Council’s ability to provide the level of service the community wants. We also have a high representation of lower socioeconomic groups who require a strong community development focus.
Q. What innovative projects is your Council working on?
We are currently relocating our library to an empty and dilapidated supermarket building to give us more space. It will have the very latest green technology driving its heating and cooling systems.
We are also renewing a derelict and unused theatre, which will also involve innovative mechanical engineering and green technology for its heating and cooling systems.
This follows our record of doing things the ‘Junee way’, such as the innovative design and techniques used in the refurbishment of our 1938 built swimming pool and the construction around it of the Junee Junction Recreation Centre.
Q. What has been your greatest achievement on Council?
I have had the privilege of being part of the complete makeover of the streetscape of the Junee township and the building of major recreational facilities. The Shire was awarded the AR Bluett Memorial Award in 2003 for most relative progress by a New South Wales Shire. We have raised community expectations and now we will live up to them. The upsurge in community pride has been most rewarding to see.
Q. What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
Locking in our successes is our aim. We need to keep up our development momentum without overstretching ourselves. We have a strategy that we have been working to, which has to be kept relevant and revisited regularly.
Q. What is the best part of being a Councillor?
Mostly, it’s like being the coach of a football team that is playing well! Seriously though, it is being in a position to help your community grow in various ways – in pride, in satisfaction, in population and in confidence. Junee Council is fortunate – we have very good staff who take pride in their work, and it shows!
