This month we are profiling two councillors from Western Australia.
David Boothman Mayor Stirling City Council, Western Australia
Q. How long have you been on Council?
I have been a councillor for 17 years.
Q. What attracted you to the role?
Wanting to make a difference and making sure that my community had an effective voice on council.
Q. Why did you become involved in Local Government?
I was a serving police officer, involved with the Blue Light Association, providing events and programs for youth at risk.
Through this involvement, I saw some wider issues in my local community which I felt needed to be addressed and that by becoming a Councillor, I could help bring about some real change.
Local Government is the epicentre of our social networks within suburbs and towns and becoming involved gave me a sense of purpose and personal satisfaction in wanting to do the best for my community and the place where I live.
Q. Tell us about your Local Government area?
The City of Stirling covers approximately 100 square kilometres in area and is home to some 202,000 residents.
The area is urban developed, stretching across the inner north metropolitan suburbs, approximately eight kilometres out from the CBD of Perth.
We have over 65 active and 700 passive reserves across 30 suburbs, a road network of 1014 kilometres and some 6.5 kilometre stretch of coastline which includes popular summer playgrounds and the top surf spots of Scarborough Beach and Trigg Island.
Q. What makes your council area special or different?
Diversity – The City of Stirling is home to 202,000 residents from every corner of the globe.
Several of our suburbs being Mirrabooka, Westminster and Balga have some of the highest percentage of refugee migrants in Australia.
Since 2007 the Council has focused on improving sustainability outcomes both within its own operations, but also to our wider community. Some of our initiatives include single bin recycling, which helps us achieve some 65 per cent recycling from our household waste, water smart parks to address water shortage issues and a million trees initiative to replace tree loss from density infill, along with a host of other initiatives. Stirling was voted the 2010 National Winner at the Keep Australia Beautiful Council’s Australian Sustainable Cities Award.
The City of Stirling is also a debt free council and has been for many years.
Q. What are they key challenges facing you and your Council?
Continually improving on the long-term sustainability of the City as a whole and catering for the growth in the population which is expected to be in excess of 227,000 residents by 2020. Our aging population, its diversity and meeting changing community expectations.
We also face long-term environmental challenges in maintaining and protecting our remnant bushland areas for future generations to enjoy in the light of climate change and other impacts humans have on our natural environments.
Water shortages, the way in which we manage our waste and our long-term economic challenges in building Perth’s second CBD within the City of Stirling – called the Stirling City Centre.
Q. What things should local government be focussing on for the next decade?
We need to ensure that we communicate effectively with and respond to our community. To be adaptive to their needs in a changing environment, that we can ensure equitable access to services and facilities for all. That we have sound planning strategies in place that have regard to built form, and that environmental and social outcomes meet our future needs in a sustainable and affordable means.
Q. Council amalgamations have been in the news of late. How do you see them working?
At the end of the day it is about servicing the needs of our communities. The City of Stirling delivers more services than most other Councils in an effective cost delivery model. We have great interaction with our community and have many hundreds of volunteers over a wide range of programs.
Most of all, because of our size, we have levels of expertise in most of our departments, where we can deliver major projects and outcomes for our community.
In larger population centres, Councils should be of a size to deliver these outcomes. Where this is not practical, shared services between remote and rural councils, perhaps together with outsourcing areas such as planning etc. to larger councils, or commercial providers may be a solution.
Q. Anything else you’d like to add?
I have found my role as Councillor to be fulfilling and rewarding, there have been many challenges during my time on Council, and these have helped me develop and grow as a person.
Being a Councillor is about working as a team, with your fellow Councillors, your staff and most of all your community.
I have made many friends and experienced things I could never have imagined. I have met many truly inspirational people, many of whom are just ordinary citizens going about their lives without asking for fame or reward.
I am proud of my City and community and when I step down off Council, I will take some pride in reflecting back, that I had the honour to serve and to make a difference.
Councillor Noel Nancarrow, Murray Shire Council, Western Australia
Q. Why did you become involved in Local Government?
I saw the need to expand the Shire of Murray, to create much needed infrastructure and community facilities such as our recreation centre and aquatic facilities.
I was keen to deal with the ever increasing demands of our ratepayers due to the rapid growth in this area of Western Australia.
Q. Tell us about your Local Government area?
Murray is located just under an hour from Perth, Western Australia and is home to over 16,000 residents. We are home to a stunning river system, bounded by the Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary which is fed by the Murray, Serpentine and South Dandalup Rivers.
The Shire’s economic base is strongly influenced by Alcoa Refinery operations in Pinjarra, with other industries including construction, education and health.
Murray is currently experiencing significant growth, with new residents regularly arriving to enjoy an enviable riverside lifestyle. By 2030, our population will double.
Q. What are they key challenges facing you and your Council?
Like many Local Governments throughout Australia, the Shire of Murray struggles with keeping up with increasing demands for new and better facilities, whilst addressing asset backlogs.
We also focus on staff retention, developing our brand as an employer of choice, given the competitive market place in Western Australia, particularly as the mining sector grows.
As Murray continues to grow, our Council is committed to maintaining our autonomy, staying true to the essence of the locality and continuing to deliver an enviable lifestyle for our community.
Q. What is the most difficult part of your role?
Attracting funding from agencies, and often, it’s dealing with the ever increasing bureaucracies associated with Local Government.
Q. What innovative projects or policiesis your Council working on?
Currently we are formulating creative and innovative solutions to manage and provide water in a drying climate by:
- becoming an operator of a Waste Water Treatment Plant in conjunction with four other Councils
- piloting a managed Aquifer Reuse Scheme designed to boost water supply for development and construction, and the area’s agricultural industry.
Q. You’ve had a long career in Local Government. How do you see its future in the 21st century?
I believe the future will be challenging for Councillors, to keep the power to make decisions at the Local Government level and remain autonomous.
Local Government may also see the services it delivers increasing further, potentially with more direct links with the Australian Government.