Cr Amanda Stapledon
Mayor, City of Casey, Victoria
I have now been on Council for four and a half years, I became involved in Local Government after several community members approached me to run, as I was advocating strongly for Service Gaps for Disability issues and had achieved some significant outcomes.
As well as being on council I have a job in IT with a retail organisation. My role there is about identifying problems, finding solutions and dealing with people. I find this an integral and invaluable part of my role as Councillor and Mayor.
About the City of Casey
Casey is the largest municipality by populous in Victoria and the second largest in Australia. We have a population of 270,000 which is anticipated to grow to 450,000 by the year 2036. We embrace growth and are striving to make Casey the City of Choice to live, work and raise a family. We are committed to strong economic development as well as providing the very best in services and facilities for our residents.
There are so many parts of Casey that I think of as favourites, however one that really stands out is the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens and also Wilson Botanic Park; two places for people to walk, talk and just enjoy being with nature in a beautiful setting. I also love Casey Fields; a 76 hectare premier outdoor sports facility for keen grass roots enthusiasts through to elite sports athletes.
What makes our council area special is our diversity! Our city has great diversity both in terms of it’s demographic and it’s landscape. We have a significantly multicultural community which we embrace and we have a diverse landscape that boasts attractive residential estates, prime agricultural land within the Bunyip Food Belt and precious coastal villages on Western Port Bay. We are also a major equine precinct: horses being our biggest business.
Key challenges for Casey
Casey is an interface council and extends from metro suburbs through to country towns and farmland. The biggest challenges for the municipality are to ensure that the infrastructure and services match the rapid growth; and to ensure that we advocate and work with our state government to deliver the best outcomes for our residents.
Upgrading of roads and increasing public transport are the highest items on our advocacy program and are a major focus for us.
We are committed to developing a strong economy in Casey, one that will ensure jobs here in Casey, keeping residents off the Monash Freeway, spending more time with their families and addressing the very real mental and physical health and wellbeing of our community. This will also best position us to help those in our community that need it most.
Important issues
Economic development, disability and carer issues, and environmental issues are very important to me.
The most difficult part of my role is ensuring that I juggle work and family well, ensuring that I attend to all that is required in my role and that I address and attend to the many emails, phone calls and letters I receive from residents each day.
In my term as Mayor, I plan to walk around my municipality raising awareness for the need for Supported Accommodation for adults with a disability to ensure they have a home and to provide some respite to their ageing carers.
My overall aim is to make our City strong, ensuring we can work locally and develop a Food Technology Industry, addressing the need to feed residents locally and internationally.
Achievements and responsibilities
Being elected to Mayor has been my greatest achievement; leading a group of 11 councillors, ensuring they have the tools and support needed to provide the best representation for their wards and the City of Casey.
One of the major successes during my time on council was being a successful part of lobbying the State Government for and securing $24m toward the remediation works at Stevensons Road closed landfill.
A memorable moment for me as Mayor was MC’ing Casey’s annual Volunteer Awards, acknowledging our wonderful volunteers who so selflessly give of their time, expertise and finances to make a difference to others within our community.
A good councillor requires due diligence in terms of reading documentation, ensuring we are across the issues, policies and local laws. Connecting with the community is also important, ensuring we listen, discuss and act on their issues. Also being a good team player with fellow councillors helps.
One of the best things about being a councillor in Casey is representing the most amazing people in our municipality and being able to be a positive voice for them. And the worst thing is not having enough hours in the day to do all that needs to be done. Being able to help others, to drive positive outcomes and to make a real difference to our City is the most satisfying aspect of the role. The impression I would like to leave on the community is that I represented them without fear or favour. I hope that our community is a better place now and in the future than when I first joined council.
Cr Mark Byatt
Mayor, City of Wodonga, Victoria
I was elected to council in 2008, and again in 2012; and I have been serving as a full-time Mayor consecutively for five years. I remain humbled by both the opportunity and the privilege of representing a very diverse community, and a rapidly changing Wodonga.
In addition to the role for Wodonga, I currently chair Regional Cities Victoria (a state-based alliance of regional cities), Regional Capitals Australia (a national alliance of regional cities), and the Hume region Regional Development Australia committee. All have a focus on regional growth and development, and all have significant inter-connectivity through local government.
Wodonga
Wodonga is located in North East Victoria. Our regional city is strategically placed between Melbourne and Sydney on the Hume Hwy with neighbouring city, Albury. Together the two cities, separated by the Murray River (state boundary) are considered Australia’s 18th largest city.
Wodonga has enjoyed significant growth during the past 25 years, and this trend has continued with the city remaining one of Victoria’s fastest growing regional cities. It has a sustained growth rate in the order of two per cent, ongoing residential growth, and high levels of commercial/industrial development. The city has a residential population base fast approaching 40,000 and services a regional population of around 175,000 people, making Wodonga the largest city in North East Victoria.
The changing face of Wodonga
It’s fair to say, that Wodonga is emerging from its roots as a large rural-based town and is very quickly becoming a significant regional city in North East Victoria, and a substantial contributor to Victoria’s economy, liveability, and vision for a ‘state of cities’.
The Melbourne to Sydney rail corridor has traditionally divided Wodonga, and was the recipient of a rail revitalisation project that has seen the tracks re-aligned with the Hume Hwy. This has created a unique (and historic) opportunity to build Wodonga’s city heart with the tracks having been removed from its central business district, and rail land being readied for development by Places Victoria.
Vision for Wodonga
Our community’s vision to 2033, where the city of Wodonga is estimated to have a population in excess of 50,000, looks forward with great excitement, inclusiveness and civic pride.
Of course, delivering this vision will require very good and comprehensive forward planning; sustained investment in infrastructure; a continuing focus on what makes a sustainable economy; a liveable city; and maximised ongoing partnerships with governments, industry and business for the benefit of our community.
The opportunities
In finishing, Wodonga as one of Victoria’s and the nation’s vital regional cities, has before it a number of unique, and inspiring development opportunities.
First and foremost, the prospect of creating and building the city’s heart is historic and without precedent and will take many years, great vision, and significant investment to complete.
With the continued delivery of key community infrastructure projects including the Wodonga Aquatic Venue and Exercise Space (WAVES), our newly completed performing arts centre – The Cube Wodonga and an assortment of important private developments, it is exhilarating to be part of this journey with my colleagues in council.
We anticipate future generations will judge if we ‘got it right’.
