Why I’m a councillor
When my daughter was at school she complained there was nothing for young people in Ipswich. It motivated me to run for council and make a difference.
I’ve been on Council for 21 years. Ipswich is one of the fastest growing cities in Australia with 38 percent of available vacant industrial land in southeast Queensland. This allows us to generate jobs close to where people live. We are home to two universities, Australia’s biggest air force base at RAAF Amberley, and the well-established master–planned community at Springfield. Earthworks have also commenced on the emerging Ripley Valley master–planned community, which will ultimately have a population of 120,000.
A growing community
A number of factors come together to make a great community. These include the selfless acts of courage by individuals, the generosity of the community with offers of physical and monetary help, and the spirit of helping each other get through natural disasters. I think Ipswich scores very highly on the ‘care factor’. We genuinely care for each other.
The diversification of our economy over the last twenty years has prepared the city well for the anticipated doubling of the population from 175,000 to 324,000. While many jobs will be created to service this growth there is also a strong demand for new jobs to enable people to work close to where they live.
We have identified Education and Aerospace as two industry sectors that have the potential to expand in our region and provide those new jobs. With Ipswich being 40 minutes west of Brisbane, one hour from the playgrounds of the Gold Coast and two hours from the Sunshine Coast the city is a very attractive place to live and work.
Balancing demands
The most satisfying part of being a councillor is helping people and businesses with their problems. The most difficult part is balancing all the community’s demands with Council’s ability to afford them. Every budget is the end result of months of work by councillors to prioritise work and programs.
The single biggest infrastructure project proposed by Council in more than a generation is the Norman Street Bridge, which will link North Ipswich with East Ipswich. This new four-lane bridge, including pedestrian and cycle lanes, will be built above the 2011 flood level and will provide an alternative route taking traffic out of the city centre, which will then be freed up allowing the establishment of more on-street dining and improved landscaping. Council has also taken the lead holding digital economy training to assist businesses to be prepared and get the most out of the NBN, which is being rolled out in Ipswich.
One of my most important achievements on Council has been building pride in our city. The population is getting younger with the median age now 32, and our young people are proud to call Ipswich their home. Another success has been changing Ipswich from a coal-mining city to a diverse professional and industrial economic base. I hope to maintain a lifestyle in our city that our children and future generations are proud to call home.
