The Victorian local government elections will be held in October and conducted entirely by post. To help you make informed decisions on who should be making the big decisions for the Campaspe Shire, Jemma Jones has spoken to all prospective candidates to help people decide whom to tick off on their ballot paper.
The Free Press, Riverine Herald and Campaspe News will be rolling out two candidate profiles each week in the lead up to the election.
Luke Sharrock has been living in Campaspe Shire for 27 years.
He is an IT manager running for a place in Campaspe Shire Council to do something about the shire’s infrastructure, environment, and to maintain roads.
“(I want to) support growth assisting business, farmers, agriculture and industry… The pub test, all fine to talk about it, now let’s really do something to make it great,” Mr Sharrock said.
To Mr Sharrock, the issues most important to him are that opportunities need to be established for the entire community.
And he believes a plethora of issues needs to be fixed in our community, such as the opening confidential meetings to the public, reining in unnecessary spending, reinstating the original tourist centre and striving to keep the animal shelter.
Much like how IT connects computers, Mr Sharrock wants to represent and speak on behalf of the Campaspe Shire by communicating with the community and relaying messages directly in the council chambers.
“Getting out and really listening to you. It’s time for a level-headed approach to see this community grow,” he said.
He has ten years of experience volunteering as a first responder to the local community in the Marine Rescue Moama unit and is currently serving as the Unit Commander.
He witnessed the 2022 floods firsthand and saw the challenges and saw how the community came together to support one another.
With his experience as an IT manager for Murray River Council, he said he has an in-depth understanding of council function, and has also been able to balance budgets, time restraints while providing effective services with minimal resources.
Mr Sharrock enjoys living in Campaspe Shire because of the community, the bonds and the friendships made in his time here.
He believes that the river environment, supported by the three main tributaries – Murray, Goulburn and Campaspe provide us with the lifeblood of the community in recreation, tourism, industry and diverse farming that rely on this natural environment.
“Our different strengths and backgrounds make it a place I call home. I see that all of us are building this community as one that we can be proud of,” he said.