Ahead of the Victorian 2024 local council elections, Committee for Echuca Moama held a candidate forum on Tuesday, October 1, for prospective Campaspe Shire councillors.
The event, held at Moama Bowling Club, asked candidates to prepare five-minute speeches detailing their goals and motivation to run for council.
All 12 candidates attended the forum, presenting in alphabetical order. An opportunity for guests to ask questions was also available.
Important topics included housing opportunities, education and youth retention, climate issues like flooding, the tourism and agricultural industries, the condition of roads and recreation facilities, and proposed renewable energy projects in Campaspe Shire.
A quote from each candidate has been selected from the forum.
“I believe Campaspe Shire is in a strong position, but we can’t afford to sit still. We’ve made great progress, but there is always more to do,” Rob Amos said.
“(I would be) a strong addition to the team of councillors elected, making sure that the human aspect and impact of all decisions is always considered,” Deb Chumbley said.
“People here deserve to live good and meaningful lives, and we need change. But there is no change if you don’t vote for change, and your vote is powerful,” Zoe Cook said.
“It’s time to give something back ... as problems arise, I’m happy to put my mind to it, and help the others, as a team, solve problems,” Michael Farrant said.
“I’m running for council again because I’m passionate about making our council a better place to live; in our towns, on our farms, in our businesses,” Paul Jarman said.
“I believe sincerely (I) have made a positive difference to the people of Campaspe. This has been achieved by being genuine, down-to-earth, honest, asking the hard questions and challenging the status quo,” Daniel Mackrell said.
“I know that the job’s not done yet, and there’s still more room for improvement, and I’m committed to that … for the rest of the term is continual improvement in operation performance and service delivery,” Tony Marwood said.
“I am a planner and a lifelong learner, always striving to understand complex issues and collaborate on solutions for the best outcome … communities know what they need — listen,” Jessica Mitchell said.
“For me, its about being open, and ensuring that the smaller communities, like Stanhope and Girgarre, are heard on council and we’re not forgotten,” Brett Ould said.
“For parties, I’m very much independent on that side, but if I was going to be affiliated to anything, I would be affiliated to this place, to this whole community,” Luke Sharrock said.
“I am an advocate of soft leadership, working in partnership with people — in other words: doing with people, not doing to people,” Adrian Weston said.
“I have the skills and experience to ensure a strong community engagement, transparency and equitable delivery of projects … be a strong voice, approachable and listen to the concerns of our community,” John Zobec said.
Campaspe Shire residents will soon have the power to shape their local government, as ballot packs for the council election begin arriving in mailboxes from Monday, October 7.
These ballot packs will include the ballot paper, candidate statements, a ballot paper envelope, a reply-paid envelope and a leaflet with instructions in other languages.
These ballot packs will need to be completed by Friday, October 25, at 6pm.
In the lead-up to the local government elections, check out the profiles on each Campaspe Shire Council candidate online at the Free Press, The Riv or Campaspe News.