“This region has been my region for most of my life and I feel a great familiarity with it.”
These were the words of the newly appointed administrator Suzanna Sheed at a press conference last week.
Ms Sheed has been appointed a member of the three person panel of administrators for Moira Shire Council by the state government after the previous council was dismissed on Tuesday, March 7.
A commission of inquiry found that the council could not effectively carry out its responsibilities in accordance with the Local Government Act 2020 because of significant governance failures.
A lawyer by trade, Ms Sheed represented the electorate of Shepparton in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 2014 to 2022 and chaired the Victorian Parliament’s Pandemic Declaration Accountability and Oversight Committee and was a member of the Family and Community Development Committee.
She has also held board positions with the RACV, Goulburn Murray Water and the Law Institute of Victoria.
Ms Sheed said she was pleased to hear about her appointment to the panel and stressed that her role, and that of her fellow administrators, was to build up public confidence again in council which, in her opinion, was an integral level of government because of its closeness to the people.
“Being a state member of parliament certainly gives you that bigger picture whereas local government is much more about the delivery of services,” she said.
“I look forward to being really a part of that because I think it's the closest form of government to the people and in delivering to the needs of people.”
According to Ms Sheed, an integral part of her role as administrator will be to help ensure good governance practices are brought back in and that council staff members are confident carrying out their roles in service to the community.
Asked what she personally hoped to bring to her role as administrator, Ms Sheed said she was focused on building relationships with the community and with various stakeholders which was vital in getting things moving forward.
As a former Member for Shepparton, Ms Sheed already has well-established connections in the area as the electorate covers the western part of the shire including Nathalia and Numurkah.
Ms Sheed urged residents to trust the system that had been put in place and to remember that she and her two fellow administrators were appointed to work with residents to better the Moira Shire region.
“I'd like Moira Shire residents to have trust in the capacity of the administrators to settle in, get to understand exactly what the situation is within the shire, and then work together with the community to identify the things that are important to the community.”
John Tanner AM will chair the panel until December, 8 2023 after which further appointments may be made to the panel, including the appointment of a new chair.
The third member of the administrator panel is Dr Graeme Emonson PSM. Dr Emonson is set to start in the role on July 5. He was a former Yarrawonga Shire Secretary before the amalgamation of Moira Shire Council and has worked in state and local government, including in rural and metropolitan councils. He brings expertise in leadership and organisational culture and is currently a Deputy Secretary in the Victorian Public Service.
Dr Emonson brings an extensive background as a Fellow and Board Member of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA), a former Executive Director of Local Government Victoria, CEO of the City of Wangaratta for five years to 2002 and CEO of Knox City Council from 2002 to 2016.
Ms Sheed and Dr Emonson’s appointments are until the beginning of the first meeting of the council following the general election for the Council in October 2028.