CANDIDATE JACINTA ANDERSON
10 QUESTIONS FROM THE TERRIER:
What three main skills could you bring to the Warrnambool City Council as a councillor?
One main skill I can bring as a councillor is financial literacy, honesty and transparency to ensure Warrnambool City Council Budgets ARE accurate including ALL income and expenses.
WCC has fallen short in previous budgets by not including all income. Peter Hulin bought this to the attention of council when he was a councillor and I can vouch that the income was wrong. I suggest we seriously look into investigating the previous WCC financials for the past 10 years.
My other two skills I can bring is sewing and painting so you can expect to see a lot more colour around Warrnambool and hopefully Warrnambool’s own Fashion Festival.
Do you see any particular issues, projects or problems in Warrnambool that you would like to work on as a councillor?
As a councillor I am very keen to obtain funding to implement the construction of a new waste treatment plant. However the current Wannon Water upgrade options are inadequate and will need to be investigated for more sustainable options. I’d also like to see more community housing built with affordable rent for the homeless and vulnerable.
Future projects I would like to work on would include collaborating with Moyne Shire and Gunditijmara to develop and implement Indigenous cultural education at Tower Hill, outdoor class rooms.
Waste management reduction and recycling!
Do you think the council could be more “open” with residents and if so, how?
Yes definitely there is room for improvement. By listening more to resident’s requests and holding question sessions via Zoom meetings or a suggestions section on its Facebook page. The council is moving forward in this capacity holding more community consultations which is a positive step.
The new LG Act 2020 includes a community engagement policy which incorporates financial decisions. So this means that the community have to be engaged in financial decisions too, from what I believe the new Act states.
The next 12 months are going to be challenging due to the impact of Covid-19 – do you have one or two key idea/s for how WCC could support residents and/or businesses?
Coming out of lockdown I think everyone needs a happy day to celebrate, perhaps this could be on the council’s agenda moving out of restrictions.
Council should always encourage residents to shop locally especially to support all industries. I think if we focus on local spending and tourism opportunities things could really look up. I have a few fun and exciting ideas up my sleeve!
Do you have any ideas on where the council could cut costs, if necessary, to keep rates at the state cap?
Yes definitely I have heaps of ideas. Firstly I am quite happy to volunteer (as a councillor) for free. I personally believe leaders who represent the community should not be motivated by money. I believe we could gain money by actually doing a transparent honest budget that includes all income and expenses. I’ve said this before maybe WCC should consider restructuring as a non-profit organisation?
We can also reduce costs by investing in local recycling systems. How much does it cost to employ people to sort recycling? Instead of sending it to land fill.
We could stop purchasing 1080 which I would like banned. Also Roundup that’s another purchase expense we don’t need. Perhaps the WCC could just ask the local Aboriginal community if they are happy for us to share their land then we wouldn’t have to pay any rates.
Preferences will decide who is elected to the council. Are you planning to preference most highly new candidates, exisiting candidates or you won’t be putting forward preferences:
New candidates.
If you were elected, what ways – if any – would you keep residents and ratepayers informed as an individual councillor?
As a potential councillor the most efficient way to keep residents and ratepayers updated would be via mails outs. There are also social media outlets, however I prefer letters. This way I can communicate and engage with every community member and ask for feedback.
If you were elected, what would you have liked to have achieved at the end of your four-year term?
Wow there are so many things hopefully I would like to achieve them all within the first four years so I can move on to other things. I don’t really want to go into much detail:
Local roads are in need of upgrades and have been neglected for far too long.
Implementation of wildlife corridors and native tree planting.
More community housing with low rental options.
New sustainable waste water facility.
Introduction of indigenous outdoor education
Fairy Kingdom (Child tourism done correctly)
Reduction in waste generated.
Implementation of Warrnambool Fashion Festival/Week
Are you a member of any political party? If so, which one?
No I am not currently. I have been a member of the Liberal Party and Greens many moons ago (For research purposes).
In the past two years, have you been a member of any local club, organisation or association?
No I have not.
Closing thoughts or ask and answer your own question here:
Thank-you Carol for the opportunity to be featured and for the really good questions you provided.
You can find Jacinta’s candidate Facebook page here.