ACCORDING to the Third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, “the government you elect is the government you deserve”, which doesn’t say a lot about Americans right now.
But there’s certainly an element of truth in that where your local shire council is concerned.
This year, 2024, is the one-in-four-years’ election year for almost all municipalities across Victoria, including Bass Coast and South Gippsland.
And in Bass Coast at the moment, the shire is running several Councillor Information Sessions ahead of the October poll, although the Victorian Electoral Commission, (VEC), which runs the elections, will be doing likewise later on.
But the clock is ticking and if you either want to participate by voting in your local council election, or indeed, run for election as a councillor, you have to keep a look out for closing dates.
The voting roll, for example, closes at 4pm on Friday, August 30 and while you’re likely to be on the shire roll if you voted here in the last State Election, it might pay to check if you are on the list.
You don’t have to be a ratepayer to vote. Residents who rent locally are also eligible to vote.
However, while participation in voting is important, the key issue is the choice of candidates, and if you don’t want to be choosing between Donald Trump and Joe Biden down here, we’ve got to find some good candidates to choose from.
And that’s the point of the Thomas Jefferson statement, you may need to get actively involved if you want to see a council that better represents the community.
Would you, for example, have voted to build a $31 million arts centre on Phillip Island, or fixed the old one for $5 million, and put the rest towards a new aquatic centre on the Island?
And would you want to know how the cultural centre is performing and what it is costing you?
Would you put the emphasis on climate change or local services?
Would you bring back weekly rubbish collections in Bass Coast or do you like it the way it is?
Right now in Bass Coast, there’s a majority left-leaning, effectively “green” council in place, which may be ideal for the environmental challenges we are faced with but have they neglected the basics of roads, rates and rubbish for blue sky?
Would you rather see a more centrist council that has families, services, transparency, and value-for-money at its core?
If so, where are those representatives going to come from? Who wants to do it and who can afford the commitment of time required for an allowance of $32,877-a-year, much of which would go in tax if you’re already a salary earner?
Of course, it’s not about the money, they’ll tell you that and maybe there are some community-minded people who are retired and might have the time to devote to serving the community.
But what about a properly representative council which includes young women, recent arrivals to Australia, local business operators and members of community groups? Why aren’t we getting these sorts of people to stand?
It makes you wonder if there is something wrong with the system, and whether you’d get better qualified and experienced people to stand if it was run more like a board of management than a chook raffle.
