Council
19 July, 2024
Corangamite Councillors advocate in Canberra
CORANGAMITE Shire Council mayor Kate Makin, deputy mayor Laurie Hickey, councillor Geraldine Conheady and chief executive officer David Rae attended the National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra recently.
The assembly ran from Tuesday, July 2 to Friday, July 5, with representatives from 537 councils gathered at the National Convention Centre.
Cr Makin said attendees heard from a range of high-profile speakers about building the relationships between the community and the different levels of government, all of which was based on the theme of building community trust.
“Most importantly, the conference was a chance to meet and network with key senior Federal Government politicians and other councils,” she said.
“We got face-to-face with various ministers to drive home what is important to our community in Corangamite - issues like childcare, housing, renewable energy projects and, of course, roads.
“Speaking to other councillors from all over the country also showed we share a lot of the same issues.
“Regional Australia is calling out for infrastructure investment and renewal which is what we need to make sure business and the economy are sustainable which, in turn, secures the wellbeing of our residents and communities.”
The Corangamite Shire Council delegation met with many ministers including Minister for Local Government Minister for Regional Development Kristy McBain, Deputy Government Whip in the Senate Senator Raff Ciccone, Member for Wannon and Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Dan Tehan, advisor to Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Youth Angie Bell, Shadow Minister for Local Government and Regional Development Darren Chester, senior advisor for Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland, and advisor to Minister for Early Childhood Education, and Youth Anne Aly.
Cr Makin said the Canberra trip was a great opportunity for council to advocate for the community.
“Some of the other issues, like childcare and council being able to champion our communities’ concerns about major energy projects, still need to be addressed and we made sure to put our case strongly to members from both sides of Parliament,” she said.