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My Pledge

To avoid future big rate increases from bad decisions, residents need to care about the skills and principles each candidate has and will use if elected.  Start your analysis here with me, then ask the others for more than a slogan to judge them upon.

Here is my core pledge to you.

I pledge to all the residents of QPRC that I will:

  1. Ensure Professional Governance: I will provide professional governance and strive to ensure that rates are used productively and efficiently. Within the first month of the new Council, I will propose forming a committee to reassess the 64% special rate rise approved by the current Council and work towards rolling back at least the third tranche of the increase.
  2. Keep Rates and Charges Down: I will work to minimise rates and charges through effective long-term planning, efficient resource use, competitive purchasing, and eliminating wasteful or vanity projects. I will also seek that Council pursues full State and Federal funding for services and obligations handed to Council to perform on their behalf.
  3. Approve Only Fully Costed Proposals: I will never approve a spending proposal that isn’t fully and credibly costed including financing and maintenance costs, alternative comparisons, a conservative finance and returns risk assessment, as well as its immediate and long-term impacts on rates and residents.
  4. Enhance Communication and Transparency: I will strive to improve communication and transparency between residents and Council, acknowledging that residents are the true leaders, and Council is here to serve them.
  5. Reduce Red Tape and Bureaucracy: I will work to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and red tape through regular process reviews and a commitment to continuous improvement.
  6. Protect Your Rights: In terms of Council initiatives, I will fight to preserve your legal rights, your personal autonomy, your right to work, and that Council seeks your genuine informed consent on matters that could affect the rights of you, your family, and the business you work at.
  7. Promote Local Prosperity: I will strive to make our community more prosperous and self-sufficient by supporting policies that enhance local employment opportunities and encourage the growth of small and medium-sized businesses.
  8. Strengthen the Community: : I will work for the betterment of the shire, seeking local solutions to the external challenges of the day. I’ll strive for our shire to be healthy and outward looking, not self-absorbed or waiting for ‘outside experts’ to tell us what to do.
  9. Maintain Objectivity: I will set aside personal biases on matters before Council, listen to all viewpoints openly, and base decisions on their merits and the law.
  10. Apply Common Sense: I will address issues with common sense and straightforward communication, avoiding political rhetoric and double-talk.

As an independent Councillor, I stand by these commitments because they reflect my values and dedication to our community. This is the pledge upon which I seek your support for election, and I agree to be held accountable to them if elected.

The difference between a pledge and a lie is the character and integrity of the person offering you the words.  Click here to read some insights into my character and integrity by people who have worked in our community and would know.

If you don’t ask where a candidate is going,
you can’t act surprised where they take you.