Who are we and what are our responsibilities as elected representatives?
We are elected by the community, for the community – we are not employees of the local government organisation (CGSC). We are a conduit from the community for the organisation to reflect views, aspirations, vision, and to participate in the decision making that represents the interests of the municipality, participating in strategic planning for the community – just to name a few.
We are also responsible for community wellbeing and listen to all concerns with an open mind. This is exactly what we did at last week’s Council meeting. We were given the opportunity to set an example, to encourage statistical change for the community’s health and wellbeing.
Under the Local Government Act, we make decisions based on the facts, putting our personal feelings aside – which I think we did. We listened to the community, we heard relevant statistics, listened to the community’s voice: it wasn’t about a gym, but about another liquor store.
Some say we as a council are ‘a bit like a court” – we are not a court nor a jury. We are like a board of directors, who make decisions based on the rules and benefits to stakeholders, which in this case, is our community.
The community’s voice is relevant and vital, and reflected in the decision most councillors endorsed on this occasion.
Just to be clear – you can see how vulnerable a temporary situation is when a business doesn’t have a long-term lease. On this particular occasion the “liquor licence” application was refused, but another type of business submitting a planning application may not receive the same response from Council.
Stay safe everyone, and healthy.
Cr Grace La Vella
Maryborough Ward
