The City of Greater Bendigo has launched a campaign to encourage local residents to run in the upcoming Local Government elections.
The ‘Put your hand up – 2024’ campaign seeks to raise the profile of the role of a Councillor and Local Government in the community, and will feature three community information sessions. Anyone is welcome to attend.
Chief Executive Officer Andrew Cooney said Local Government relied on residents to put up their hand and lead their community.
“It is an exciting time to nominate for Council in Greater Bendigo. We are preparing for a population of 200,000 people, planning to deliver once-in-a-generation projects, including the Bendigo Art Gallery redevelopment, Bendigo Regional Employment Precinct and Regional Sports Infrastructure Projects, and we are continuing our recovery from the recent flood events and seeking to improve future flood resilience,” Mr Cooney said.
“To be a Councillor is a privilege and it’s important that a Council is representative of the community it serves, so we’re encouraging people from a variety of backgrounds to put up their hand and help make a difference.
“A Council’s role is to lead, govern and make decisions for the benefit of all residents and ratepayers. The role of a Councillor is greater than just one issue or wanting to represent the interests of only one community.
“An effective Councillor needs to have broad interests and consider a range of information when making decisions. Being able to consider the bigger picture and plan for a bright future for Greater Bendigo is essential to the role.”
Following a review of electoral boundaries by the Victorian Government, the City of Greater Bendigo ward structure will change for the 2024 elections. Instead of there being three wards and three councillors in each ward, Greater Bendigo will be divided into nine wards and there will be one councillor in each ward.
There is a range of support available to help make serving as a Councillor easier, including reimbursement for childcare, vehicle access to attend community events, financial support for training, reimbursement for travel expenses, laptops and mobile phones are provided, and there is support for people with a disability.
“Being a Councillor can be likened to having a part-time job and can be balanced with other responsibilities like family, community work or paid work, while the role of the Mayor is a greater time commitment, more like a full-time job,” Mr Cooney said.
“Aside from meeting with the community, which can sometimes occur at night, a main part of the role is reading reports and attending briefings so as to be fully informed to make decisions at Council meetings.
“The City of Greater Bendigo delivers 68 valued services to the community, such as rubbish collection, sports facilities, childcare, immunisation, maternal and child health, major events, town planning, theatres, Bendigo Art Gallery, visitor services, parks and gardens, animal pound services, road, drainage and footpath construction, and much more.
“However, Local Government is not responsible for matters such as hospitals, public transport, public housing, education, major road/highway upgrades, mental health services, state and national parks, or police and the justice system.
“Importantly, being a Councillor is a hugely rewarding role and one that decides on key outcomes that can benefit and shape the community for many years to come.”
To be a candidate, you must be an Australian citizen, over the age of 18, enrolled on the voters’ role for the City of Greater Bendigo and complete mandatory Local Government candidate training. You can be a candidate for any ward.
Election day is Saturday October 26. Voting will be by postal vote and the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) needs all votes received no later than 12pm, Friday November 1. Failure to vote may result in a fine.
