Hills heads for North Ward

STANDING as an Animal Justice Party endorsed candidate, Bryn Hills is campaigning for a seat in Ballarat’s North Ward for October’s elections.

A long time Ballarat resident with extensive experience working in state education, Mr Hills said running for local council is another opportunity to support his community.

“While Ballarat’s never been more diverse and culturally vibrant and accepting place, there’s still more work to do in being an inclusive society and how we rebuild from the COVID situation,” he said

“We can’t just pretend that someone else will look after these issues, we have to address them at a local level because that’s where we can really make a difference.

“I hope to encourage community planning for the future so we don’t get to a stage where we regret not doing more about the climate emergency, for biodiversity or for our communities.”

Mr Hills aims to represent the Animal Justice Party by leading with care for the environment and kindness towards all species.

If elected, he said he will harbour these qualities as a lens in which to view community issues that come before local council.

“The core values of the party are kindness, equality, rationality and non-violence and these are timeless principles which I share,” he said.

“These principles should be enacted at all levels of government including the local level.

“Qualities like honesty and transparency are really important moving forward and the new council will need to work harmoniously and show a sense of teamwork in governing for all of the community.”

In recognising that the City of Ballarat have taken strides towards tackling environmental issues by implementing the 2025 renewables target, Mr Hills said there is more to be done.

In a post-COVID world, he said while it’s important to foster local economy, the City should keep the protection of our natural environments and life forms a priority.

“While rebuilding our economy and businesses is important, we have to give important consideration to sustainability, how we recycle our waste, our animal world and protecting our habitat,” he said.

“Council should be asking how they can rebuild and what are the things they can do to ensure the society remains diverse and inclusive; think global, act local is the way I like to think about it.

“While I encourage development, it has to be sustainable because the biodiversity crisis is going to be just a big of a threat to community and to our future than the climate emergency.”