AUSTRALIAN Catholic University\u2019s Ballarat campus dean Professor Bridget Aitchison never thought she\u2019d run for council when a few people around her suggested she go for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI initially said, don\u2019t be ridiculous. I\u2019m not a politician,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But a good friend of Professor Aitchison\u2019s stated that was a big reason why she should raise her hand in the first place.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018if you\u2019ve got the time, the life skills, and the capacity to do it and make a difference to the city and you don\u2019t, shame on you.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, she\u2019s right,\u201d Professor Aitchison said.<\/p>\n
With a \u201cfull-on\u201d but flexible university leadership role, and supportive employers, she\u2019s decided she\u2019s at \u201cthe right point\u201d in her life to stand as a City of Ballarat South Ward candidate in the 2020 municipal election.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have the time, a lot of life skills in strategy, governance, entrepreneurship and education. All of those are useful on a council,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
If successful, Professor Aitchison has some key issues on her agenda, mindful of the needs of diverse residents. At the top of the list is post-COVID recovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need good, strategic minds to do this that understand the value of small business and what they need to restart and recover, not tie it all in red tape,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to create jobs and training opportunities to replace ones that are lost and may not come back.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf elected, within 90 days I\u2019ll be calling for a jobs taskforce that will consult with ratepayers, businesses, industry, peak bodies, State and Federal Government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Professor Aitchison said the city needs to explore renewable energies, and could become a national leader in the sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cRenewable energy is generated near us, but it bypasses us as it\u2019s transmitted to Melbourne.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could have a generation, storage and transmission facility, create a microgrid to run all of Ballarat and export back to the grid which means cheaper energy for everybody and it\u2019s an income source if it\u2019s done right,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big win; cheaper energy, cleaner air and water.\u201d<\/p>\n
An advocate of education and the arts with a theatre background, Professor Aitchison wants to ensure those areas continue booming.<\/p>\n
She said infrastructure in south ward, including busy intersections, needs an overhaul.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not keeping pace with growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a passion for helping people develop and grow, Professor Aitchison said she\u2019ll bring a \u201cfresh perspective\u201d that encourages all of Ballarat south to thrive too.<\/p>\n
\u201cA number of recent councillors really weren\u2019t interested in hearing what people had to say… there was fake consultation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see transparency, genuine community consultation before decisions are made and strategic thinking, so community business leaders can endorse projects,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRatepayers deserve someone who actually cares about people, and how and where money is spent. It\u2019s time that south ward had someone that will listen.”<\/p>\n
Behind the scenes of her work and new campaign, Professor Aitchison has two daughters, a grandson and two miniature dachshunds.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s a beginner golfer, mountain biker, and a kayaker with the Ballarat Amateur Canoe Club. At home, she has fun forging fibre art.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love creating weird, wild and wonderful things for people.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AUSTRALIAN Catholic University\u2019s Ballarat campus dean Professor Bridget Aitchison never thought she\u2019d run for council when a few people around her suggested she go for it. \u201cI initially said, don\u2019t be ridiculous. I\u2019m not a politician,\u201d she said. But a good friend of Professor Aitchison\u2019s stated that was a big reason why she should raise […]<\/p>\n