Building a stronger Geelong together

IT IS AN an honour to continue serving as a councillor for the City of Greater Geelong in the Leopold Ward, and I am deeply grateful for the strong support I received in the recent elections.

The new Leopold Ward covers Clifton Springs, Curlewis, Drysdale and, of course, the town of Leopold.

As a returning candidate, many of you already know my work and commitment to our community.

Having lived in the Greater Geelong region all my life, I am passionate about our local community and ensuring this is a place where everyone can live a happy and healthy life.

I want to help our region be the best that it can be. Geelong has an excellent opportunity for transformation over the coming years, and I believe I can assist in this process.

This term, I am focused on financial sustainability, increasing asset maintenance, safer streets and providing more sports facilities across the Bellarine Peninsula.

While we can’t achieve everything immediately, I believe we can make significant progress by setting clear priorities over the next four years.

At last week’s Council meeting, I was honoured to be appointed Chair of Economic Development and City Services, Capital Works and Parks and Gardens.

I am also proud to serve as Deputy Chair of City Planning and to represent our region on the Board of the Geelong Regional Library Corporation.

Libraries are vital to lifelong learning, and the corporation delivers universal access to this through 19 community libraries, the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre, and three mobile libraries.

Tourism is another area of success for our region, with 6.4 million visitors spending more than $1.8 billion in Greater Geelong and the Bellarine last year.

The 2023/24 Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine annual report shows a 16 per cent increase in visitor spending compared to the previous year.

This growing sector supports over 900 local businesses and creates valuable jobs, showcasing the best of our region to the world.

Council is also performing well in delivering its commitments under the Our Community Plan 2021–25, with 96 per cent of this year’s actions on track.

Through transparent updates like our quarterly reports, Council can ensure accountability and focus on building a clever and creative city-region.

As a councillor, I remain committed to creating a Geelong region that is financially sustainable with increased asset maintenance.

As a Council, we can achieve our vision of a stronger community. I am excited about what we can achieve together in the years ahead, and I am ready to get to work.

Wishing you all the best for a safe and happy festive period and see you all in 2025.

Cr Trent Sullivan

Leopold Ward, City of Greater Geelong