Welcome aboard

IN MY MOST recent column, I wrote about my former colleague and now great friend, Kylie Grzybek.

There is a saying that a week is a long time in politics and this is so true about Geelong.

Since Kylie resigned, Council has adopted the 2023-24 budget, a new chief executive officer has been appointed, and Kylie’s replacement for the Windermere Ward was confirmed via an official countback.

It is my pleasure to be welcoming to the Council Sarah Hathway and new CEO Ali Wastie, whom I know will both join me and become passionate campaigners for the northern suburbs.

The current group of Councillors has nearly all been together since 2017 (exceptions being Councillor Belinda Moloney, who was voted in in 2020, and Councillor Melissa Cadwell, who came on board in January 2023 when she replaced Sarah Mansfield, who joined Victoria’s Legislative Council).

So Councillor Hathway will be joining an experienced team, who will be there to support her if and when she needs.

There are a great many responsibilities one has when becoming a Councillor, including those that come under the Local Government Act and the Councillor Code of Conduct, and there is always a large volume of confidential information that we deal with.

It is so important that Councillors understand these responsibilities, particularly when it comes to potential conflicts of interest, which can easily occur but should always be dealt with appropriately.

The privilege of being a councillor also means there is a great responsibility for providing governance for an organisation which employs 2700 staff and produces a budget of more than $590 million – not to mention ownership of around $4.3 billion worth of assets.

Councillors take these responsibilities on because we care for our community, we care for the people who live here, and we care for Greater Geelong’s short and long-term sustainability.

The recent budget is another example of our responsibilities, and I am pleased that the process worked as intended.

A draft budget was released and after six weeks of feedback and consultation we came through this having listened to what the community had to say.

A challenge for council budgets, particularly one such as this at a grassroots community level, is that there will always be some people and groups who are disappointed.

But Council is always committed to listening to community feedback on our proposed budgets, and we were so grateful to all the individuals and community groups who made submissions this year.

As councillors we heard the feedback, took it on board, and responded accordingly.

Across the Greater Geelong region, we allocated more funding for libraries, reinstated funding for the Kardinia Aquatic Centre to operate during winter, and restored funding towards surf lifesaving at our ocean beaches.

I trust that the community will welcome these changes, albeit I am aware some people wanted more from us.

Unfortunately, there isn’t an organisation or tier of government in Australia that is not facing heavy financial pressure due to rising costs across most sectors.

Council is no different, but it is our responsibility to ensure we fulfil our obligations within the Local Government Act and that we are fiscally responsible, and I believe we have achieved this.

Welcome on board Councillor Hathway and new CEO Ali Wastie, I look forward to working with both of you to benefit the Geelong community we now all serve.

Cr Anthony Aitken

Windermere Ward, City of Greater Geelong