Council election 2024: Bill Trevor to run for re-election

Childers councillor and Bundaberg deputy mayor Bill Trevor reveals why he will run for council again come March, and why amalgamation has grown on him over the years.

Bill Trevor stands next to the Palace Backpacker Hostel. Photo: PETER WALLIS pal2106h

A long-standing Bundaberg councillor has announced his plans to run again at the March local government election.

Division 2 councillor and deputy mayor Bill Trevor confirmed he would run for re-election after lengthy discussions with his family over the festive period.

He said the decision was triggered by concerns within his largely rural division that new councillors elected in March might not prioritise the feelings held by the people of Woodgate, Childers, Coonar, Goodwood, Kinkuna, Buxton and the wider Isis district.

“The other thing is, there are three or four big projects which are supposed to happen in the coming term in my division,” Mr Trevor said.

He spoke on plans for a new neighbourhood center in Childers, the water treatment plant and ongoing erosion at Woodgate.

Despite ongoing pressure to fast-track plans to address the erosion, Mr Trevor said much of the time consuming red tape relied on state government direction, environmental applications and tenders.

“It’s been a terrible frustrating exercise,” he said.

“A lot of people were talking to me about the concern if the council gets someone new, who doesn’t know about it, that it (plans to tackle the erosion) will be put on the backburner.”

He said the diversity of the Bundaberg region had impacted the prioritisation of the division, and while crediting the proportionate nature of his fellow councillors, Div 2 was largely rural with different priorities to the more urban divisions of the region.

Bill Trevor has announced plans to contest his seat at the March Bundaberg Regional Council election.

The 2008 amalgamation pushed the division into an urban council, contributing to an “us versus them” mentality, though Mr Trevor said this mentality has diminished over time.

“I was very much against amalgamation at the time, but it can work and it has worked,” he said.

When reflecting on the calls from his community, which centre largely around roads and urban development, Mr Trevor said he made the effort to spend time on the ground in his division, connecting with locals and hearing the “little concerns” they would normally not escalate.

He said this hands-on approach also allowed him to answer common questions and address concerns in the the community, particularly over roads that did not fall under council jurisdiction.

Looking to the election, Mr Trevor offered some advice to those considering running for council.

“You’re going to see a lot of promises made by a lot of people leading up to the election,” he said.

“A lot of these people making promises may never have served on council, and don’t know what the rules and regulations are.

“The other thing to bear in mind as an individual on the council, you’re nothing, you will have to convince five other people, you need to be able to work with people to achieve results.”