Jeanette Allom-Hill reveals Sunshine Coast Council mayoral ambitions to take the region’s top office

An award-winning businesswoman and public sector consultant has revealed her ambition to become the next mayor of the Sunshine Coast.

An award-winning businesswoman and experienced public sector adviser has revealed her ambition to become the next mayor of the Sunshine Coast.

Jeanette Allom-Hill has confirmed she will seek the region’s highest office when it becomes available, either in 2024 or earlier if persistent rumours of an Olympic Committee job for Mayor Mark Jamieson proved true.

Mr Jamieson played down the speculation in August that he was set to depart council for a key role in the organising bodies of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics which would trigger a mayoral election.

Ms Allom-Hill said she had a desire to “be the local voice for the community” and recalibrate Sunshine Coast Council to be more representative of its diverse communities.

The 2020 Telstra Queensland Business Women’s Awards winner for her work in the public sector and academia fields was a former group executive of business performance with Sunshine Coast Council before she took up a role with the Prime Minister and Cabinet consulting to the Australian Public Sector Reform office.

Jeanette Allom-Hill has revealed her ambition to become the region's next mayor.

She also had extensive state government experience and Ms Allom-Hill said her time out of the council had given her real clarity on what the community wanted and expected from its representatives.

Ms Allom-Hill said if successful she would aim to foster an environment where councillors were able to represent their individual communities and the council chamber was a place of more diverse ideas and genuine debate.

“We don’t want strength in unity against the community,” she said.

“What the hinterland wants is different to what the beach communities want.”

She said she felt a “real arrogance” had permeated the council in its approach to community consultation and she said the organisation and its bureaucrats had to become more accountable to the community.

“Those rates pay for what you do everyday,” Ms Allom-Hill said.

Ms Allom-Hill says the council needs to be more reflective of varying views and needs of the region’s diverse communities.

The Palmwoods-based mother-of-two said she left the council after 3.5 years to gain a better understanding of what the community wanted from its leaders.

“A council is there and established as a body and paid by ratepayers to serve the community,” she said.

Passionate about inspiring female leaders, Ms Allom-Hill said she felt her experience across all tiers of government would serve her well in establishing relationships to better the region.

Jeanette Allom-Hill with her husband, Jeff, and sons Tom and Will.

She said her focus would also be on “much more suitable development” to sustain the community, as opposed to just development for the sake of it.

“We need to stop and reassess what the community needs,” she said.

She said she was keen to see the “right person run” for the job and wanted to give people a genuine choice when they cast their next mayoral vote.