Dubbo Council elections: Meet the Wellington ward candidates
From a forensic look at a cashflow crisis, to reducing fees for sporting groups and spending on a 24/7 police push, these are the priorities for Wellington’s election candidates.
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A field comprising of successful small business owners, a not-for-profit sector leader and a resident with 26 years of local government experience will be what the voters in Wellington get to choose from at the upcoming council election.
On December 4, voters across NSW will go to the polls to elect who they want to represent them on local councils.
Current Dubbo Regional Council Deputy Mayor Anne Jones is the only incumbent councillor seeking re-election which means at least one new face will secure one of two Wellington ward spots on council.
Will voters stick with Cr Jones or vote for total change? Meet the main candidates who want to represent Wellington on the new council.
RICHARD IVEY
Charted accountant and local business owner Richard Ivey moved to Wellington 40 years ago and he believes the town’s brightest days are ahead of it.
“Wellington has struggled a bit over the last 10 to 15 years, but I think the next five to 15 years in Wellington really are going to be very exciting,” he said.
Mr Ivey wants the council to consider how it can leverage more from the huge renewable energy projects underway in the region and focus on getting its finances on a more sustainable footing.
“One of the things I’d like to do is really make an input into the financials of the council,” he said.
“The council’s in a very strong financial position and it’s got incredible assets and not much debt but it doesn’t have good cash flow.
“Let’s look at the mix between assets and cashflow, I don’t mean sell assets, but maybe we could make better use of the assets we do have.”
Of the town’s highly publicised struggles to combat the ice epidemic and a perceived crime problem, Mr Ivey said the problems were not unique to Wellington and could be fixed.
“I see a problem in Dubbo too and in Orange too, it’s the ice and it’s very localised,” Mr Ivey said.
“You can go through and you can name about six or seven blocks where it occurs and you can nominate about five or six families that have problems.
“I think it can be fixed. There are a lot of very good people in Wellington.”
Mr Ivey said after taking a step back from running his business, he could use the extra time he has to contribute to Wellington as a councillor.
“Initially I just looked at the dysfunction in the present council and though ‘that’s a pity’ and maybe some fresh faces in council would be a good idea,” he said.
“I thought maybe if I got into council with a fresh council I would be in a position to make a difference.”
LIZZY GEORGE
“Back to basics”. That’s the approach small business owner Lizzy George wants to champion if she’s elected to council as a representative for the Wellington ward.
“I feel like the previous council was going for bigger, better all the time, shiny new, let’s cut the ribbons, we did this, we made this … but how do we maintain it?,” she said.
“The current CEO has said the amount of infrastructure we have to maintain means that if we want any new infrastructure we really have to figure out where the money is coming from.
“Council’s budget at the moment is in a really bad situation, Covid hasn’t helped that, so I think it’s really important we get back to the basics of what a council does especially in terms of community service provision.”
Making road maintenance more of a priority, looking at how to better support grassroots community and sporting groups and improving communication between council and the community were among the priorities the aspiring councillor has on her to-do list ahead of the election.
She said higher council fees attached to the hire or use of sporting grounds and local facilities like the Wellington Civic Centre had made it harder for children to access recreational opportunities.
“Kids should be able to access sport … we as a council should be willing to take a small hit for access to sporting grounds so that sporting clubs can operate at a price that’s affordable for everybody,” Ms George said.
Holding council meetings outside Dubbo in other communities where local ratepayers live is another idea Ms George will advance.
“I think at the very least they need to have at least a council meeting in Wellington, at least one, preferably two,” she said.
“Even further than that I think they need get back to rural meetings.
“You’ve got to at least turn up and drive the roads and see what people are talking about.”
Ms George said it was her experience working for the old Wellington Shire Council which influenced her decision to run for council and help improve the community.
“When I was 21 I used to take the minutes and I used to always get really frustrated with what they would decide, especially in terms of things I thought would be progressive and helpful that would just get stifled,” she said.
JESS GOUGH
Using the power of the council to push the NSW Government to deliver better services, including a 24-hour police station and more doctors for the Wellington Hospital, will be the key focus for Ben Shields Team candidate Jess Gough.
Concerns about crime and a desire for a greater police presence have been longstanding issues for Wellington residents and Ms Gough said she would “jump up and down” if elected to push the new council to fund an advocacy campaign to pressure the government to act.
Ms Gough said such was the level of concern in Wellington, if the council could afford to pay for a Dubbo Needs a Rehab campaign, it should pay for a similar one.
“It’s about time the state government pulled their finger out and gave us the facilities we need,” she said.
“They’re approving all these state government projects in the area and we need extra resources to look after the extra people coming into the area.
“We’ve got itinerant workers coming into the town and they’re getting a bad vibe because their houses are being broken into.”
While Ms Gough said police were “absolutely” doing a good job, more of them were needed in the town and the police station should be open 24/7.
“They’re doing the best they can with the outdated facilities that they’ve got,” she said.
“Of course there’ll still be crime, except with a 24-hour police station we can reduce the crime.”
The government has said the NSW Police Commissioner makes decisions about allocation of police resources and Wellington is policed on average for 20 hours a day, but Ms Gough said local crooks knew when police were and weren’t in the town and response times were a problem.
“If there’s no one here at the station they’ve got to come from Dubbo and people honestly get to a point of going ‘why bother?’ she said.
“I don’t think anyone has pushed this as much as I want it. There’s no point looking at the past, this is now and for the future of Wellington - we need 24-hour police.”
Ms Gough said she also wanted the council to lobby for better health services for Wellington and look at ways to ensure neglected buildings in the town main street could be better maintained.
“At the end of the day, the community needs someone who is going to push for the things they want,” Ms Gough said.
“I’ve got what I want to do but I also want to know what the community wants and stand up for what Wellington wants so we don’t lose our voice.”
Ms Gough said she was running for council because she knew she could “get things done”.
HELEN SWAN
Finding news ways for council to listen more before making decisions and pushing for more community services will be among Helen Swan’s top priorities if she becomes a councillor.
The former not-for-profit sector leader is Labor’s lead candidate in the Wellington ward and she senses voters want change.
“I feel quite positive about change at the moment, I feel like we need new voices,” Ms Swan said, speaking at an election forum in Gollan.
“I believe in change that brings everyone along and I think we often miss out on a lot of people, we miss out on people with disabilities, we miss out on people with mental illness, Aboriginal people, the elderly, the poor, we miss out on proper consultation with these people.
“I don’t think the council has consulted well with us.”
Ms Swan said an example of the consultation problem was the Cameron Park toilet block accessibility upgrade council undertook, which resulted in less toilets.
“The toilets in our park were replaced from about three or four for each gender to one each gender,” she said.
“I don’t think it’s an okay way to consult by putting something in the council chambers and saying ‘go and have a look at it and tell us what you think.
“I’m committed us to finding a new way, a different way of consulting.”
Ms Swan has also expressed enthusiasm for the idea of a “total audit” of councils roads network to find out the extent of community concern.
ANNE JONES
While former Wellington mayor and current Dubbo Region deputy mayor Anne Jones admits the last fours year have been “challenging” as a member of the newly amalgamated council, she says she’s got the experience and passion to deliver for the community.
If re-elected Cr Jones said pushing for a more accountable and transparent council, as well as more employment and job opportunities would be among her goals.
“Other priorities on re-election will be encouraging improved communications between council and its residents, planning for an increased level of affordable housing and recognising that council’s residents come from a diverse range of backgrounds and have varying expectations and needs,” she said.
Work to ensure “long-term financial sustainability through strategic planning and spending” as well as the continued maintenance and upgrading of council infrastructure would also be undertaken if re-elected, Cr Jones said.
“I believe that my 26 years in local government have equipped me with the necessary experience and have demonstrated a proven track record, with the vision and passion, to achieve the outcomes our community needs and deserves.
“The last four years as a councillor on Dubbo Regional Council have been very challenging and with outcomes that have not always been in the best interests of the Dubbo region.
“If re-elected, I commit to work with the other councillors to provide a stable and progressive management team that will regain the trust and respect of our community.”
- Candidates featured in this story are the lead Group or ungrouped candidates on the ballot paper. Christopher Bailey is the second Labor candidate and Mikaela Solomons is the second Ben Shields Team candidate.
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