Hervey Bay a hot topic as council candidates night held in Maryborough

The event might have been in Maryborough but the Heritage City’s chances of fair representation on a council with a Hervey Bay majority was a key source of debate at the latest candidate's forum. DETAILS.

Fraser Coast Councillor and Division 1 candidate Michelle Byrne at a meet the candidates event at Maryborough City Hall.

The candidates of Maryborough’s council divisions have shared why they think they will be the best choice ahead of this month’s election.

But it was Hervey Bay that was the focus of a number of questions posed to the candidates after they were given the chance to introduce themselves to a crowd of about 100 people at Maryborough City Hall on Thursday night.

Candidates were asked how Maryborough could be well represented when six of the councillors would be based in Hervey Bay and the contentious new council administration centre, to be built in Main St, Pialba, was also the subject of a question as councillors were asked if they felt it was good value for money.

Current Division 2 councillor and candidate Phil Truscott claimed the council did not view the region as Maryborough versus Hervey Bay but took a holistic approach to the needs of the region.

Darcy Wain is running for the Division 1 seat in the March council election.

He said the councillors thought in terms of the Fraser Coast, not just their own divisions, as they represented the region as a whole.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour, who is again running for council against new candidate Grant Reynolds, said assigning portfolios such as roads and drainage or events would be a helpful way of ensuring councillors had a whole of region focus.

Division 1 Councillor and candidate James Hansen also backed the idea of portfolios.

In regards to the new Hervey Bay council administration building, Mr Seymour said he had voted against it because of the cost.

Fraser Coast Regional Councillor Daniel Sanderson.

Division 3 Councillor Paul Truscott said he had also initially been against it but realised that the project was way overdue and would only get more expensive if it was not done now, so he had changed his mind about going ahead with the building.

Labelled the Taj Mahal in some social media circles, the project was partly funded by a $40 million grant from the Federal Government, funds which would disappear if the project did not go ahead, Mr Truscott said.

It is currently expected to cost $108.7 million.

Cr Hansen said he had voted against the project, saying he did not agree with the expense and believed the building should be smaller.

While Hervey Bay proved to be a sore point for the hyper-focused Maryborough crowd, the candidates made the most of the chance to introduce themselves.

Mr Seymour said in the six years he had spent as mayor, he had brought stability to the council and focused on the community.

Candidate Phil Truscott.

He said he was focused on improving the CCTV network across the region and ensuring the community was prepared for natural disasters.

Mr Reynolds said the councillors and mayor needed to hear concerns and if they couldn’t get the outcome the public was looking for, it should be taken to a higher level on the region’s behalf.

“Any response other than going into bat for us at a higher level is a sign of ineptitude and cowardice,” he said.

He said there was too much of focus on cars instead of public transport, which meant more road fatalities, rising transport costs and poor roads and poor health outcomes.

Mr Hansen said he was best person for his position for three reasons - his background, experience and track record.

His background in agriculture, working as a dairy farmer for 30 years, meant he was no stranger to hard work and no stranger to adversity and hard times, Mr Hansen said.

Fraser Coast Regional Council Councillor James Hansen.

He said he had a strong relationship with community groups and understood how to get things done.

Mr Hansen said he had always stood up for common sense and supported projects that were good for the region and voted against projects he did not feel were for good for the region.

Division 1 candidate Michelle Byrne, president of Maryborough Zonta, said her volunteer work was built on strong teamwork and she enjoyed spending time with people from all walks of life.

She said she had witnessed firsthand the struggles of young people in the region, and she would be available and engaged in the community.

She was passionate about the area and wanted to see respectful and ethical development continue, she said.

Water security was also vital, Ms Byrne said.

Michelle Byrne is running as a candidate for Division 1.

Fellow Division 1 candidate Darcy Wain said he had worked hard for everything he had.

While putting a particular focus on advocating for the smaller communities of the Fraser Coast, he said he disliked seeing ratepayers’ money getting wasted.

Mr Wain said he understood the need to do research before investing time and money in projects.

He said he intended to give up his current job if elected to focus completely on the role of being a councillor.

Mr Truscott was the first candidate from Division 2 to speak.

He urged voters to focus on the character and values of the people they were voting for, including someone with the right background and experience.

Mr Truscott said someone who had a bit of “mongrel” in them was necessary as well.

“If you don’t have that in you, you will be eaten up in this job,” he said.

He said he wanted to see an upgraded library for Maryborough and revisit the idea of a Tinana sport complex.

Giselle O’Keefe, also a candidate for Division 2, said she had worked hard to raise her profile in the community, speaking with people at markets and events.

Giselle O'Keefe

“There are many not-for-profit organisations in Division 2,” she said.

She said she had also been attending council meetings since deciding to run for Division 2.

Ms O’Keefe said she would continue to engage in community consultation and be open to new ideas.

Addressing wasteful spending was also one of her goals.

For Division 3, Paul Truscott was the only candidate and would automatically be re-elected.

But he still chose to address the crowd, telling those gathered he would continue to work hard and continue to provide the best representation possible for the region.

Fraser Coast Councillor and Division 4 candidate Daniel Sanderson at a meet the candidates event at Maryborough City Hall.

He said it was impossible for a councillor to make promises because you were one of 11.

“You can’t make promises about what you will do as an individual, because you have to have a majority to make any decision.”
Like Phil Truscott, he believed it came down to character and he said he was striving to make positive relationships within the council, in the community and with other branches of government.

Division 4 candidate and current councillor Daniel Sanderson said he was a proud father of three children and passionate about representing his division.

Mr Sanderson said he had a good working relationship with his fellow councillors and would continue working with them.

He said he was committed to making Maryborough a safer city and the experience he had gained during his time as a councillor would help make the community stronger.

Fellow Division 4 candidate Daniel Beattie was unable to attend the event due to a prior commitment.

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Originally published as Hervey Bay a hot topic as council candidates night held in Maryborough