GRAND PLANS!

 

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year.  Do you do New Year resolutions?  I gave up on those years ago.  Whilst not a New Year resolution, I had grand plans to write a weekly blog but it is now more than a month since the last one and we have had the January council meeting a week ago!

The elected Council has been very busy with approaches from residents and ratepayers, workshops, Council meetings and the myriad of other things in the life of a local government Councillor.  It has been a bit of a baptism of fire for our newly elected Councillors but they, and the returning Councillors, have all jumped in with enthusiasm.

The Councillors have established a relationship and collaborative approach with staff that is seeing some positive outcomes.  The General Manager and his senior staff have been very patient in answering all the questions that have arisen! 

It is important to continue discussions with our communities as we enter the review stage of the Strategic Plan and start the formulation of the budget that will shape the coming financial year.  I encourage everyone to speak or write to your Councillors if you have an issue that you want raised.   

I don't know where the saying originated from, but I have often said that too many times on any matter, people 'kick the gravel in the carpark' instead of raising their concern.  It applies to many aspects of our life whether its sport or community or Council and often we don't raise a matter because we don't want to be seen as serial complainers or we may feel that we will be victimised. 

Operational matters become a bit problematic as elected members cannot direct staff to fix that pothole that is bugging you or do whatever else might be on your radar but we can raise it for you and get it on a list.  Unless we are told or asked about something then we really are at a loss as to what your issue is.  Don't forget you will contact all Councillors by email to Council  (council@freycinet.tas.gov.au).   

Another avenue for complaints is available on the Council website.  WORKS & WASTE MANAGEMENT SERVICES – GLAMORGAN SPRING BAY COUNCIL (gsbc.tas.gov.au)

Look for the Works Request tab and submit a request

Check out the other On-Line Request tabs on the website as well.  There just might be one that suits your specific request or complaint.

On Australia Day this year we celebrated not only our Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Emergency Services Worker of the Year, but welcomed new citizens as well in a formal Citizenship Ceremony that I had the privilege of being the Presiding Officer.

Covid has impacted on so much of our life over the past couple of years and placed enormous stress on our health system.  Like me, I'm sure you will be looking forward to a relatively Covid-free year.  I know the virus is still out there so please take precautions that suit you and your lifestyle.

As we age, it is fair to say that we all become a little more realistic about what each new year will bring to us so live your life to the fullest.  Each day is a blessing that we must grasp with both hands.  I saw a quote from the American actor Clint Eastwood recently where he was asked about his age and why he still is making movies at 92.  He said he wakes up each morning and doesn't let the old man in!  What a great way to look at life.

“Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.”
― Roy T. Bennett, Author The Light in the Heart

Until next time......

Loo with a View

 

I wasn't really expecting to do another post so soon but a few people have asked about the Loo with a View Survey so here goes!

Concern has been expressed by Councillors that the survey probably wasn't indicative of the sentiment of the Swansea area.  It is recognised that we have an aging demographic in the Swansea area and the Facebook forum may not be the best way to run a survey.  

 How do we get the message out about surveys and other communications in the changing world of print media.  As a society, we do seem to be gravitating towards electronic means of communication in all forums but is it fair?   To answer my own question, probably not!  We seem to assume that everyone has an email address but that really isn't the case either in some areas.  It is evident that there is a shift away from electronic transactions of various sorts with all the hacking and scams going on so it is a real dilemma. 

At the last Council meeting, it was decided that the General Manager should bring a report to the January meeting with a suggestion for the siting/use of the Loo with a View building that was constructed some time ago. We do have to get the best outcome for the use of the building.  Do you have a preference but didn't participate in the survey for whatever reason? If you have an email address, drop Councillors a line - council@freycinet.tas.gov.au before the 10th January.  We'd love to hear from you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

I can't believe that it has been 5 weeks since the declaration of election of Councillors and my last blog!  It seems that 2022 has managed to rocket by in the blink of an eye.  

The new Council has been very busy with an induction day that presented as much as possible about the legislation, acting as a planning authority, Code of Conduct and the myriad of other things that form the steep learning curve of being elected to Council.  Despite being on Council for 20+ years, I found the induction very valuable with the changes that included the Statewide Planning Scheme and some changes to the Local Government Act.  

There's more change on the way and community members are encouraged to check out the State Government's website - https://engage.futurelocal.tas.gov.au/   There's a couple of options papers out right now that may prove interesting to ratepayers.  The review is due for completion in June 2023 and whilst it is not really using the A word (amalgamation), it is talking about boundary adjustments and making Councils more sustainable.  I confess to not having read all the documentation as yet.  It will probably form some not so light reading over the Christmas break.

Council supports our local schools with a citizenship award that is known as the Mayoral Medal.  It is always a pleasure to attend a school and see the wonderful work that the dedicated teachers do for the younger members of our community.  Triabunna District School has had enormous success this past year with academic achievements across National and State education testing programs.

What are you doing for Christmas and New Year?  I hope you get to spend it with those you love this year free from the dreaded Covid.  Whatever you do, stay safe in whatever activity you undertake.  

Christmas is a very special time for families and friends from all walks of life.  Whatever your faith may be, enjoy this Festive Season.  We can only hope that 2023 gives all of us a break from Covid or poor weather.                          

                                 

                    MERRY CHRISTMAS and SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

DECLARATION OF OFFICE AND REMEMBRANCE DAY

 

Well, what an exciting week!

On Tuesday, the new Council all signed the Declaration of Office to officially make us Councillors.  It has allowed Mike Symons and I to use the title of Mayor and Deputy Mayor as well. 

Councillors then got down to business by attending their first workshop as a briefing on some matters.  Next Tuesday, they will attend an induction workshop that will be very extensive in its content and cover the myriad of matters that make up local government.  It can be daunting but we have a committed group of people to serving the GSBC municipal area for the next 4 years. The induction will equip them with the knowledge to undertake the role in a sometimes volatile environment.  

Being a local government councillor takes commitment to your values of integrity and ethics. I have no doubt that the Councillors elected for the next 4 years will uphold those values to the highest degree.

There were lots of phone calls and emails that filled the rest of the week until today - Remembrance Day.  I am fortunate that I was appointed to the role of Co-Ordinator for Anzac Day and Remembrance Day by the Spring Bay RSL some time ago and that gives me the privilege of being MC on those ceremonial days (as me; not the Mayor).  Today we were fortunate to have the Minister for Veterans Affairs the Hon Guy Barnett attend our service and deliver the Remembrance Day address.  Minister Barnett is a strong supporter of all veterans and their support services.  

One of the roles I hold is as a member of the Veterans Reference Group (VRG) due to being the parent of a current serving defence member.  The VRG plays an important role in providing information to the Minister about the many issues that our veteran and current serving members experience.  If you are a veteran who is in need of assistance, I encourage you to contact your local RSL sub-branch for support.  Alternatively, please don't hesitate to contact me.

So to the end of the week and it is Onwards and Upwards from here for GSBC (this is me plagiarising the General Manager's favourite saying!) 

Stay in touch.  Until next time....

Cheryl

ELECTION AND THE FUTURE

Following a recount,, I have been confirmed as Mayor for the upcoming term of Glamorgan Spring Bay Council.  I am so grateful to everyone who voted for me particularly the 1550 people who marked 1 in the Mayoral first preference box.  With some returning Councillors and three new councillors, the future is looking very bright for Glamorgan Spring Bay.

Clr Michael Symons was overwhelmingly voted in as Deputy Mayor and I could not be more delighted to have him in that role.

Former Deputy Mayor Jenny Woods returns as a Councillor and will bring her extended experience and governance skill to the Chamber. Former Mayor Robert Young and Clr Rob Churchill round out the returning councillors.  

Three incoming Councillors with no local government experience in Neil (Teddy) Edwards (Orford), Carole McQueeney (Orford) and Greg Luck (Swansea) have been elected.  All three Councillors bring to the Chamber a broad skill set of business, governance and life experiences that will be invaluable to the debate.  Of course, it will be a steep learning curve in terms of the legislation and other governance matters as well as becoming familiar with the many issues that come to council from time to time.

I have said consistently that being a Councillor is not an easy gig.  It can be distressing and mentally challenging.  An election can be even worse!  It is easy to abuse those in public office. All Councillors put up their hand to take on an often thankless role and sometimes controversial one so any form of abuse is not deserved.  

We were elected by the community to serve the community but we can only do that with clear and concise communication.  The incoming Council is committed to opening lines of communication and I would encourage everyone to communicate with the Councillor of your choice if you have an issue.  Talk to us.  One of my favourite sayings in relation to complaints is 'kicking the gravel in the carpark'.  It means that people will often do just that when amongst others and not actually raise the matter with those they may have an issue.  Kicking the gravel in the carpark rarely achieves anything other than angst for either or both parties so let's talk! 

I have no doubt that the new Council will have spirited debates but rest assured the best interests of the ratepayers and residents will always be at the forefront of minds.

Thank you once again to everyone who voted in this election.  Your support of all the candidates who were elected to Glamorgan Spring Bay is very much appreciated.  

RESPONSE TO LETTER IN LOCAL PAPER

In a local paper recently, Council Candidate Kenneth Gregson made some statements that required a response.  The paper determined that because I had named the candidate any response would be in breach of the Electoral Act as I didn't have the candidate's permission to name him.  Whilst that is accurate if one is spruiking a particular candidate for election, my response was hardly doing that!  I amended to generic terms in the letter but with no publication success so I've decided to self-publish here in the original format.

Council Candidate Kenneth Gregson made several comments in the last issue of GOBC news that cannot go unanswered.

The amount of pensioner rates remission is not a decision that is made by Council.  The amount of the pensioner rates remission is the sole decision of the State Government.  It is a reasonable assumption that there should be a whole of sector submission put to the State Government on the matter and LGAT may well be the forum for that to happen.  It is a matter that not only affects GSBC pensioners but the whole local government sector.

The change from AAR to AAV is not a decision that I agreed with.   It was very poorly implemented by Council with seemingly little regard for the plight of older ratepayers who now have the good fortune to reside in homes that have a high AAV.  The reasons given for the change were flawed and as such I voted against the decision.

When did Mr Gregson become an expert on planning matters in relation to the Prosser Plains Raw Water Scheme (named as Tassal pipeline)?   The matter was dealt with by full Council in accordance with qualified advice presented at the time.  The Solis development is still an active DA.  It should be noted that Tassal is currently meeting all financial obligations (principal and interest repayments) in accordance with their contract.

Why were previous GSBC’s allowed to operate outside of the Local Government Act, and by whom? What evidence does the writer have to support such an allegation?  I seriously doubt the Local Government Division would allow a Council, any Council, to operate outside of the Act if this is an evidence-based statement.

Again, when did Mr Gregson become a planning expert without the benefit of the qualified advice reports presented to Council at the time?  Cambria will be dealt with by Council acting as a planning authority when/if the necessity arises.  Should Mr Gregson be elected to Council, he can put all his planning expertise to good use!!

(Authorised by Cheryl Arnol 10 Aubin Court Orford)

SO THIS IS ME

 

Gender	Female (She/Her)
Occupation	Director
Location	Tasmania, Australia
Introduction	I have had a long involvement with local government; becoming a Glamorgan Spring Bay Councillor in 1996, Deputy Mayor in 1997, Mayor 1999 - 2005 and Deputy Mayor from 2014-2018. Served continuously as Councillor from 2007 till present. Awarded a Centenary of Federation Medal for Services to GSBC. Current panel member with the Marine Farming Planning Review Panel (5 year appointment)  Currrent Member Veterans Reference Group. Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD) and Member Institute of Community Directors (MICDA). December 2021 completed two terms (6 years) as a Director of the Forest Practices Authority. 2019-2022 Lay Member Legal Profession Disciplinary Tribunal I have been a club, State, National and International administrator over a 40-year competition clay target shooting career. In 2012 awarded the Australian International Shooting Ltd Fellowship Award for services to international shooting which included being Chair of Selectors for London and Beijing shooting teams. I have won numerous titles including National Ladies High Gun and Macintosh Ladies Team High Gun.
Interests	Reading crime novels, sewing, clay target competition
Favourite Films	Anything with Richard Gere in it!
Favourite Music	Roy Orbison, Luke Bryan, Bruce Springsteen
Favourite Books	Anything by John Grisham, Linda LaPlante, James Patterson. In fact, any crime or law based!