| South Burnett Regional Council Mayor Wayne Kratzmann made a formal address to the audience at the Statutory Post Election Meeting of the Council today, shortly after being sworn into office. Here is the full text of his speech: |
Firstly can I acknowledge the community’s endorsement of my fellow Councillors, your re-election is a testimony to your character and standing in our South Burnett Region.
Can I also thank the other candidates who were not successful, however who declared a commitment to work and serve the people of the South Burnett. It is no easy task to put your name up in lights and become a target for scrutiny and discussion.
I would also like to publicly thank the work done by all staff in the weeks since the election and in particular to the Manager of Corporate Governance Sharon Frank whose guidance and help, to me in particular has been invaluable.
This is the second term of our Council since amalgamation and the challenges that lie ahead are even more daunting than what was faced some four years ago.
I openly acknowledge the work done by the previous Council, former Mayor David Carter and the six Councillors who are assembled here today. I also acknowledge the work achieved by our senior staff now guided by CEO Ken McLoughlin to take this Council to a position where we are financially viable and in a position to progress towards greater autonomy.
I give this tribute, however, guardedly as it is becoming increasingly clear to me that some of the real tough issues have been held over for the new Council to implement. The next month of the Budget process is set to be, let’s say interesting at the least.
I also pay tribute to the mighty band of volunteers whose ongoing support makes our region what it is today. These wonderful people are the true “lifeblood” of our community. They work not to have their photo in the paper or to leave their so-called “mark on the community” but just to make the South Burnett a better place for the elderly, the youth, the indigenous, the under-privileged and for all those who are doing it tough. You wonderful people are my inspiration and I feel very privileged to stand here today receiving congratulations when it is you who should be receiving the same.
To the South Burnett community at large I publicly place on record the following:
This Council from today belongs to the people and constituents of the South Burnett, not to an isolated few but to every man, woman and child that resides here and calls the South Burnett home. You will be treated with the respect you deserve and your issues will be dealt with in a caring and meaningful way.
Our staff will be courteous, informative, helpful and respectful, however we will not allow them to be berated and cajoled just because they happen to be Council workers. They will earn the respect of the community and I urge you to treat them accordingly. This Council’s commitment to be a great one no longer rests, or nor should it, on the Mayor, Councillors, General Managers and Managers but on the efforts of our Customer Service staff, our Plant Operators and in fact all staff in general. From today the Council is a ‘Team’ the word I replaced by ‘we’.
Mistakes, wrong decisions and human error will still occur but these fall squarely on the shoulders of CEO Ken and myself, they will be accepted with understanding not anger, and policies and procedures will be implemented to address the problems.
On the other hand something new will be part and parcel of the operations of the South Burnett Regional Council. Starting immediately we intend to celebrate our successes and to “blow our own trumpet” when it needs to be blown but with the following proviso:
The success we have as Councillors will be celebrated quietly and inwardly, however the success of our staff and even more importantly our community will be celebrated openly and loudly. In fact we will shout it from the roof tops!
From today we openly acknowledge the person at the “coalface” not the Mayor in his private office.
Here we will have a new dictionary, the words: “No, Can’t, Won’t, Insular, Negativity, Disrespectful, Indignant, I, My and Mine” will be replaced with “Yes, Can, Hope, Try, Positive, Respect, Humanity, Humility, Our, Us and We”.
Finally to my fellow Councillors I say the following:
We have been entrusted to lead a group of travellers to a new destination and I urge you to jump on board. That destination is somewhat clouded, but if you leave your egos at the door and bring your desire, goo will and compassion with you that Land of Hopes and Dreams will be found. Sure there will be rocky ground to travel over but the terrain we cover is predominately rich and fertile.
The missing ingredient we need to leave along the way is surprisingly not found in the normal place, that has been tried before with little success. The old adage of when your head … well, I urge you to reconsider and turn to your heart. In 2012 the world seems a crazier place than ever before, when the smartest brains in the world and the most sophisticated technology still can’t help the politicians get it right, there remains only one ongoing and untried ingredient and that comes from the heart, it’s amazing where it can lead you.
Our success and solace at the end of the day should not come from the buildings we build or the roads we make but from the outpouring of pure and unspoilt joy on the face of a toddler using one of our swings in our parks or the sincere thank you and that little touch on the arm that an old age pensioner gives to our counter staff … that is what is important.
On your own nothing will change or improve but together as a team we can make a difference.
