(Missing: J Emma Stewart)
April 11, 2014
The by-election to fill a vacancy on Cherbourg Aboriginal Council will be held tomorrow (Saturday); the polling booth will be open at the Cherbourg State School in Fisher Street from 8:00am to 6:00pm.
Voting is compulsory.
The five candidates (in ballot paper order) are:
1. Arnold Murray
2. Vinnie Conlon
3. Ashley Lyle Hill
4. Tom Langton
5. J. Emma Stewart
The result will be determined by the “first past the post” method.
Interim results will be available on this link within an hour or so after the poll closes.
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Meet The Candidates:
southburnett.com.au spoke to four of the candidates in the lead-up to the poll:
- Arnold Murray – Retired. Arnold has served on Council before. His priorities are to do something for the youth of the town. “We need more employment for community people.” In regards to the Alcohol Management Plan, Arnold said that in one sense it was good but it was also discriminatory against Aboriginal people: “I would like to see our people able to come home and have a beer on the verandah”.
- Vinnie Conlon – Volunteer at The Ration Shed. This is the first time Vinnie has stood for Council. His priority is the “street kids”. “Why do we have all these break and enters?” Vinnie said he doesn’t drink but he thought the Alcohol Management Plan was racist. “A bloke should be able to have a beer in his own house after a hard day’s work.”
- Ashley Lyle Hill – Works for the Department of Human Services. This is the first time Ashley has run for Council. He believes Council needs a fresh face with fresh ideas. “My main focus would be jobs instead of CDEP. We need permanent jobs.” He is also concerned about youth crime and vandalism. He believes the Alcohol Management Plan is not fair for people who may like to come home and have a “heavy” beer after a day at work.
- Tom Langton – Plumber. Tom has run for Council previously. His priority is the youth of the town and the safety of the Cherbourg community. “There have been incidents where stones have been thrown at essential services such as police, ambulance.” Tom is against the Alcohol Management Plan. “I think it is racist. We pay taxes like everyone else. It is just going backwards to the old days. Our elders fought to get the vote.”
NB. We made several attempts to contact J. Emma Stewart but were unsuccessful
