March 16, 2016
Murgon ratepayers don’t have to choose a councillor at the upcoming Council election – Division 5 councillor Kathy Duff has been returned unopposed – but they still have to vote for Mayor.
So the five South Burnett mayoral candidates, Deputy Mayor Keith Campbell, Cr Damien Tessmann, Sheena Lindholm, Michael Brown and Grant Newson, strutted their stuff at the Murgon Diggers Club last week.
The five candidates were joined behind the microphone by Division 6 candidate Cr Ros Heit; the second Div 6 hopeful, Uwe (Tom) Nowack, was also invited to attend but was an apology.
Unlike other recent forums, where the candidates have spoken in ballot sheet order, this time around their position was chosen by a random ballot organised by the Murgon Business and Development Association.
The MBDA also selected the nine questions that each mayoral candidate would face.
The candidates had also not been briefed on the questions, and were not allowed to hear each other’s answers.
Cr Duff fetched each candidate into the room when it was their turn to speak.
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Moderator for the night was Murgon State School principal Daniel Bishop; he asked each mayoral candidate nine questions (two minutes were allowed for each answer):
1. If the road levy remains in place what is your view on charging for one block per person. Currently, ratepayers are paying a levy for each and every property they own.
2. If you want to scrap the road levy, how would you raise the funds to continue roadworks at the current level or even increase spending on roads?
3. Should the South Burnett Regional Council be supporting six swimming pools, six libraries and five Council offices?
4. How do you plan to manage the debt level we already have? It is believed to be in the region of $40 million.
5. What is your view on the Moreton Resources’ plan to develop coal mining in the South Burnett which will generate huge employment across the region?
6. Do you think the Council has made the right decision to take over the running of the private hospital, and why? And does the $600,000, or $200,000 over three years, that Gina Rinehart has contributed change your view of this? Our local doctor, Dr McAllister, has said that if the hospital were to close this would put our region back 30 years.
7. What will you do as Mayor to make sure that your Budget and the Audit processes are done on time and accurate, and that all residents of the South Burnett get the best value for their rates?
8. What programs are you aware of with regard to creating jobs and bringing business back to the region, and what would you do differently to make real positive change in a four-year term at local and State level?
9. Is supporting the tourism industry a luxury that Council simply cannot afford?
Cr Ros Heit (Division 6) was asked Questions 1-3 and Question 6.
Each candidate was also given a minute to sum up why they should be elected.
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southburnett.com.au recorded each section so readers can hear the candidates in their own words. The links, below, are in the order that they were presented on the night. Just click on each name.
