Ballarat Residents and Ratepayers’ Association (BRRA)
On Sunday, September 30th, 18 of the 22 candidates for the October Ballarat Council elections addressed a 2-hour open meeting to allow members of the Ballarat electorate to learn more about them and to pose questions to them on current issues. The meeting was organized by the Ballarat Residents and Ratepayers’ Association (BRRA), who did not participate in the body of the meeting; the meeting was held at The Brewery Lecture Theatre, SMB Campus; the moderator was Dominic Brine of ABC Radio Ballarat.
The meeting began with a brief but fascinating presentation by former Mayor John Barnes, on the organization and expectations of Council, and the roles of Councillor and Council Officer. Following this, the candidates addressed the meeting by Ward – the North Ward candidates started off, followed by the Central Ward and the South Ward. Each candidate had two minutes to introduce themselves and explain why they were standing and what they hoped to contribute to Council, if elected. The remaining half of the meeting provided the opportunity for the candidates to respond to questions submitted either earlier by email or immediately from the floor.
The candidate presentations were passionate and direct; many addressed the need for transparency in local government, direct action in resolving issues, a better focus on the basic maintenance of the city and greater provision of facilities, and the promotion of Ballarat as THE place for living, working, tourism and investment. These issues were also raised in the questions posed by the members of the community, and the many of the candidates provided greater detail on their views and intentions concerning both the issues in general and specific examples such as the Civic Hall and Saleyards.
Media representatives from television and radio stations and The Courier attended and subsequently reported on the meeting.
If you would like to contact any of the candidates, their contact details are available at the following link.
http://www.vec.vic.gov.au/Current/BallaratNominations.html