Your community needs you! With less than three months until the local government elections, now is a good time to decide if you would like to stand for election to Dubbo Regional Council. Please believe me, this is doable. It's just a matter of having the will and planning the way.
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Dubbo region residents will go to the polls on Saturday, September 4, to elect 10 new councillors and the best possible outcome for our region would be a large choice of candidates from diverse backgrounds.
It was reported by the ABC that at the last local government election in 2017, the typical candidate was an English-speaking male aged 60-69. No mayor across NSW since 2012 has identified as being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. We need change.
If people from all sections of the community aren't on council, we are all are missing out. We have a fantastic, diverse, multicultural population in Dubbo and our council should reflect that.
If, after September 4, our councillors include men, women, young, older, Aboriginal people, retired, non-retired and a range of cultural and working backgrounds, then our community will be better off.
With the merger of the former councils, a ward system of voting was introduced. This means when you visit a polling booth in September, you vote for two Councillors based on what part of Dubbo you live in.
The 2017 election was the first time that this system was used, and many walked into a ballot box only to find they couldn't vote for who they wanted to. Ideally, there should be a long list of quality candidates for every ward, so voters can choose someone they think would represent them well.
As for what is involved in being a councillor, it is a big responsibility and a serious commitment, but you do not have to be an expert in any given area. That is because our staff provide expert and dedicated advice and assistance. With their assistance, you make decisions that will help shape the Dubbo region for years to come. What we need is independently minded people who can always look past their own interests and decide on what will help our towns and villages grow and prosper.
There is reading and preparing for every meeting, and other commitments such as attending public events and openings.
If you don't know what is involved or what to expect if you run for council, there are workshops that can help to give you an insight.
This Saturday, July 3, Dubbo Regional Council will host a Politics in Colour workshop that will provide candidate training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
This is a critical session because I believe council has suffered from a lack of representation by our Indigenous community. For more information or to register, visit events.humanitix.com/dubbo-council-political-candidate-training. In July there will be further seminars in Dubbo and Wellington for the entire community.