Hello, I’m Diane Fischer
I would like you to consider voting for me in the forthcoming local government elections. I am willing to work hard to represent the interests of the ratepayers in the Shire and while I have only been a resident for some 6 or so years, I am keen to extend my knowledge of the district and my understanding of the key issues.
It is a preferential voting system this year so if you would like to put the number 1 next to my name and only if you wish, move on to number the other candidates in order of your preference, that will ensure your vote would be counted for me.
I moved down here from Perth after a career in art museums and have two grown up sons. My kids have been the centre of my life until I came down to Margs and discovered the real pleasures of living in the country.
My interest in Local Government has come about from seeing the consequences of change within the township and more broadly in the Shire, over the last few years. As we know, Covid played a big part in this transformation and while the influx of new residents has brought many benefits I wonder if we, as a community, are handling the changes as well as we might.
I think that in navigating the enormity of these and other less specific changes, we have lost faith in our own agency, in the fact that we live in a democracy and in that capacity, we have a right, indeed a responsibility, to choose the way we are governed. And, in my view, it does not involve having to contend with a whole lot of bureaucracy which from what I have heard locally, people find both alienating and divisive.
I believe that bureaucracy is holding us back from communicating effectively with one another, irrespective of the issues. Everyone has different views on how they would like to see things run or organised. I suggest that a Council needs to be open to listening and to allowing itself the space to act creatively in response to problems. Creative responses demand a certain level of freedom from the constraints of often outdated policies. An example might be making active use of the wealth of knowledge already available in the local community to offer solutions to problems faced by the local Council on a range of issues. This could have creative benefits on many fronts. Can I ask, does the current regime of Advisory Committees really have any say on how things work at the coalface?
The issues are important, enacting the process of democracy is important. At present I believe there are too many obstructions to the free flow between Council and the community and despite its best efforts, I respectfully suggest, it needs to listen more.
Key Issues
Quality of life…
I believe that people are drawn to visit the local Augusta Margaret River area, be it for a weekend, or for longer, because it is populated with charming country towns set in stunning natural environments. They offer sanctuary from the stresses of peoples’ busy city lives. The tourism offerings are highly developed. The native forests and National Parks are refuges for nature lovers. The beaches are enjoyed by visitors from all over the world, and so are its many beautiful vineyards. I believe the Council has a responsibility to preserve these key aspects of our quality of life here, so that people can continue to benefit from both residing and from visiting.
Local Business…
I can see the importance of supporting local businesses. They help in maintaining the character of a country town through employing locals, often youngsters just out of school, providing them with invaluable training in customer service, in how to communicate and be organised, in working as part of a team, and in developing interpersonal skills, so useful in the wider world. I think that Council would benefit from working closer with the business community to ensure that it is a place where local people want to work. A Council which is responsive to the needs of a thriving local business culture can be of value to everybody and will strengthen the harmony within the community.
Development…
I believe Margaret River is big enough. We seem to have grown so much over the last 5 years that perhaps it has come time for us to seriously consider how much further we want to expand. This goes for other townships in the region too. People keep telling me we have limited resources. As a cohort of townships, I believe we need to determine just how far we want to grow.
Internal Resources…
I believe that Council can do much better with the resources at its disposal. Professional staff within the Council administration have presumably been appointed because of their skills in the various areas of Council operations. How can we use them better so that our reliance on external consultants can be usefully diminished?
Collaboration across councils…
Why not collaborate with other Councils and the private sector on things like litter collection, the exchanging of key professional staff as needed, and the purchase and management of equipment? Equipment is expensive and takes up a lot of funds from the annual budget allocation. Can we not work together to borrow/lend what we need or make exchanges, rather than undertake repeated investments in heavy machinery when it may be available in Busselton or Nannup?
Housing Shortages…
I support Council offering incentives to support and encourage local homeowners to opt for longer term tenants over other options, as a way of bringing things back into balance in relation to housing. While Council ought to be careful about planning for new residential development, there should be possibilities for new niche settlements to be created throughout the region. In addition, offering owner occupiers and other homeowners help with the costs of maintaining their properties, so the prospect of a longer-term tenant is a viable preference for them over short term rental, may be a good idea to follow up on.
Our Young People…
Our young people are a very precious resource and so far, I don’t believe we are doing them the justice they deserve. We seem to leave them alone to deal with the more difficult aspects of growing up, which they are, in my view, as young people, not really equipped to do. We should be stewards for them, to provide them with the right boundaries and settings to grow into happy, healthy young adults. To me this means they should have places they can go to hang out with each other, activities they can involve themselves in with good mentors to act as guides for them, who will also encourage and support them. I would like to see that we endow them with a sense that they are cared for and belong in the community and are as important to it as any other person.
Some of the suggestions I have had from the community include the Shire supporting the purchase or lease of a local house to act as a residential communal home with a professional person living there offering mental health support. Another is a suggestion for a subsidised beach bus to run a few times a day from local towns for people of all ages, including youngsters with surfboards, to get to the beach and home again at the end of the day.
I think there is room for the Shire to undertake a survey of the youth in our region, perhaps to find out what they wish for in their lives and to see how we might contribute to giving them that. I think we have ignored their needs for too long. Other Local Government Councils in Australia have undertaken such surveys, and these appear to have assisted them in formulating appropriate programs and activities for the young people in their areas.
Arts and Culture…
I support efforts to develop arts and culture as a major drawcard for the Augusta /Margaret River region. Having the opportunity to meet with artists and makers in their studios and to engage in creative pursuits fosters individual self-expression and enhances connections between people. The annual Open Studios are a great opportunity for members of the public to learn about and appreciate local cultural offerings in the region. The various festivals, similarly. Together, they increase awareness of the important part that art can play in our lives.
Margaret river pro…
Some local people feel that the Margaret River Pro surfing competition needs reorienting to ensure that their communities are more included in the proceedings. For instance, there used to be trophy presentations held in the Margaret River township and concerts held after the event in which the local communities could take part, which i understand no longer take place. Further to this, a person in Augusta told me that back in the day, the original competition used to bring more money into the local shops. Now, it seems it is so closed off local people don’t have the opportunity to take part or to spend their money anymore.
It is felt that the time of the Competition should be limited to two weeks, perhaps with a couple of days either side to cope with weather changes if needed, but the local opinion is that it should not extend to a full month.
It has also been said that improvements are needed to the local infrastructure to support the staging of this event. Local food trucks and tradespeople ideally ought to be used if they are availabl
Litter…
I think we need to do something about the litter on our roadsides. The MRWA has a lot of highways to keep clean around the state and can only manage to get down our way maybe once or twice a year.
I am hoping that we can do more. In one man’s opinion, the Shire needs to allocate more funding in its contract with it’s private sector partner. More bins and more pickups are needed to cope with the increase in rubbish, particularly through summer.
And finally, and most importantly,
The environment…
I believe the more we can do to increase peoples’ awareness of our natural environment, through engagement and education, the better it will be protected.
This goes for everybody, from the child at school to the prospective developer, from the landholder to the tourist operator, from the vineyard owner back to the school. All of us have a responsibility to care for it and to nurture it, and as a matter of urgency.
Get in touch today
Written by Diane Fischer. Authorised by Jack Fischer, 18 Burleigh Drive Australind 6233