Polite and interesting exchange with Strzelecki candidates

THE moderator of a ‘Meet the Candidates’ night in Korumburra last Thursday night, David Amor, called for a respectful exchange between the five Strzelecki ward candidates and the 25 members of the community in attendance at the event in the Queen Street scout hall.

And that’s exactly what he got.

It was a far cry, according to one of the candidates, Nathan Hersey, from pre-emptive claims made in a local publication, that the candidate’s event did not go well for the current councillors, Cr Hersey and Cr Keerie.

“It was an interesting twist on ‘fake news’ to be reporting on an event that hadn’t even happened yet,” Cr Hersey said afterwards.

While it had been anticipated that “the Council decision to evict the Korumburra Senior Citizens” was an issue at the afternoon session, there were no direct questions at the night session.

Having already faced the community at a similar event on Thursday afternoon, the candidates were invited back again for a session between 6.30pm and 8.30pm, more than enough time to find out why they were standing and what their attitude was to a range of issues.

In their opening addresses the Strzelecki candidates revealed why they were standing:

• Cr Jenni Keerie, seeking re-election as a sitting councillor said she recalled a tough initiation to South Gippsland’s wintry weather when she moved here from Queensland in 2012 to live in a local farm house, with no insulation. But it was while working at the local community house, Milpara, that she got to know more people and soon fell in love with the local area, now wanting to give back after retiring from the manager’s role.
• Local health professional, Bronwyn Beach, said that while she worked 24 hours-a-week, she also volunteered for 20-30 hours-a-week and intended to continue rolling up her sleeves for the community if she happened to win a seat on the council.
• Former secondary school teacher and Poowong dairy farmer, Jim Forbes, said his deep commitment to the community, his understanding of council processes and concern about some pressing issues were behind his decision to seek a return to office.
• Korumburra businessman John Kennedy moved to the area in 2012, relocating his bike shop into the former Holden dealership. He said he was prompted to stand through discussions with others about the problems they were having with council. Getting a planning permit he said were often “a nightmare”, the bylaws issue had ticked people off and he wanted to push back on rate increases and other issues of concern
• Nathan Hersey said he had chosen to move to Loch raise his family and was committed to community service. He said he had been part of the change council needed to make but that there was more to do.

Question time

• Question 1: Councillors were asked by the moderator David Amor ‘what can you bring to being a councillor’ which was an extension of their opening remarks.
• Question 2: Mr Amor claimed there had blown out of $6m-$8m in the budget in the past 18 months, and that $5m in assets were due to be sold, and wanted to know how candidates would make the CEO accountable.

Nathan Hersey said the budget was in balance and as the CEO was the only direct employee of the council, KPIs and reviews were in place. Costs on materials and construction had gone up ahead of inflation which was an issue for all authorities to deal with.

Jim Forbes said he thought it was a mistake by the present council, awarding a 5-year contract to the CEO when the next council had a four-year term, offering no opportunity for a review.

John Kennedy claimed there was lot of waste and the council should be accountable for it.

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  Question 3: Wayne and Wendy from Loch wanted more information about which councillors were best placed to deliver on promises to enhance South Gippsland as a great place to live. Jenni Keerie said balanced growth and development were important, noting highly productive farmland should be prioritised over VicGrid’s renewable energy plans. Bron Beech said youth services partly to address the incidences of “not normal” youth crime. John Kennedy said the shire needed to promote and enhance a “fingerprint” for each town and was concerned about the prospect of fracking for onshore gas returning as an issue, but he said the health of the community was always number one.
• Question 4: Lorraine Magnussen. When we came here 31 years ago there was a lot more diversity in the Korumburra shopping centre, we had shoe shops, butcher shop, a newsagency and more, not just $2 shops. Is there something about council decision-making that makes this happen?

Bronwyn Beach: Mainly it’s because the K Marts and other big box retailers have outcompeted them, people go there to save money. It’s the bigger towns that have these bigger stores.

Nathan Hersey: I think the main street looks better than it did 10 years ago. I think that has improved. Kids moved away to get educated. We have a population that’s spread out over a lot of smaller towns and a wider area so it’s harder to provide those services in all those areas. Council is looking at more education options for South Gippsland. There’s also a shortage of business/industrial land in Korumburra and I can’t tell you the number of people who have come looking to establish a business here.

Jim Forbes: You can’t escape market forces which determine what is economic. The bigger stores, Bunnings and the like, but also online purchases. I use them practically every day and the things I order come the very next day. I don’t have to leave Poowong. We can encourage business to come here and having enough business industrial land is critical.

John Kennedy: When I went to council and asked about starting a business in the old Holden business, they told me don’t do it there, come to Leongatha and do it. Honestly, that’s what they told me. When the newsagency closed, we lost 30% of business in the town. We need a bank back here, but we need someone with a business brain to bring that about.

Jenni Keerie: The Roundtable lobbied to keep the ComBank open but they’d already made their decision. They lobbied hard to keep the Bendigo Bank open. Korumburra has got some interesting and quirky shops that are different from what other towns offer and people come here for that to get something different.

• Question 5. Noelene Cosson asked John Kennedy where he would make savings in council to bring down rates.

John Kennedy. The CEO came to me, and I said I could put a local committee together. I said don’t put the hub there, put it in Radovick Street. You could have bought the land for $1m and built a centre there for a few million not $8m and spend the rest on fixing the town’s assets. You could have saved 4m there and by talking and genuinely listening to people, you’ll always get a better outcome.

• Question 6: The Hay municipality has been able to negotiate with the windfarm companies so that the money is spread between those who live nearby to get a benefit for more people impacted by these facilities in terms of IGA vouchers etc. Why can’t we do that here?

Nathan Hersey: We are in a backward state. You can’t do that in Victoria what they have allowed in NSW. In NSW they can even negotiate with miners to get road maintenance. Like to see some support in lobbying for that.

Jenni Keerie: Hepburn shire negotiated income for its community from the mineral water industry. In its in its infancy but council is looking at getting a benefit from sand miners (Lang Lang) to come back to the community.

Jim Forbes: Our topography is a lot different to Hay. We should be trying to protect our farms with 1m deep soils and high rainfall. That should be our priority.

• Question 7: What do you say about fracking and wind farms?

Jenni Keerie: There are so many houses outside the main town boundaries that there are no places where they can put their turbines. Yes, we have the wind but the land is subject to landslips we’ve also got the giant earthworm we need to protect. The most valuable land in Victoria needs to be protected. We are the food bowl of Victoria and need to be protected.

Nathan Hersey: Don’t come to our community and expect us to take whatever you’re trying to give us. There is a place for transition to renewable energy but we don’t want to see our farms carved up and our highly valuable farm land lost. I was speaking at a meeting where the Minister banged the table about this. Whatever happens we need to see benefit from it.

John Kennedy: The Victorian Government is broke, and Chevron is talking to them so (fracking) is not out of the question. Farmers in Queensland have to get permission to bury a cow. Turbines have hundreds of tonnes of concrete and wind turbines are not efficient. Totally against fracking and wind turbines.

Jim Forbes: Our clean and green image is our biggest asset. Can’t put turbines in with such a density of housing and also they probably can’t afford to pay $20,000 an acre. Turbines are going to be priced out by the value of our land and the density of houses.

Nathan Hersey: A government change to our planning scheme was snuck through whereby small pieces of land can be cut off for energy generation projects. We were given a passing opportunity for comment but not much and it got through. We’ve got to be made aware of these things.

• Question 8: How do you get your information out to there?

Jenni Keerie: Hard copy, online, Burra Flyer. We want to hear where people are getting their info so we can use those. Councillors also go out when we set up in the community. Costs a lot to send out a letter to each ratepayer. It’s an issue that many businesses also grapple with.

Bron Beach: I know with community groups that it’s become too costly and they don’t do a newsletter anymore. In a micro way we get people together to talk over a cuppa but we’ve also got to use other resources.

Jim Forbes: For the 40-plus age group the local paper is still the most important but I’m an internet junkie and I use that a lot. As a councillor out two nights a week and more if you’ve got the top job, it’s still very important for councillors to get out to those meetings and people come out if there’s a councillor turning up.

Nathan Hersey: Yes, we can do better. We used to have an opportunity for community groups to come in and talk to us which petered out because most had already had their say. When I was mayor, I got spots on radio. I also go out and meet with the community. The pandemic has changed the way we live, where people don’t want to get out and be involved and we need to encourage more people to get out and get involved.

John Kennedy: Emails and letters are good, and people read the paper, but there’s no substitute for looking people in the face and talking to them. I’m going to go into every shop and call in and meet people at home and have a cuppa. Should be able to come into a meeting and ask questions of the CEO and councillors. I want to feel it.

• Question 9: Terry Waycott: I think it’s fabulous what we’ve going on in Korumburra at the moment and I’d like to go away for six months and come back and see the streetscape and all that’s been done. The community hub has been great for Korumburra and the vibrancy of Little Commercial Lane. But what about the old railway station. We can’t get VicTrack to move on that we have the railway station sitting there going to waste. What can we do to get it going?

John Kennedy: 100%. I’d like to get some sleeper carriages and other carriages for restaurants etc.

Nathan Hersey: Advocacy is underway. Now we can have commercial users in there. But it’s not council’s to rent, it’s still owned by the state government. Looking at an open university there, maybe also arts. Do need it activated.

Jenni Kerrie: After having been involved in the refurbishment from day one, within six months of the money being awarded, but not paid (2017) the money was withdrawn. But because we had the project up front and centre it got funded again. Council is trying to work out how a community group could go in there. Burra Brewing was supposed to go in there but due to the red tape, the heritage overlays and all the rest it just slowed it down. But we could have a university here online for people to do their first year of uni here.

Mr Amor wished all the candidates the best of luck and thanked everyone for being so polite.