2024 Murrindindi Shire Council Elections
Every four years, Murrindindi Shire residents and ratepayers vote to elect Councillors to represent our community.
The next Council elections will be held on Saturday 26 October 2024.
Paul Galea
for Cheviot Ward
Independent candidate
Cheviot Ward
Independent
Candidate
New councillor
Not represented Murrindindi previously.
ADTTA Interview Question Responses
Q.
What inspired you to run for council, and how do you see yourself making a difference for the Shire of Murrindindi?
A.
My wife and I have lived in Flowerdale for almost 9 years where I own and operate 4 bed and breakfast offerings on our 30-acre hobby farm. I am a semi-retired senior Army Officer having achieved the rank of Colonel. I have completed the Company Directors course in addition to completing a recent appointment as the Director Strategic Governance for the Army. I also own a small management consulting firm that has been operating for 22 years. I have committed most of my working life to serving Australia as a uniformed member of the Australian Defence Force and as an Executive Officer within the Victorian Government. As such, I feel well qualified to give something back to my local community.
I am inspired to serve my local council after discovering Murrindindi Council has been rated 2/5 in 2024 by Council Watch in terms of both performance and customer satisfaction. As a newly elected local councillor, qualified Director and empathetic leader, I will be bringing a fresh perspective to the Council Table and on that basis will aim to “move the needle” on council’s performance and customer satisfaction. Over the next 4 years I would like to see community members view Murrindindi Council as a 4/5 organisation.
Q.
What do you see as the most pressing challenges facing local businesses, and how would you address them if elected?
A.
As the owner and operator of a small local business I am constantly challenged by attracting, training and retaining staff. The other challenges for small business come from Council itself through its onerous registration, planning and development processes and on this matter, Council needs to advocate for and support developers to build affordable housing. Council also needs to promote Murrindindi as a preferred location for young families to move to and live in as Melbourne continues to expand thereby making future generations of young Victorians available to local businesses.
Q.
Tourism plays a big role in our local economy. How would you support and grow tourism in the Shire, particularly through community events?
A.
I already support and cross-promote several other Shire-based businesses and venues, local National Parks and State Forests for the many guests who choose to stay at my bed and breakfast properties. To my mind, it is important to keep money coming into the Shire circulated to other businesses in the Shire, so I would advocate the development of an initiative that leverages this approach to as many businesses as possible across the Shire.
If elected, I would also like to progress the development of an environmentally friendly walking / running / riding track connecting the Flowerdale Recreation Centre to the Strath Creek Pioneer Reserve. This track would become a focal point for leisurely walks and bike / horse rides for local families and regional visitors alike and in due course become a venue for fun run events accessible to the whole Shire.
Q.
What are your priorities for improving infrastructure and services within the shire, particularly across our many individual towns/villages like Alexandra?
A.
I have always supported the development of properties that harmonise well with others around them and the natural landscape in which they sit. I support the ongoing use of productive farmland; however, I don’t support Council’s current approach to inconveniencing families wishing to build their family homes on sub-divided properties that are less than 100 acres in size but retain a “farming zone” classification. I personally know of three families who have tried (one unsuccessfully) to build their homes and non-farming business on these smaller lots only to be challenged by others in the Shire and who protest that such developments should never be allowed to proceed. These protests only add to the costs, anxiety and frustration of affected families wishing to build and the end-state result is for those families to look elsewhere to live.
If elected, I would advocate and agitate for Council to review and revise its approach to the sub-division zoning classifications assigned to these smaller land holdings. Doing so, will enable the Shire’s towns and villages to grow and prosper while also enabling new home and non-farming business proposals to blend within its unique character and rural ambience.
Q.
If elected, how do you plan to engage with residents and business owners to ensure their voices are heard in council decisions?
A.
As a semi-retired senior Army Officer well versed in empathetic and consultative leadership, I would deliberately seek out opportunities to engage with community groups at a grass roots level to better understand those issues of importance to them and advocate on their behalf. I would also encourage Council to consider conducting selected monthly meetings in the very heart of the communities in which they serve not just in Council Chambers. For example, make local Councils local by holding a Council Meeting in the Flowerdale Recreation Centre and inviting citizens from Flowerdale, Hazeldene and Strath Creek to attend and offer them an opportunity to speak directly to Council. Council could then hold follow-on meetings at similar venues located throughout the Shire.
Q.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the Shire of Murrindindi over the next four years, and how do you plan to address them?
A.
Murrindindi has an aging population so Council needs to put in place those incentives and inducements that enable appropriate population growth and an evolution in its population demographic. Council also needs to lobby and encourage technology companies such as the telcos to invest in greater 4G and 5G services as well as the NBN for more cable and fixed-wireless infrastructure and if elected, I would advocate to encourage these investments. These services will improve the Shire’s resilience and contribute positively to better connected communities. Associated with bringing younger families into Murrindindi will be the need for greater childcare and related services, a concern raised directly with me by local employers. I would support and promote the development of appropriately accredited home-based child care centres in those communities who need them.
Candidates were provided twelve (12) questions, and invited to respond to six (6) of their choosing. As such, responses will be different from one candidate to another.
The candidate's responses have been published exactly as submitted. The Alexandra and District Traders and Tourism Association (ADTTA) has not altered or edited the content for spelling, accuracy, or tone.
NOTE: This post does not imply that ADTTA endorses any of the candidates in the upcoming elections