Jo McNally has been a councillor on Southern Downs Regional Council since 2010, but first and foremost, she’s a wife to Ian and mother to Samuel and Joseph.
She has been working since she was 16, where she had jobs in administration, finance and as a serving Queensland Police Officer. She also assists with the bookkeeping for two family businesses.
“I left school early but it has never been a barrier to achieving my goals,” she said.
“I have always believed that learning new skills and knowledge should be part of life and I still continue to enrol in short courses and undertake workshops and certificates to ensure I am open to new ideas and open to change.”
Cr McNally said she ran for council “because I love where we live and I wanted to see the Southern Downs continue to build on the foundation of the potential that the early pioneers of this Region saw”.
“Our location, our climate, our diversity of land and our people, is what makes this region such a special place and it is why I wanted to give the region a voice on Council that would be fair and informed when making decisions.”
She said she’s passionate about our community’s lifestyle.
“Sometimes we take it for granted but we are truly blessed on the Southern Downs with our location and services we have so close on our doorstep, this allows us to have a truly wonderful lifestyle,” she said.
“Our landscapes, rural and urban land options, diversity of work opportunities, great healthcare and school options, world-class sporting facilities, arts and culture exhibitions, festivals and events, there is something for everyone here and that is what I love about my community and it is what gives me purpose and drive to ensure I serve the community well.”
When asked how important she thinks representation and having diverse voices are in council, she said “diverse voices need to be in the debate and in the decision-making process”.
“Councils should reflect the community and you cannot do that if half the population is not represented but it must not stop there either,” she said.
“Cultural diversity on council is just as important, we are a changing region and we need to reflect the different needs of community members.”
