By Lucy Waldron
The Stanthorpe Chamber of Commerce held a Meet the Candidates night on 7 March just 10 days before official voting opens.
While community members were able to speak to all the council candidates present they were also able to listen to a Q&A directed to the Mayoral candidates,
However, only incumbent Mayor Vic Pennisi was physically present, while Lindsay Goodwin joined the event via Zoom due to being hospitalised for a knee reconstruction. Melissa Hamilton was notably absent due to prior commitments.
Technical difficulties marred the evening, with audience members struggling to hear Mr Goodwin’s responses. Despite this setback, Mr Goodwin made efforts to provide answers and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to engage even from his hospital bed.
Among the several questions, three stood out and created conversation between the two present Mayoral candidates, they were; fire hazard reduction, divisions and water security.
In regards to reducing the occurrence of fires in the region, Mr Goodwin said fires were an important problem within local governments and councils should work with the fire bridges, departments and police to support them in any way possible.
Mr Pennisi said some of the money collected from rates went into supporting the rural fire brigades and the land that council owned is backburned and maintained but like a landholder we need permits to do this, so it isn’t as simple.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, water security was a very important part of the region and specifically Stanthorpe, so the question of how are you going to ensure water security was broached carefully by both candidates.
Mr Goodwin said he had not been in council, whereas Mr Pennisi had and he knew the current process from a council perspective.
“I just know in the past we have had to cart water 24/7 during the drought, so it is important to ensure every town will have water if we encounter something like that again.”
Mr Pennisi said he had a conflict of interest on this topic so the decision in council was made without him but there are two options currently and council’s preferred option is urban water taken out of an irrigation combined dam.
“The two options are; one using Connelly Dam for Stanthorpe which comes at a cost, we don’t know what that cost is and councils position on that until we know what that cost is we are reluctant to make a decision because we are committing your future rates to that,” Mr Pennisi said.
“The other one is Emu Swamp Dam, it’s the only one that had the environmental approval in place and so council’s position at the moment still is officially that we draw urban water out of the same dam that they’re drawing irrigation water out of.”
Since amalgamation, the topic of divisions has been rife in the community, so the question of ‘If I live in Stanthorpe and need to call a Warwick councillor, should I have the right to do so?’
Mr Pennisi said the CEO had an agenda to go into the community and ask if divisions were something they really want in the next term.
“Currently you can contact all nine councillors and they will come and look at your issue, you can choose any councillor and they will represent you, they don’t represent an area they represent the whole region,” Mr Pennisi said.
While Mr Goodwin approached the question from a more personal angle saying he has had this problem before and that he is not sure who he could contact about his issues.
“This is why I have made sure all my details are in my campaign so you know I am contactable.” Mr Goodwin said.
“People want to know who they can contact to discuss various things and I think as a councillor we should be available to the community, to the ratepayers to listen to their issues.”
The election race is quickly coming to an end as residents must cast their votes by 6pm on Saturday 16 March.
