Enthusiasm for giving portfolios to councillors waxes and wanes in local government circles, but after a four-year drought they are back at the Southern Downs Regional Council.
Councillors were appointed to their specific portfolios on Friday 19 April and Mayor Melissa Hamilton welcomed the change.
“Reinstating the portfolio system allows each councillor to identify opportunities and advocate for our region,” she said.
“It allows each councillor to develop a specialist knowledge and leadership across the region. It will let us get the most out of every councillor – we can harness their skills, experience and passion for the benefit of the whole community.”
Cr Hamilton said the best way to make real progress on the issues affecting the region was through teamwork and co-operation.
The ideal of benefitting the whole community has been cemented within the naming protocols, with each portfolio containing the word, ‘community’.
The portfolios are:
Mayor Melissa Hamilton: Vibrant Communities: economic development, governance, regional advocacy, intergovernmental relations.
Sheryl Windle: Liveable Communities: tourism, visitor information centres, parks and gardens (including cemeteries), active recreation areas and trails, community engagement.
Ross Bartley: Connected Communities: roads and transport, footpaths, cycleways.
Cynthia McDonald: Resilient Communities: disaster planning and response, disaster community recovery, mental health, disability community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Joel Richters: Secure Communities: housing, planning and development, urban design frameworks.
Carla Pidgeon: Productive Communities: agriculture, water, Warwick Saleyards, biosecurity and pest management.
Sarah Deane: Healthy Communities: wastewater, resource recovery and waste management, circular economy, natural environment, climate and sustainability.
Russell Wantling: Active Communities: finance, audit and risk, community halls and progress associations, sporting groups and associated facilities, camping facilities.
Morwenna Harslett: Inspired Communities: youth projects, education, art galleries, libraries, events.
Deputy Mayor Cr Windle said she had found portfolios beneficial in her first four years as a councillor (there were none in her second term) and she had advocated to a return of portfolios during the 2024 election campaign.
She said while each councillor now had a particular portfolio, people in the community needed to know they could approach any councillor on any issue.
