General News
18 July, 2024
De Villiers seeks second term
With local council elections nearing, the Central Goldfields Shire has its first official candidate in the running — with current councillor Anna De Villiers vying for a second term. Cr De Villiers was one of four first-time councillors to be...
With local council elections nearing, the Central Goldfields Shire has its first official candidate in the running — with current councillor Anna De Villiers vying for a second term.
Cr De Villiers was one of four first-time councillors to be elected in 2020, the first council elections for the Central Goldfields since 2017 after the previous council was dismissed and administrators were appointed by the Victorian Government.
Elected to represent the Tullaroop Ward, which encompasses Carisbrook, Majorca, Moolort and Mount Cameron, Cr De Villiers will again aim to represent the ward in the upcoming elections.
“Becoming a councillor has a huge learning curve and honestly, I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” she said.
“I have absolutely loved my time as councillor and I know there is much more I can give to the community.
“As a councillor, you have to take a leadership position — you have to barge in and approach groups, you need to break those barriers down, communicate and build trust with them and that is something I hope I’ve demonstrated I can and will do.”
During the past four years, a number of projects and initiatives have commenced and been completed in Carisbrook and surrounds — including the $4.9 million upgrade of the Carisbrook Recreation Reserve, establishment of the Tullaroop Creek Advisory Group and completion of the Carisbrook Flood Levee, among others.
Cr De Villiers said supporting better outcomes for the community is a passion that’s been strengthened since becoming a councillor.
“I believe there have been many achievements and positive outcomes for my constituents in my first term as councillor,” she said.
“The first thing I noticed when I became a councillor was the despair some community groups were feeling — they would try and get things done and try to organise events but felt like they weren’t getting anywhere.
“That led me to start a series of grant writing workshops which have been very successful in supporting groups to advocate for themselves and achieve better outcomes.
“A very recent highlight has been working to get Carisbrook accepted into the Resilience Canopy program which is aimed at building the independence and resilience of communities.
“It’s still very early, but we are also looking to develop the railway station in Carisbrook into a community space.”
Cr De Villiers said if elected for a second term, she’s eager to see these initiatives and more, continue to progress.
“We need tourism and more of it in our shire, not just Maryborough, but also our smaller communities like Carisbrook and Majorca,” she said.
“I want to see Carisbrook registered as an RV friendly town and I also want to see more work happen around the Tullaroop Creek to make that more of a community asset.
“I hope in my first term as councillor I’ve demonstrated my ability to represent the community and advocate for them, and I hope that is enough to secure another term.”
An exact date for local government elections in Victoria is yet to be officially declared, however the Victorian Electoral Commission has advised the elections will be held in October.
More information surrounding candidates, early voting and voting centre locations will be released as they come to hand.