Team E: Duncan Gair (Independents)
Meet the team
What do you see as the top three issues facing Wingecarribee Shire over the coming four years?
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1. The biggest one would be making sure we have responsible and effective spending of the recent special rate variation
2. Also, an important issue to get sorted is the stability and dignity of council, to give council the credibility it deserves
3. We also need to continually promote business and industry and therefore support jobs for the shire’s youth, and continue to maintain the shire’s unique rural appeal
What do you stand for and what will you fight for?
- As a council we have to address and make sure the projects that we commission are completed and maintained, for example: Bowral Distributor Rd, the refurbishment of Bowral Memorial Hall, amenities and sporting amentities throughout shire.
- I will fight to make sure we continually improve those assets with the Special Rate Variation, noting that the highest priority of the ratepayer is our road infrastructure, followed closely by footpaths and open spaces, parks, gardens and sporting amenities.
- I will lobby for a greenwaste transfer station at the Northern Villages of the shire, introduce a leash-free area for dogs in Bundanoon, continue lobbying the state government for increasing pensioner rebate for rates, and review funding from the state government for libraries.
- I think it is very important to keep the community fully informed of the projects, with six-monthly updates, and making sure our projects are within the budget that councillors have set.
- Support tourism. As tourism is our third-highest supporter of employment and income to the shire, and every person in the shire benefits from tourism in some form or another.
- Council will be continuing to review its assets to determine whether it is council’s core business and dispose of under utilised council-owned land such as Frankland Street in Mittagong to help pay down debt on Moss Vale War Memorial Aquatic Centre
- Review the parking issues within the CBD of Moss Vale
What unique skills will you bring to the council chamber?
An abundance of experience, with 21 years as a councillor at WSC. Throughout that time I have chaired most committees at council and have a thorough understanding of council’s policies and workings, and a strong relationship with council staff – both indoor and outdoor.
The last council was often marred by infighting between councillors. How do you plan to rectify this and bring together a more cohesive council?
I think the incoming council will have a totally different make-up of councillors, who I hope will have a different attitude towards their commitment to council, and who will work productively as a team, putting aside personal issues and focus on the decisions that need to be made and not the person.
What is your stance on coal mining in the Southern Highlands?
Personally, I have remained neutral on this, as I have yet to see the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) from Hume Coal, but support the fact that the NSW State Government be requested to buy back the leasing of the area by Posco and was extremely disappointed to see the Mayor not support that recommendation.
Finally I’d like to note this is a state issue into which councillors have very little input. The EIS will have to be extremely positive of no environmental impacts for me to be able to support this proposal.
Why should the people of the Southern Highlands vote for you on election day?
All of the above reasons, and because I believe I have the integrity, commitment to the shire and an attitude of fairness and common sense.