Combining Traditional Values With Progressive Thinking

A whirlwind of ribbon cutting, committee meetings, stakeholder sessions and getting to know the intricacies of Council operations has greeted Mayor Julie Hall during her first four months in office.

Despite the intensity, pressure and fast-paced grind of her position, Mayor Julie assures us that she has loved every second and relished every challenge.

“I promised the rate payers that I would work 100 per cent and give it my all and I can honestly say that I have,” said Mayor Julie.

“It’s been a lot to take in, but I’ve been getting great feedback and I’m really wrapped with how everything has been moving forward - it feels like I have been here a lot longer than four months!”

Mayor Julie was sworn in on August 29, 2022, and since then, the business woman, who has no formal local government experience, has become an accepted and respected leader.

During her election campaign she was determined to increase transparency within Council and also improve the connection with the community, two key issues that she says she has been constantly working towards.

From holding briefings in the smaller regional areas to introducing a new community engagement plan and offering open, educational insights into where rates are spent, Mayor Julie is determined to keep her promises.

She is also using her business background to better understand Council assets and recognise where money can be made, where costs can be reduced, and where more efficient operations can be established.

“I really want to combine our traditional values with progressive thinking to make sure we are moving forward with economic development,” she explains.

“I want to make sure Council continues to maximise our business assets, we’ve got some really good infrastructure such as the Shute Harbour Marine Terminal, airport and caravan parks - we need to make sure they are all working at their best.”

One of the biggest surprises for Mayor Julie so far has been the cost of maintaining local roads, many of which are in poor condition.

“The amount of regional infrastructure that we’ve got to maintain for the amount of rate payers we have is incredible – this has been a real eye-opener for me,” she said.

“Infrastructure is not ‘sexy’ but we have a lot of aging infrastructure in our region, it needs attention and that costs a lot of money so I want to make funding for this a big focus this year.”

Overall though, Mayor Julie is excited to be part of a “year of stability” and with the recent appointment of the new CEO, she is confident the final piece of the puzzle has been found.

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2023 Wish List:

1: Improved community engagement – firstly find out what that looks like from the local community through consultation and then deliver

2: Really look at where Council can help with the housing crisis and making sure we are doing everything we can towards supporting State Government in solutions

3:  Regional roads, we’ve got a lot of unsealed roads that are in poor condition, I will be focused on advocating for more funding to resurface unsealed roads

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Mayor Julie Hall at the Whitsunday Regional Council Offices in Proserpine