Remi Yusuf

A council that is inclusive and engages with all community members is what Remi Yusuf will fight for if elected to the central ward.

Ms Yusuf, a clinical counsellor, has lived in Warragul for 12 years.

“I want to beat the stereotype that if you’re not born in Warragul you’re not local.

“I have raised my three children here and this is the only place they know as home.

Ms Yusuf said she had been involved with many community members through her work and knows there is a lack of support and opportunities for youth.

“Not everyone wants to go to the skate park, not all youth play sport. Some of them are very intelligent and we can gain from them, we need forums to draw on their intellect.

Ms Yusuf said she would like to see council engage more with youth and employ a youth worth.

She said she would like a regular youth forum. “We need to give them a voice and empower them.

“Future plans should not be about what we want, we are not the future. Our youth are the people who will be there in the future so we need to ask them.

Ms Yusuf said she was frustrated at current consultation and communication practices of council that failed to engage with all sectors of the community.

She said not everyone could read and not everyone had access to council’s website, so surveys and other consultation needed to be more far reaching than current practices.

“There is no community consultation at all yet they say they are making common sense decisions.

“But that’s not common if they aren’t involving others. Decision making has to be a collaborative thing.

“People are telling me that council isn’t listening to them and are not being consulted. They (council) shouldn’t assume people want to read their website.

Ms Yusuf said she also would work to improve library facilities in the shire, including providing better study areas at public libraries and improving resources.

Ms Yusuf said she was concerned many people elected to council were there representing self-interests, saying many of them were not making decisions based on the bigger picture of what will benefit the whole community.

If elected, Ms Yusuf said she would work with the community to achieve results.

“I’ll let people know that with hard work, you can achieve anything.

“I will let them know that I am not there for me, I am there for them. I live in the community, I interact with people in the community. I am always passionate about what I do and want to do it well.”