Graeme Hart
A wealth of experience and a fresh voice is what Graeme Hart wants to bring to Baw Baw Shire if elected as an east ward councillor.
Mr Hart believes tourism opportunities in Baw Baw Shire could hold the key to future business growth and jobs as the area recovers from COVID-19.
“There’s enormous support from the government for post COVID so we need to get people in employment down here, particularly in the hospitality industry that has done it really tough.
“People in Melbourne will be screaming out to get out, no one will be travelling overseas, so we need to take advantage of that.
“There is a huge market to promote this shire as a pristine part of the state to visit.
He said a tourist information centre and airport that could be a base for helicopter flights to Walhalla were two opportunities.
Mr Hart has lived in Yarragon for four years and believes he can bring a fresh perspective to council.
“I can bring diverse experience and ability to the council and a fresh view.
“You need to have the ability to listen because there is always more than one point of view.
A member of the Liberal Party, he said he supported Liberal values, particularly the role of individuals in communities.
Mr Hart said he also was keen to explore employment opportunities through clean energy hydrogen production.
Acknowledging that roads, rates and rubbish form the basics of council services, Mr Hart said he would like to see a system of volunteer neighbourhood wardens introduced to report potholes and other maintenance issues.
He said he also would like ratepayers to have an option to pay rates via direct debit throughout the year rather than the current four instalments.
Mr Hart said council also needed to lobby for better telecommunications services in rural areas. “When you get off the highway it’s almost non-existent in some areas like Allambee.”
Mr Hart supports the provision of sporting and recreation facilities. “I have played a lot of sport and I appreciate it is the essential glue that holds small communities together.”
Men’s health initiatives also are important to Mr Hart who would like to co-ordinate community awareness programs for men’s health issues. He also said programs like men’s sheds should be supported.
Mr Hart’s employment has included many career paths from an engineer to a maths/science teacher, Melbourne University lecturer, self employed web developer and manager with Telstra Global.
On a community level, Mr Hart ran the Bow Tie Club in Melbourne which raises money for Brainwave Australia, an organisation supporting children with brain damage.