Cardinia Shire elections

The need for sustainable and appropriate housing development is a key issue inspiring Iona resident Chris Andrews to stand for Cardinia Shire Council.

Mr Andrews, a barrister and solicitor, says attention to outlying areas was currently lacking and strong advocacy would be key for the Bunyip ward as council moves to nine wards.

He is seeking development of the Garfield walking track, delivery of female-friendly change rooms at the Bunyip Football Club and preparation and planning to deter inappropriate subdivisions and development for Bunyip.

“I think Cardinia Shire is facing a number of issues and importantly in that is how to manage, firstly, the budget and ever-increasing costs and the second is in relation to council services.”

Mr Andrews was a candidate in the Casey elections a few years ago and has shifted his attention to Cardinia to protect against inappropriate development.

“There’s a lot of communities that haven’t done it well, like Casey,” he said of unsustainable subdivisions.

Mr Andrews has served on Rotary and is a former soldier and police officer and aims to bring leadership and communication to the council table.

Although council hadn’t done a bad job, he believes they haven’t been paying attention to outlying areas.

“What we need is a good advocate, especially now we’re changing to nine one-person wards.

Now we’re going to have these nine individuals fighting for different things and advocating for what their wards need.”