Meet the candidates
The following candidates align with the Community Voice charter. Click on their photos to find out more about them, or click on the Facebook logo to go to their Facebook pages.
Jen Bray
Birch Ward
Tessa Halliday
Cameron Ward
Brian Hood
Coliban Ward
Tim Drylie
Creswick Ward
Stuart Jonas
Creswick Ward
About Community Voice
We are a group of citizens who are concerned about the lack of genuine community involvement in the decision making processes of our local council – Hepburn Shire.
Our group was formed to encourage council to adopt a more community-friendly and democratic approach.
Community Voice is assisting a number of independent candidates in the upcoming election because they share our passion for participatory democracy and amplifying community voices.
We hope that other candidates might also be found within the community who share this vision for a community voice and welcome them to get in contact.
When the results of the 2020 Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey came out in June, it confirmed what many Hepburn Shire residents had felt for some time.
Council wasn’t listening.
According to the survey “Perceptions of Hepburn Shire Council’s overall performance (fell) to an all time low in 2020. This is reflected in most service areas, where performance ratings have declined significantly over the past year.
“Performance is significantly lower by the widest margin (in) Community Decisions and Consultation & Engagement”
Community Voice was born out of this frustration at the lack of genuine consultation and council’s failure to listen to local people on matters of public interest.
The focus of Community Voice is to hold Hepburn Shire Council accountable to the concerns and aspirations of the community by:
- Being a conduit between the Hepburn Shire community and its Council, to help build a highly valued and collaborative relationship
- Working towards better models of communication, consultation and decision making, to give every resident the chance to participate, and
- Supporting candidates at the next election who will work to improve community engagement and participation.
More than ever, in these complex and challenging times we need a true participatory democracy to build a healthier, more resilient community in the Hepburn Shire.
What does Community Voice do?
Community Voice has 3 main goals
- Election – Support the election of new councillors whose values align with our charter of participatory democracy.
- Participatory Democracy – Explore and implement a better model for community and council to engage, consult and make decisions.
- Democracy Hub – create an online forum for the community to discuss issues, seek support from each other, and build action.
Note: Community Voice is not a lobby group for specific civic issues, however we offer our Facebook group and website for like-minded people to connect, share info, and take action.
How can I get involved in Community Voice?
Here’s how:
Ever considered running for council?
Read our Charter and get in touch
- putting your campaign material on this website and FaceBook page, and
- encouraging our members to Like and Share your campaign posts.
- connecting you with volunteers for letter box drops, admin/media assistance, etc.
Note: Community Voice does not provide monetary support for candidates.
Want to support a Candidate?
Join our Candidates Group
- Find a candidate whose values you admire, and offer to help their campaign.
- Or encourage someone you know who would be brilliant, but hasn’t stepped up yet.
- Work with a team on election campaign
Are you good at getting the message across?
Join our Communications Group
- Help with media releases, Facebook page, website and other messaging
- Volunteer position required: Social Media person
Are you excited about new models of democracy?
Join our Democracy Group
- Explore new models for participation in democracy from other councils and across the world.
- Develop a new model for Hepburn Shire
- Work with our next council to build this into working practice.
Do you want to raise awareness and act on local civic issues?
Here's more you can do
- Create posts on other FB sites that draw the community’s attention to local issues.
- Link it to Community Voice Facebook page and Website.
- Use @ to tag people into the discussion.
- Connect to others and create action groups
- Write letters to council, attend council meetings, join Council working groups, give feedback on Council surveys.
Can you help spread the word?
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Please join our mailing list and stay informed
Community Voice News
Media release 13 August 2020
New group aims to give voice to the Hepburn Shire community
The launch of Community Voice on Thursday 13 August marks a new era of community democracy in Hepburn Shire.
Community Voice is a non-political grassroots movement that aims to shift the process of local government in Hepburn Shire towards participatory democracy by encouraging continual community participation.
When the results of the 2020 Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey came out in June 2020, it only confirmed what many members of the Hepburn Shire community had been feeling for some time.
Council wasn’t listening. Read more