IF you had any doubt about the capability of Gawler’s newest Councillors, that should have been quashed following last Wednesday’s council meeting.
Debating council’s final draft budget before sending it out for public consultation, Cr Ethan White choked back tears when talking about the financial pressures facing many in our backyard.
With a seven per cent rate rise on the horizon, the first term councillor implored his fellow elected members to tighten the purse strings for the 2023/24 financial year.
“Members of our community are really, really struggling and they are watching tonight,” White said. “It is tough out there for many people in our community.”
It was a topic that obviously hit quite close to home for Cr White. He said as much during his speech – many of those people Cr White said are doing it tough are people he knows personally.
It is such a breath of fresh air to see someone, regardless of what level of government they are involved in, actually go into bat for the constituents that put them there.
Likewise too for Crs Helen Hennessy, Isaac Solomon and Mick Launer. Though each had varying degrees of involvement during last week’s deliberations, all ran their eye over the budget and questioned the spend.
That’s exactly the type of individual and community leader that is needed in the chamber going forward, especially during the tough times we find ourselves in now.
Getting budgets right is no easy task, for the seasoned councillor let alone a new one. It’s inevitable that rates go up to fund the services that ratepayers expect, it’s tough to argue against that.
But there are always ways to soften the blow and to trim the fat when it needs to be.
With public consultation still to come back and more deliberations on the cards next month, the work isn’t over just yet.
The majority of this chamber has shown they are willing to put in the work on behalf of the community. Don’t let that standard slip now.
