Category: From the Mayor

By TONY FOSTER

AFTER 28 years as Mayor and hundreds of columns in Brighton Community News, this will be my final one following my retirement on June 30.

I write this with mixed feelings – satisfaction that our municipality has achieved so much over the past more than three decades I spent on Council, proud that through the efforts of Councillors and staff we have positioned Brighton as the best-performing Council in the State, pleasure in the thousands of friends I have made over my time here, but some sadness that I will no longer be involved with the day-to-day running of the Brighton Council and that I will not directly participate in the many future opportunities that lay before us.

But retirement as Mayor and Councillor does not mean I will no longer be interested in what happens in Brighton. I will continue to delight in the progress, growth and development of our municipality and the achievements of our community groups and people.

When my wife Noeline and I moved to Brighton 40 years ago, the municipality was essentially rural and the Council dominated by those farming interests. Now Brighton is a much more urban place where ratepayers deserve and demand the same services and facilities as people living in other towns and cities throughout Tasmania. That we have delivered those services and facilities more efficiently while charging lower rates is a significant achievement of all those who have served and worked for Brighton Council over the years.

Continue reading “A fond farewell to the community I’ve served”

By TONY FOSTER, Mayor of Brighton

ANOTHER State election is over and done, although almost a year earlier than anticipated, and multiple promises have been made in an attempt to win the community’s favour.

At times I just wish local government had access to the money that the political parties throw around at election time. With our intimate knowledge of the local community’s needs, I’d guarantee that councils would be more effective in delivering the much-needed works and support that the public wants.

But the important point is, whatever has been promised by those gaining power, it must be delivered.

I read an interesting article recently that reported that of all the election promises made by the winning parties at election time, only 75 per cent were delivered. Others, particularly major capital works, may have been delivered but were delayed, postponed or stretched over many, many years and were promised multiple times at successive elections.

Continue reading “Political promises must be delivered”

By TONY FOSTER*

NEWS the State Government has appointed architects to design the new Brighton High School is welcomed and provides yet further confirmation that this long-awaited and much-needed development will be delivered.

Brighton Council hailed the announcement by Education and Training Minister, Jeremy Rockliff, that the consortium of Jaws Architects and Heffernan Button Voss Architects would undertake the design and that the first student intake would be in 2025.

While some of the government’s critics claimed that the commencement date was a year later than originally promised, the fact remains that the appointment of architects and the commencement of the actual design work represents an important milestone in progressing the high school development.

The new high school is vital for the continued development of our municipality and the surrounding region and it, and the education of our young people, are far too important to be used as a political football in a clumsy effort to score points.

Continue reading “High school vision comes into clear focus”

By TONY FOSTER

Mayor of Brighton

AS REPORTED in this issue of Brighton Community News, work on the new Brighton Regional Sports Centre is well advanced, with the project on track for completion by mid-May this year.

Driving through Pontville, you can see the building’s second storey taking shape with steelwork craned into place and framing now underway. Plasterers are on site, commencing working on the ground floor and the electricity upgrades will provide for the future needs of the entire site, well beyond the completion of this building.

Following the framing up the top floor the roof construction, the detailed fit-out will begin. Including the development of the function area, commercial kitchen and bar facilities.

Continue reading “Sports centre to create amazing focal point”

By TONY FOSTER

Mayor

A VERY happy New Year to everyone in our community. I certainly hope you were able to relax over the festive season and that 2021 will be a less challenging year for all of us.

The new year is now more than one month old and Council has already held its first meeting where we adopted our 2050 Vision – a strategy outline that will direct our progress over the next 30 years.

During this time, it’s estimated Brighton Municipality’s population will grow from its current 16,500 to 30,000 and more. So, we must have a shared view of the direction we want to take moving forward.

Last year, Brighton Council set out to engage with the community to create a bold and optimistic plan for the future of our municipality covering the next 30 years. The result is the 2050 Vision that lays out our shared hopes and goals as a community for the coming decades. It also acknowledges and responds to our current social, environmental and economic challenges. 

Importantly, it has a clear focus on the things that Brighton Council can shape and influence and focuses on the responsibilities Council has to ensure the Vision is delivered – as a provider of services, a regulator, a facilitator and advocate for the Municipality and its community. 

The 2050 Vision is a statement of our collective aspirations for the future. By imagining together how Brighton could be in 2050, we are creating a way to make it happen. 

The Vision was developed through broad community engagement and a consultation process across several months with hundreds of residents, businesses, visitors and other stakeholders. 

Continue reading “Optimism for Brighton’s 30-year forward vision”

By TONY FOSTER

Mayor of Brighton

IT is worth reflecting on what has been a challenging and unique year for our Council, community, state, country and indeed the world.

There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic heralded massive changes in our lives and impacted everything – our home life, work, recreation and community activities.

From being relatively free to do almost anything we wanted to or were able to do, we were restricted to staying at home, working at home or remotely, children studying at home and not even being able to play with friends, services curtailed, sports and entertainment cancelled. Indeed, our whole way of life experienced unprecedented changes.

Fortunately for Tasmania, the pandemic was quickly brought under control and restrictions were slowly relaxed. At the time of writing, the situation here is almost back to some sort of normality and we are even welcoming visitors from most Australian states.

Continue reading “Foundations hold firm in a year of great challenge”

By TONY FOSTER, Brighton Mayor

BRIGHTON Council has an ongoing commitment to offer the lowest rates as well as the full range of services and facilities for our community.

Ratepayers will be aware that in response to the impact of the COVID-19 emergency, Council was determined there would be no increase in the general rate for all ratepayers in the municipality this financial year. At the same time, we approved record capital works spending of $12.5 million.

In this way, Council is doing all that it can to stimulate the local economy, generate opportunities for the local workforce while providing enhanced services for our community and playing a positive role supporting economic recovery.

Over the past 25 years, our Fair Rating Policy has ensured the Brighton Municipality has enjoyed the lowest per capita rates in Tasmania and benefited from the most efficient local government operations in the State. At the same time, we are one of Tasmania’s fastest-growing municipalities and this development has imposed additional costs as we have had to provide the services and facilities necessary to support more people, homes and a growing number of businesses.

Continue reading “Lowest rates remain our continuing commitment”

By TONY FOSTER

Mayor of Brighton

THIS issue of Brighton Community News reports on a new employment and business support initiative being taken by our South Central Sub-region group of councils that brings with it the promise of significant benefits for Brighton and surrounding municipalities.

The four councils comprising the sub-region group are Brighton, Central Highlands, Derwent Valley and Southern Midlands and we’ve been working cooperatively and successfully on a range of projects over the past 15 years.

But this is one of the most ambitious projects we’ve undertaken and one that is crucially important for Brighton and our three partner councils. The key objectives are to identify employment needs and opportunities in the sub-region, the skills shortages and training requirements of business and industry, and to successfully connect the local workforce to local jobs.

We want to see more local businesses employing local people and to this end, we’ve announced the appointment of experienced specialist Anthony McConnon as the workforce development coordinator to oversee the project. Anthony has already begun work and his initial three-year appointment has been made possible through a grant from the Tasmanian Community Fund, with additional financial and logistical support from the four councils.

Continue reading “Unique project to boost jobs and business across region”

By TONY FOSTER

Brighton Mayor

THE Brighton Municipality is recognised as one of the most progressive in Tasmania and Council is proud if its many initiatives that not only protect our environment and surroundings, but also save valuable resources and indeed money that can be directed to other services.

As one of the State’s fastest-growing municipalities, Brighton has recognised the need to ensure there is community ownership of how it can be more sustainable and self-sufficient. Council is already doing this by increasing education programs on waste minimisation such as composting home waste, lessening single-use plastic in the home, and encouraging residents to start worm farms. We all know that waste management is a major cost for the community and Brighton, like all councils, is working hard to develop the most efficient systems and practices.

There is much we can do around the home and in coming months we will promote a range of practical ideas to help the community manage its waste footprint. With waste costs increasing and the possibility of levies being introduced, actions we take now to minimise waste and maximise resource recovery will save ratepayers money in the long term.

Continue reading “How our actions now will pay off down the track”