Candidates for Upper Hunter Shire local government elections 2016

The Scone Advocate asked each of the Upper Hunter Shire’s 13 candidates two questions to help residents to decide their vote.

The questions were: 

- Why should Upper Hunter residents vote for you on September 10?

- What are you hoping to achieve/what are the issues that concern you most?

Here is Joshua Brown’s response:

Question 1: I am a resident of Murrurundi and have been encouraged by members of my local community and Labor supporters to nominate as a candidate in this year’s election for Upper Hunter Shire Council.

I am pleased to be able to give residents the opportunity to cast a vote for a representative who will stand up for them, to ensure fairness is a consideration in all of Council’s decisions and that everyone in this Shire is given a strong voice.

I am currently employed in local government and have spent my working life in the public sector at all three levels of government.  I bring a wealth of experience and access to an extensive network of senior decision makers.  I hope to enhance the capacity of the Council but more importantly improve the community’s ability to attract more funding and extra support from the State and Federal Governments.

Question 2: I look forward to achieving more equitable outcomes for communities across the Shire, improvements in infrastructure and service delivery, and working to ensure our Shire shares in the significant government investment that for too long we seem to have missed out on.  

One of the most pressing issues that has been raised with me again and again is water security for Murrurundi. Current water supply arrangements are inadequate and unacceptable. 

The proposed timeline for the construction of a pipeline to Murrurundi is unnecessarily long and will almost certainly not be delivered by the State Government as promised at the last State election.

Local pre-polling locations and dates include: