Vote For Ron Egeberg

I am standing as a candidate for this year’s Ballarat City Council election, and if I am elected, I will ensure that transparency, honesty and equality will be at the heart of my work as a councillor.

I pride myself on my “can do” attitude, which has enabled me to achieve success in both the private and public sectors.

With a practical working knowledge of local government, I understand its shortcomings and how these can be rectified for Ballarat through having a Council Plan that has a clear, consistent vision that encompasses the themes of liveability, innovation, sustainability and economic growth.

Council must have effective strategies that are underpinned by good governance to achieve the vision and goals for the Ballarat community.

Your voice must be heard again in the Council chamber, and I intend to be a voice for all.

I will challenge views and expect to be challenged. What’s important is that the decisions made deliver the greatest community benefit for Ballarat, now and into the future.

I will represent the residents of Central Ward and the whole of the community to the best of my ability.

You, too, can be part of the change for a better, progressive Ballarat.

While I have great respect for those that wish to support me, I need to ensure that I am not conflicted nor beholden to anyone.

As promised, I need to emphasise that I will not take major donations from anyone for my campaign.

So I have created this Eureka Victoria lapel pin initiative, which people can buy and the proceeds will be used to support my campaign. I am selling these specially created pins for $10 each.

Funds raised will supplement my own financial contribution to the campaign and provide me with the financial means to undertake professional, essential unbiased research through the undertaking of community engagement and holding a community forum. This research will give me the facts – the knowledge – to inform my campaign platform.

I will share my findings with those that support this initiative.

And as many of you know, while I am a member of the Labor Party, I don’t want party politics to play a role in local government in Ballarat. I will be a community candidate. To my mind, party politics belongs in the state and federal government spheres.

To allay any of your concerns, my fundraising will be audited.

Funds remaining unused after the election campaign will be donated to the Ballarat soup bus.

Should I be elected, I assure the community that I will have done my homework, and with that knowledge, I will develop a plan for our collective future in collaboration with the other elected councillors.

Again, if there is a collective will, together, we can make a difference.

Fundamentally, Council’s role is to provide community development and infrastructure that will ensure the health and wellbeing of Ballarat’s citizens.

It also has an important function to facilitate a suitable environment that will create opportunities for economic development – jobs and growth.

Further knowledge will enable me to make informed decisions should I be elected as a councillor.

I want to ensure that I am better informed – facts versus hearsay – on how we can find a balance between the community’s wellbeing and the city’s prosperity by undertaking research to develop my knowledge bank.

To achieve this I need to:

• understand what the community’s view is on a range of issues – this can be achieved through undertaking focus-group research.
• gain an understanding of the real opportunities for Ballarat through holding a one-day Ballarat ‘futures think tank’ forum.

We must also understand that many people choose to live in Ballarat for the lifestyle it offers.

Some residents, due to their skills and abilities, need to travel out of Ballarat for work, which is why we need a fast and efficient 45-minute express train service between Ballarat and Melbourne. I will work towards achieving this.

These express services should have dedicated business carriages that enable business commuters to work on the train before they arrive at Southern Cross station and on their way home.

It will also enable tourists to get to Ballarat quickly. We need to remember international visitors use efficient public transport overseas all the time to get to their destinations. Public transport is our future.

Employment opportunities will be limited in Ballarat into the future unless we invest in innovation through creative industries to generate new sustainable jobs in Ballarat.

I have a concern about misinformation being used to manipulate the so called ‘facts’ as espoused by various so called interest groups.

The facts must be the driver for good decision-making.

I know what it takes to earn a dollar. I have previously run my own successful small business.

I wasn’t born into a family with money. I’m not wealthy and what I have has been earned through hard work, which is the case for many other people.

Fortunately, I have good health and hopefully I will have a long life. My personal savings are focused on self-funding.

I will do my utmost to achieve the best outcomes for our community. As many know, I am passionate about my city of Ballarat and its future prosperity.

A fine communicator and prominent advocate for our city, Ron is passionate about all that he does and has a firm commitment to the community as demonstrated by the positions he has adopted on various Council issues over the past few years.

Ron’s career highlights in Ballarat include nine years as a senior manager at the television station BTV 6 (now WINTV), owning and operating Porter’s Restaurant and Bar from 1991 to 1995, and with Ballarat City Council, where he established Ballarat’s economic development marketing collateral and was the director of the Begonia Festival from 1997 to 2002, which included its 50th anniversary.

After finishing at the Begonia Festival, Ron was appointed director of the Eureka Centre from 2002 to 2007, which included the development of the Eureka Stockade Gardens, the national promotion for the Eureka 150 celebrations, and the planning for the redevelopment of the centre and securing its $10 million funding.

His last role with Council was as the manager of Arts and Culture. In this position, he created a lasting legacy for the development of the arts in Ballarat.

In 2012, after 17 years with Ballarat City Council, Ron left to establish his own culture consultancy. He is also a civil marriage celebrant, a funeral celebrant and a Bail Justice and Justice of the Peace for Victoria.

Ron is also a public speaker, a master of ceremonies, and is a regular media contributor and commentator on issues affecting Ballarat and its community.

He is also a member of the Labor Party, but will discourage party politics from playing any role in local government. He is seeking election as a community candidate and will work for an inclusive Council that is not divided on party lines.

Over his career, Ron has won many prestigious awards, which have recognised his achievements in the arts, tourism, media and hospitality sectors, including the 1987 TV Week Logie Award for the children’s TV program, Kids Only, and the National Centenary Medal for his contribution to the arts and tourism, which he received in 2003.

He is not afraid to stand up for the community and speak out, without fear or favour, on issues that matter to him and the Ballarat community.

He will make a difference for our community.

‘Things can only get better for Ballarat’

These opportunities and challenges will need to be worked through honestly and with integrity.

Council will need to start a conversation with its community on how Ballarat wishes to meet these new challenges, and how it wishes to take advantage of these new opportunities.

Ballarat’s future is important to me so I am putting myself forward as a candidate for this year’s Ballarat City Council general election to be held on 22 October 2016.

In making my decision to run for Council, I have taken into account the time I would need to allocate to carry out the duties of a councillor responsibly and effectively.

I have also sought the counsel of experienced former mayors and councillors to ensure I had a full understanding of a councillor’s roles and responsibilities.

All members of Ballarat’s community are shareholders of this city. You expect councillors to act in your community’s best interests, not to serve themselves, their mates, or other vested interest groups.

I will challenge views and expect to be challenged. I am open to persuasion. But the measure will be what delivers the greatest community benefit, for now and into the future. I may not always get every decision right, but you can be assured that I will always give it my best shot.

My credentials for becoming a councillor are that I have extensive professional, in-depth experience working at senior levels in both the private and local government sectors.

I have successfully managed, developed and implemented strategies within the arts, cultural tourism, retail, hospitality, events, government, corporate and media sectors.

Importantly, as a former senior council officer for 17 years (1995 to 2012 – director of the Begonia Festival, director of the Eureka Centre and manager Arts and Culture), I believe I have a practical knowledge of the workings of local government and understand its shortcomings and how these can be rectified.

Previous to my time as an officer, I had some 10 years of experience in dealing with Council through various community organisations, particularly as a member of the Board of the Begonia Festival (member, deputy chairman and chairman).

Should I be elected as a councillor, I will focus on four pillars:

• Liveability
• Innovation
• Sustainability
• Economic Growth

At the last election in 2012, several candidates, who are now councillors, stated their position on a number of issues during the election campaign. However, after being elected, they backflipped on some of their commitments to the community, which is unacceptable.

As a candidate for the 2016 election, I will not renege on any of the commitments or promises I make during the election campaign.

Importantly, I will listen to what all members of Ballarat’s community have to say, not just the voices of the so-called ‘entitled’ few.

Inevitably, there will be times when hard decisions will need to be made if we are to have a viable future. However, I will not shy away from such decisions, but will engage with you, members of the community, and listen to what you have to say.

Your voice must be heard again in the Council chamber, not just those of the bureaucrats or those with vested interests. I intend to be a voice for all.

I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the coming months, and hope that you will support a new way forward for our Council and our community.

Finally, I sincerely hope that there will be a field of high-quality candidates standing for election in October, and that those candidates will articulate clearly their stance and commitment on various issues facing our community, as I will do.

Ron Egeberg

m. 0419 314 286 

e. egeberg4council@gmail.com

‘Things can only get better for Ballarat’

To me, Eureka is the foundation of what it truly means to be Australian and it is Ballarat’s point of difference.

I will continue to seek to elevate its status and that of the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka (MADE) to their rightful places as a national symbol and a place of pilgrimage respectively.

Eureka wasn’t just about taxation; it was about the right of people to have a say in how they were governed.

And, importantly, it was about the right to a fair go.

The concerns which underlay the discontent on the Ballarat goldfields in 1854 are themes which still carry potent meanings for today’s Australians – issues of human rights, equality, democracy and national identity.

It is these issues which give the battle at the Eureka Stockade its national and international historical significance today and will continue to do so for future Australians.