Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to congratulate new councillors, shire presidents and mayors who were elected at the Western Australian local government elections on Saturday. But firstly I would like to recognise the stellar service of Ron Yuryevich, the retiring Mayor of Kalgoorlie, who served his community for 19 years. I would like to congratulate John Bowler, who was elected convincingly as Mayor of Kalgoorlie; Dennis Wellington, who was easily re-elected as Mayor of the City of Albany; and Victoria Brown, who was elected as President of the Shire of Esperance.

Many long-serving members in my electorate also retired at the end of their terms or were defeated in the ballot on Saturday, and I would like to put on record my heartfelt thanks to these individuals for their tireless service to the communities that they represent. These include Mal Heasman, former shire president of Esperance; Greg Dwyer, former shire president of Menzies; and Alan McFarland, former shire president of Katanning.

Council leaders inform us what we can do better as a government and how our decisions impact their communities. Often high-profile identities within their city or town, they work with government to identify important road and infrastructure projects that require our support. Of course, councils have their own responsibilities for planning, roads, parks, tourism, development and attracting investment. I again congratulate those elected representatives who were successful on Saturday, commiserate with those who were defeated and thank those individuals who put their best foot forward to serve their local communities.