With the local election drawing in, The Townsville Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Local Election Breakfast gave the business community the opportunity to hear from its candidates.
Mayoral candidates Jenny Hill, Troy Thompson and Harry Patel were given three minutes to deliver their vision for Townsville, followed by taking turns answering questions submitted prior to the event by school students, Townsville Chamber and Townsville Bulletin Readers.
While values differed amongst the three Mayoral candidates, each agreed creating a safer Townsville should be a priority.
Mayor Jenny Hill said Townsville residents have had enough with the current crime epidemic and, should she be re-elected, her team will continue to fight crime and work towards making Townsville a safer city.
“We will continue to make public places as safe as possible and around the clock, and I will continue to advocate to the state government for tougher laws and consequences.”
Independent Mayoral candidate Troy Thompson said protecting the community starts with bringing the basics back to Townsville.
“If you look outside of the Strand and at the suburbs, they’re not well kept and we’ve got to get back into that,” Troy said.
“Investments are all well and good but we still have to invest in our people and that’s not something we’re doing very well.
“We really need to support the whole town.”
Townsville Chamber of Commerce CEO Heidi Turner said it was great to hear candidates raising their concerns and plans for change.
Heidi said safety and crime is more a state government area, and there is only so much local government can do, however, Troy believes the council is not putting enough pressure on state representatives to get the job done.
“It’s about calling out people when we’ve got errors in Government,” he said.
“We’ve got to make sure we follow through on things.”
All three candidates agreed collaboration between the three levels of Government is the best way to ensure Townsville thrives.
Mayor Jenny Hill said investments such as the stadium would not have been possible without the support from state and federal government.
State representatives Aaron Harper, Scott Stewart and Les Walker were in attendance, which Heidi said was pivotal towards making change.
Twenty two candidates from Townsville’s eight contested divisions were also given their time in the spotlight, with a 30 second introduction video and 30 seconds to answer a question of concern for the community.
Heidi said hosting events like this are important to ensure local people are able to make informed decisions.
“To make your vote count you need to be sure who you vote for aligns with what you want for our city, so it is important to be given the opportunity to hear from candidates,” she said.
“Every voice and every vote can make a difference, that’s the power of democracy so when you walk in to vote it’s important you that you know who you’re voting for.
“There’s no point walking in and wasting your vote.”
Main image: Mayoral candidates (L-R), Harry Patel, Jenny Hill and Troy Thompson.
Image credits: Images supplied
