FORMER mayor of Burnett Shire Council Ray Duffy is nominating for election to Bundaberg Regional Council. 

He will be standing as a councillor in Division 6 which includes areas from Burnett Heads to Elliott Heads and inland to Windermere and Woongarra.

Ray Duffy said he "expressed his deep concern about the general direction of the existing BRC and feels a need to make a positive contribution armed with his over twenty years of experience in serving the community".

Duffy was the mayor of Burnett Shire for eight years and says his greatest achievement was the "rags to riches story of taking it from nearly sliding into State Administration to being in the top 10% of financially viable Queensland councils".

"In comparison the BRC appears to be financially haemorrhaging and the ever increasing burden of Rates on the population is simply maintaining the status quo.  Where is the growth?  Where is the vision?" he said. 

"What is lifting Bundaberg from the backwater of being one of the poorest areas in the country?  Decision making is not open to public scrutiny."

Mr Duffy said he plans to ask for an Independent External Audit of the council's finances that will be open for review by all. 

"Until that is completed he will urge fellow councillors to freeze administrative expenditure requests and clamp down on many of the fringe benefits enjoyed by councillors and council staff alike," he said. 

Action Plan

Ray Duffy says he has been receiving feedback from the public for many months and is now being asked to renew his active participation in community affairs. 

Mr Duffy says he believes passionately in open and transparent dealings in Council and has decided to throw his hat into the ring.

Although Mr Duffy has previously been a mayor,  he said he feels that his best contribution will be as a proactive councillor representing Division 6 and supporting Jack Dempsey as mayor for the region. 

The Division 6 area encompasses:  Burnett Heads, Rubyanna, Mon Repos, Qunaba, Windermere, Woongarra, Innes Park, Coral Cove and Elliott Heads. 

Experience

Mr Duffy says that he was the "driving force the Burnett Shire Council earned a reputation as being frank, candid and robust - but all its decisions were open to public scrutiny".

"All councillors were expected to contribute strongly to the budgeting and decision making process and to speak up for their constituents," he said. 

And he said the council bureaucracy was expected to respond appropriately. 

Mr Duffy said his experience includes lead roles in Gooburrum and Burnett Shire councils spanning more than 20 years where he chaired committees overseeing Finance, Works and Planning. 

However, he said he has also made a major contribution to Regional, State and Federal bodies including:

Wide Bay Regional Organisation of Councils;
Committees:
Bundaberg Regional Emergency Planning
North Burnett Local Government
Federal Government Area Consultative Committee
State Government Regional Transport Infrastructure Advisory Committee
State Government Planning Advisory Committee,     and many others.

Mr Duffy said he could add to this the many times that he has journeyed, at his own expense, to overseas destinations to make himself aware of current trends in Infrastructure, Technology, Logistics and Planning and "we have a valuable resource of experience that should be shared with other new leaders". 

Mr Duffy's says his vision and targets are: 

 Roads! Rates! And Rubbish!  Let's get back to basics.
 Issue two free tokens to allow all rate-payers to visit a rubbish tip of their choice each year
 Overhaul Capital Road Works and Maintenance process to improve efficiency.
 A complete overhaul of Council's car and vehicle fleet management.
 Ensure Tender Requests favour local suppliers of labour and materials.
 Familiarise all Councillors with each and every Division by visiting all localities.
 Conduct an independent External Audit of Council Finances.
 Conduct an external audit of the Council's bureaucracy.
 Stop the financial haemorrhaging by stopping unnecessary spending.
 Enable the front-line workers to have pride in their work by getting bureaucracy off their backs.
 Comprehensive Drainage system for Burnett Heads.
 Free Trade Zone status for Bundaberg Port and hinterland to bring new business opportunities and employment growth to the area. 

Ray Duffy says he is "a man of vision with the drive, stamina and experience to make a difference".