Interview with Glen Hartwig Gympie Mayoral Candidate 2020

If elected as a mayor what would be more important - supporting small entrepreneurs or attracting big business to the Gympie region.

GH - Both are important. Coming from a farm and having a small business at the moment sometimes I feel politicians focus too much on big business.   We have to evaluate where is the best bang for the buck.

It is easy to throw lots of money at a large company but sometimes the best value for the region is to do the hard yards and work with small businesses to promote growth.

Council fees need to be examined.  The council needs to look at options of reducing fees via discounts or deferring fee payments to allow a business to get on their feet.

Every opportunity must be judged on its merits, but both are important to our growth.

The most important way to attract the business of any size is to have a healthy proactive culture.  The planning review has shown inadequacies that haven’t really been dealt with.


Under my leadership, I would foster a service-based culture so the council is proactive when business opportunities arise.


If elected as mayor, what three steps would you take to put our council on a firmer financial footing? 


GH - I don’t necessarily have three steps but this is what I would do.
We have to start to live within our means.  Overspending has to stop. Over these last three years (including this year) the current mayor has run deficits of nearly 20 million.  The forward projections are no better.

The major spend, the Rattler, has delivered very little in real business terms, but most importantly it is the wasted opportunities that could have delivered growth that would have put money in the pockets of struggling rate paying business owners.

Targeted spending that looked to attract sporting tourists to the region could have brought an influx to businesses and developed the need for accommodation.  Now we have to work to regain the funds to pursue these opportunities.  Intelligent targeted spending is what is needed but first get the basics done and done well.

You just cannot keep spending wildly without more rate rises, it’s just not possible.  No matter what spin you put on it, when a government lives beyond their means they either sell assets, like water and sewage, put up taxes or rates or they borrow money.

In my opinion, that is the direction of the current mayor and this will be disastrous for the Gympie region.  Most rural ratepayers have had rates nearly double over the last 4 years. It would be interesting to see how city ratepayers would feel if their rates doubled in 4 years, without change that is the direction Gympie is heading.

I would balance the budget, live within our means and take the pressure off rates. I would get back to basics by repairing roads and doing adequate maintenance.    Focus on our core business and do that well.  When we are doing the basics well we can look to do other things, intelligent spends that deliver real benefits to the ratepayer and the region.

An upper management review and changing our organisational culture will attract business to the region, bringing jobs.

Gympie is becoming unaffordable, a new direction is needed and sound financial principles applied to the way we spend your money.  You do this with your own finances, why shouldn’t council do it also.



If you could change one thing in our zoning code, what would it be and why? 

GH - I would change the focus of the organisation from regulating to facilitating.  Attitude affects altitude.  Change the culture, change the results.  Develop a service based culture.

Discretion can be used with the current planning scheme but that instruction needs to come from the Mayor.  Facilitate not regulate.



If you are elected as mayor what is the first thing council should do to improve the water standard in the region, I believe you are aware of the  situation in Goomeri and some other towns in Marry Valley area, and in a broader spectrum, How are you going to address some of the issues of concern about water and sewerage.


GH - The first thing is to stop using consultants and do not sell ratepayers water and sewage asset. 

We have spent millions on water treatment plants around the region and they have failed.

I voted against the Water and Sewage restructure because I could see it was a waste of time and money and that has proven to be correct.

Imbil, Kandanga, and Amamoor had to have water trucked to them for the first time in 40 years.

Goomeri runs out of water when the bore’s fail.  How many disasters do we need before we say this direction is delivering poor results.  How much of your money has been wasted and you are now in a worse position in terms of water delivery,  I think yes.

Get the Kinbombi weir back online.  Talk to the staff that has had decades of experience, hands-on experience and use that information.  It is possible to deliver good water to Goomeri with a blended weir and bore water.

Maintain the existing water plant to ensure it works.  The solutions are so simple it’s hard to believe but when you fail to do basic maintenance, problems will occur.

Do the basics and do them well.


How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process in our region and What are your plans for engaging with young people 

Transparency in local council is a serious concern for many people. Do you think that the Council gives the public the right amount of information and access to meetings? 


GH - Live stream and record meetings.  Not rocket science in today's age.  No, I don’t think councilors get enough information so I feel the public is not well informed.

If honesty and openness is not part of your actions and character it will not form part of the organization.  Transparency has become the buzz word used in public by some when it suits but is not acted on.

The simple truth is just being honest and open, you cannot legislate that which is character-driven and if an organization is not acting in a manner that is open and honest then it’s not the organization, it is the people at the top.

Simple but true.

One of the independently commissioned reports projects that the Mary Valley Rattler will inject 10 million dollars to the local economy and create 70 jobs. However, the council has already spent 29 million dollars and the rattler railway company is running at approx half a million dollars loss for the year. So what will be the course of action regarding the Rattler if you are elected as a mayor?

GH - Firstly I will need to see the real figures.  All we have seen is smoke and mirrors and hidden reports.  Be open and honest so a real evaluation of the Rattler can occur.  Once you have the real data then you have to look for ways to make it more viable.

The current statements that the Rattler cost 17.2mil is just not correct.  That doesn’t include all council expenses relating to this project.  It’s like saying the cost of your house doesn’t include the land, floor coverings, and gardens.  It’s hard to believe that these stupid financial statements are made by some, but they are.

We need to look at the whole picture and the projected expenses for the future. We have to do more work on the bridges in 5-7 years, it's about getting all the information and looking for ways that we can move this project from a serious financial drain on ratepayer funds to a more viable proposition.  Blank cheques won’t do it, it will take a fresh approach.

Be open, be honest so if there is a way forward to make the rattler more viable we can find it.

Burying your head in the sand or hiding reports is not the way to make the rattler more viable, face the reality of the foolish decisions that were made, take responsibility and look for different opportunities.


Environmentally friendly projects tend to offer lower returns then less friendly ones so how will you balance economic, social and environmental issues for the region if elected as mayor?

GH - There is no formula.  That is the challenge of local government, getting a balance.  Not all projects need to be profitable but projects should return real value to the ratepayer.  Value in the sense of economic, social and environmental outcomes. Projects need to be relative to the region as well.  We would all love a new Mercedes but we can’t afford it.

Live within our means, listen to the community and plan for the future.


Aure.