BIRCHIP resident Bernadette Hogan was born in the Mallee into a generational farming family.
Her ties with the area date back to the late 1800s when her ancestors took up land selection in the region.
With a finance background, the mum of four has not only raised a family in the Buloke Shire but also owned and operated several businesses, while supporting her husband Chris run the family’s broadacre farming property, north of Birchip.
The community-minded candidate has been actively involved in a range of voluntary roles in the past and believes she would be “a real and effective voice for the farming and business communities”, if elected.
“I’m concerned there’s no actual farming representative for the Mallee,” Ms Hogan said, noting the agricultural sector paid the highest proportion of rates within the shire.
“We need to see a fair and equitable share of resources across the shire, and not just at the southern end where most of the representation is.”
Describing herself as a “pair of safe hands”, Ms Hogan said she had a strong voice and was community focused, with experience in local government, previously serving as a Buloke Shire councillor between 2005 and 2008.
Having seen her four children need to leave the region to further their education and careers, Ms Hogan said for the Buloke Shire to thrive there must be increased investment in economic development to provide the employment opportunities and improved services required to entice more people to live in the region.
While she admitted sustainable tourism would be the “icing on the cake” for the shire, she believes there needs to be more focus on issues at the grassroots level.
“There’s a lot of things we need,” Ms Hogan said. “We need footpaths, roads … we need to ensure our services are maintained and our community assets are in good order.
“I would like to see the Mallee positioned to promote strong future growth and liveability in our communities; to respectfully celebrate and value the achievements of the past and to proactively embrace emerging opportunities which take our agricultural, business and tourism sectors towards resilient, vibrant and sustainable futures.
Below are what other candidates have to say
https://www.theguardian.com.au/politics/delaney-up-for-the-challenge
https://www.theguardian.com.au/politics/can-do-kershaw
https://www.theguardian.com.au/politics/odea-has-experience-and-vision
https://www.theguardian.com.au/politics/muscat-keen-to-make-a-difference
