Elsie Lange
Compassionate, respectful, principled and equality focused: these were some of the ways Hume’s new mayor, Joseph Haweil, was described by his fellow councillors at the mayoral election on Wednesday night last week.
It will be the second time the 33-year-old councillor will serve in the position in three years, the first during 2020-21 when the municipality bore the brunt of the pandemic in Victoria, tackling high transmission and low vaccination rates, economic downturn and widespread job losses.
He said as parents in the municipality, he and his wife Sheena saw firsthand the value of accessible local services. He vowed to continue prioritising much of the agenda he had pursued since coming to council in 2016.
“This includes throwing open the doors of community facilities and spaces and making access cheaper and easier [and] addressing the scourge of gambling harm with progressive policies, strong advocacy and community engagement,” he said.
“[As well as] seeing and hearing the unique needs of the unique needs of our culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and delivering and engaging meaningfully on issues of importance to them.
“And applying a social justice lens to all of our policies and programs to ensure that the working people of Hume are supported towards a lifetime wellbeing.”
He promised to prioritise the next stage of Broadmeadows redevelopment and revitalisation, declared “all out war” on illegal dumping and pledged to focus on challenges faced by those living in growth areas.
“To achieve the ambitious agenda this council has laid out and deliver on the needs of the community, our council must work in the spirit of cooperation, understanding and compromise, and we must prioritise strategic thinking,” Cr Haweil said.
Meadow Valley ward councillor Karen Sherry will serve as deputy mayor.
