Former councillor and mayor of Nillumbik Shire Tony Raunic will draw on his experience both in local government and consulting with councils as a legal adviser to guide the sessions.
There will be a kitchen-table style of discussion, with attendees encouraged to ask questions and learn about the role of a councillor.
“What is their day-to-day role? What can they influence?,” Mr Raunic said.
“Things like what support is available to councillors, like allowances and what training they will receive.
“The time commitment, meetings ... some general sense of ‘what’s the skill set?’
“The answer to that really is, yes there are some skills that can help you as a councillor, like if you’re confident and a good public speaker, that’s no doubt a good thing.
“But you don’t have to be that, and there is support to help you get there as well.”
Prospective candidates are welcome to ask Mr Raunic about his own experience, balancing his family, own business and life as a councillor and mayor for decades.
“It will be like a fireside chat, very informal,” he said.
“No question is a silly question, I’ve heard them all.
“It’s giving people the opportunity to express any lingering questions, concerns, doubts in their head before they put their hand up.”
Mr Raunic has worked with a variety of councils to deliver similar sessions, as well as through his legal business.
He believes that the change from a ward structure to a non-ward structure will encourage councillors to think about the community broadly.
“Councillors when they’re elected will still bring particular priorities that reflect their own experiences,” he said.
“I don’t see it as a concern, I think that the hope would be that anyone who is elected will have the capacity to think beyond their immediate context and experience.
“In my experience, most people who are elected councillors, sure they have priorities, but they have been generally open to hear about the problems of areas that they’re not from.”
For smaller communities that have previously had the guarantee of representation, Mr Raunic said that the non-ward structure may encourage people to run to ensure that their voices are heard.
“Maybe somebody in their community wants to put their hand up,” he said.
“I think that if we are supporting people who are more than just single-issue candidates, if they’re really open-minded and wanting to support the community, rather than just supporting one issue ... they are more likely to be able take on board the concerns of the community they are not particularly a part of.”
Mr Raunic believes that being in local government provides an opportunity to contribute to the community while also learning and improving on different abilities.
During his time in council, he gained new skills that he was able to take with him into his professional life.
“For someone contemplating the possibility of it, I think it would be great to find out some more and hopefully be encouraged to put one’s hand up,” he said.
“There is an element of giving as a councillor, there’s time commitment you’re putting back in your community.
“But there’s a lot you can gain for yourself.
“I learnt a lot of skills from being a councillor and a mayor that I didn’t have. I learnt how to be a better public speaker, I learnt how to solve problems and work with groups of people, and be a better advocate to other levels of government.
“So there are new skills that you can gain ... I think the skills are very transferable.”
He encourages people from all backgrounds to attend the session and learn about the role to represent their community.
“If you’re sitting back thinking, ‘people like me don’t get on council’. You can be the change here. Here’s a change for you to stand up and be that representative of diversity, whether it’s women, young people, disabled, non-English speaking,” Mr Raunic said.
“If you feel that you’re not well represented currently on council, why not put your hand up and be that change that you want.”
The first two sessions will be on Wednesday, July 24, from 11.15am to 12.15pm and from 7 to 9pm at the Function Room at Campaspe Shire Council office on Heygarth St, Echuca.
There will also be two sessions on Thursday, July 25; the first from 2.30pm to 3.45pm at the Stanhope Community Hall at 3 Godley Place, and the other from 4.10pm to 6.10pm at the Campaspe Shire Service Centre at 19 Lake Rd, Kyabram.
Registrations can be made through the Campaspe Shire Council website.
Campaspe Shire Council is also set to host sessions for women with Australian Local Government Women’s Association metro vice-president and secretary Cr Despi O’Connor on Monday, August 12, in Gunbower and Echuca, and Tuesday, August 13, in Kyabram.
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