Mayoral Memo - 28 December 2022
The day after Christmas it is very easy to take a break and relax in front of the television and watch the Boxing Day Test. At the end of the first day, I couldn’t help but make some comparisons between the eleven cricketers representing Australia and the ten Councillors representing Dubbo.
Pat Cummins spoke at the end of the first day against South Africa. His personal figures were far from reflective of the talents and dedication of the captain. Cummins used five bowlers. Only the spinner, Nathan Lyon, bowled more overs than Cummins but all bowlers took at least one wicket – except the captain himself.
The captain’s job is not about self-glory though.
When interviewed at the end of the day, Cummins was full of praise for Cameron Green for taking his first five-wicket haul. He spoke about the bowling efforts of his players and the rare run-out of the South African captain.
Cummins knew that he didn’t have his best day as a bowler but his job was to support the team and if the team played well, his lack of wickets was not a talking point.
The Local Government Act 1993 Section 226 explains the role of the Mayor. The Mayor is the spokesperson of the governing body and the leader of the Council. The job also involves promoting civic awareness. In much the same way as Cummins has the job of talking about the efforts of his team, I have the enjoyable job of talking about the great work that our Councillors have undertaken this year and have the pleasure of leading a high-performing team. When individual Councillors are doing great work, the entire Council team is seen to be doing great work. I also take the job of promoting civic awareness quite seriously and utilise as many different avenues as time permits to discuss the activities of Council. I don’t expect everyone to agree with every decision of Council but I do hope that community members will at least be aware of and understand the decisions of Council.
Section 232 of the Act explains the role of a Councillor. Councillors should make considered and well-informed decisions; they must uphold and represent accurately the policies and decisions of the governing body and a Councillor is accountable for the performance of Council.
The community wants to hear the individual opinions of Councillors and hear the debate about an issue – but once the governing body makes decisions, much like when the umpire makes a call (ignoring DRS), Councillors have to accept the decision and accurately represent it.
The last sentence is also significant. A cricket team can blame the pitch or the umpire or their coach – but ultimately the team members are accountable for their performance as Councillors are ultimately accountable for the performance of Council.
Enjoy the cricket!
Councillor Mathew Dickerson
Mayor of Dubbo Regional Council
Last Edited: 09 Jan 2023