Mayor’s Message - Friday 22 November 2024

It is an enormous honour and privilege to be appointed Mayor of the City of Ballarat and I thank my fellow Councillors for their support.

I am committed to serving in this role with integrity, respect, honesty and great resolve.

We have heard loud and clear from our residents during this election that people overwhelmingly want Council to get back to basics. With cost of living pressures hurting our community, it is important that we provide the best value for people's rates.

This will be front and centre for me as we embark on the next budget cycle and I will also be advocating loudly and strongly to ensure Ballarat gets its fair share of Government funding to help us to continue to deliver.

I'll be focusing on building relationships with politicians with a Federal Government election next year and a State Government election in 2026.  

I am passionate about improving public transport connections throughout our city – particularly in regard to our bus network – and also addressing public safety concerns, taking a leadership position around the issue of gendered violence, tackling homelessness and looking at how we best present ourselves as a city to residents and visitors.

As a Council group, our first priority is making a start on the Council Plan 2025-29. I encourage the community to have their say and help shape the direction and priority areas for Council over the next four years.  

There is a survey that's currently open until the end of November. As part of this process, we'll be considering our 10-year vision and ensuring it still reflects our aspirations.

Together, we will create a city that is not just a place to live, but a place to thrive – a city that we can all be proud to call home. I look forward to working with you all.

- Mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves