'Liveability, relevance and safety' - Chris Barber Councillor candidacy statement
DOUGLAS DECIDES 24'
My name is Chris Barber and I am excited to be running to be one of your elected Councillors.
I have written this statement numerous times over the last week, each time with big words and cliches and realised that’s just not me. So I started again.I think it’s more important that you know the type of person I am rather then rattle on about things I think you might want to hear.
I was born in Mt Isa, grew up in Brisbane, did a two year stint living and working on Magnetic island before deciding to see the world.
I was originally planning on a six month trip overseas, which turned into country hopping for close to 10 years. I met my wife in Canada and we then moved to her home town in Sydney on the Northern Beaches.
With a connection to North Queensland from an early age, visiting my grandparents up here and my wife having lived in Cairns working as a dive instructor It didn’t take long before we both realised we weren’t happy in Sydney and decided to move North.
That was just over 10 years ago.
Including my time overseas I have had over 25 years experience within the Hospitality, Tourism and accommodation sector.
I have managed a number of business’s within the Shire in the hospitality sector and have since moved into my current role working closely with the community as facility manager of the newly built Paws and Claws in Craiglie.
Since starting there back in 2022 I have managed to turn the facility into a sustainable non for profit organisation for years to come. I now have a beautiful young family with two young kids (4 and 6) and we are extremely happy here.
Fast forward to today – did I envision myself running for Councillor – say, two years ago, no, not really – So I guess the question is… what is driving me now?
It’s been hard sitting back and seeing so much division in a Council that is supposed to work for the best interests of its residents.
I'm not one to have a whinge or become a keyboard warrior. So I thought if I have the opportunity to make a change, why not. Be brave, throw my hat into the ring and rise to the occasion. I won't stand here and dwell on the current Council’s shortcomings.
I just want to be part of a flexible, functional team that works cohesively. I want to make meaningful progress moving forward for the best interests of the community. And I strongly believe communication is key.
I’ll now go ahead and touch on a few of the pressing issues that I am passionate about.
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first – Cyclone Jasper and water security.
Now the water infrastructure will get fixed, that’s a given and I know every candidate is on board with that being a priority and we are still uncertain on what that even looks like just yet.
We still have a community that is cut off nearly two months later - the question needs to be asked: is the damage too much for a small Council to handle?
What I would like to see is an independent review on post cyclone response and management so we can move forward from this updating and overhaul our current disaster response plan.
Making sure in (the) future if/when this happens again, we will be better prepared in our response. And identifying the need for updated infrastructure to be put in place to help mitigate damage and accessibility challenges we may find down the track. I am also open to revisiting the Daintree ferry issue in hopes of finding a better solution together.
Affordable housing
After travelling the world for close to ten years, mostly living and working in tourist destinations our problem with affordable housing in the region is not unique.
On the contrary, I’ve found it to be quite the norm for most tourist towns. All of these places around the world have one thing in common.
And unfortunately it's something we here in the Shire are lacking - and that is an affordable housing strategy plan. So that would be our first step... advocating for a housing forum with key stakeholders and putting together a plan.
And the best thing about it is that it has been done already, all over the world and Australia - Byron Bay and Broome come to mind.
The ideas are out there. We are not reinventing the wheel, other Councils have dealt with this and it has been proven to be successful. Now, by no means will it be a quick fix but lets get a plan in place for the future. For not only affordable housing, for workers seasonal and locals, but for retiree’s as well.
My vision for the Douglas shire
Like it or not our biggest industry is, Tourism. It is the number one employer in the region with the majority of our residents relying heavily on visitors to the region to survive.
It’s not cheap to come and stay and play in Port Douglas.. We are a premium destination and there is a premium expectation. I do believe we need to keep our small town charm but find a happy balance. Adding amenities that supports both tourists and locals expectations with a family friendly approach in mind.
After working in hospitality through the highs and lows of recent years it was a constant battle finding/keeping staff. If I’m honest - it was relentless - constantly training staff only for them to not find accommodation and leave after a couple of weeks... the cost of training is huge on a business and then you end up not being able to offer the service standard you want – it is a constant merry go round.
I would like to advocate for more pathways for school leavers- a large portion of which are leaving the Shire for better opportunities. Our young workforce is in fact 5% lower than the QLD average. I believe in pushing apprenticeships for school leavers, internships and possibly even a culinary school in the Shire would be a great step forward.
Now, my children are still young and finishing grade 12 is a long way off – however by then I would like to know they have more opportunities locally to pursue new careers – prolonging them from leaving the nest too early and sticking around the Shire to be part of building our future. I say that NOW as my children are still young and cute, however, I may be encouraging them to move far far away by then. Jokes aside let’s try and work more with what we have already.
My three long term goals for the shire
Liveabilty - for everyone - family friendly - up to date and maintained options for kids.
Relevance - keeping the Shire in the forefront as one of Australia’s best tourist destinations
Safety - infrastructure - disaster plan - sustainable growth
Lastly, I think it’s important to know what type of Councillor I will be.
- I will never forget that I work for you – “if it’s important to you, it’s important to me”.
- I am approachable.
- I am young, fresh and driven.
- Little wins are important too.
- I am flexible and look for a solution-based approach.
- Contrary to what my wife says - I am a good listener.
- I have zero agenda or affiliations - I simply want what’s best for the Shire.
- I can work collaboratively as a team and will make informed decisions with transparency.
- I won’t be bullied.
- And I will always get back to you – communication is key.
- And my biggest superpower... common sense
