KATHRYN HYMAN FOR DIVISION 8
NARROWLY missing out by a mere 180 of 20,000 votes during the 2020 election, Kathryn Hyman has officially announced that she will be running for the vacated seat of Division 8 in Sunshine Coast Regional Council at the upcoming local government elections to be held on Saturday, March 16 of this year.
For more than eight years, Kathryn has dedicated her time to community advocacy, namely in the planning and development space, and holds several executive community committee positions including that of the peak ratepayer association for the Sunshine Coast – OSCAR INC.
Kathryn believes that growth is inevitable and a balanced approach to protecting our lifestyle and natural assets is possible through our planning scheme and aligned infrastructure provisions.
“This year will see a new scheme for the Sunshine Coast, and it is a very important tenure in terms of how we grow,” Kathryn stated.
“The Sunshine Coast is a spectacular region and is at risk of over-development, and I believe our brand needs to be protected given tourism is one of our bread-and-butter economic sectors for our small and medium businesses and our economy at large.”
Kathryn is particularly interested in coastal management and planning for vulnerable coastal communities so that assets are protected and remain insurable.
Through her efforts and experience dealing with Council, Kathryn understands the importance of the democratic arm of local government and knows how to navigate the bureaucracy, processes, and governance.
“Instead of passing the buck, I will lobby and work with my state and federal counterparts to address issues facing locals on the ground. Regardless of jurisdiction and tiers of government, these issues need to be addressed collaboratively through government and meaningful consultation with the community.”
As a mother of two, Kathryn is passionate about the following:
*Protecting our way of life and natural assets by ensuring well-planned development and aligned infrastructure
*Economic growth and job creation beyond the casualised workforce
*Adaptation and resilience to change
*Ensuring diverse and affordable housing is supported through local laws, the new planning scheme and effective collaboration with the other tiers of government.
Ms Hyman is also choosing to keep her campaign as green as possible and with an environmental theme of sorts.
“I chose blue and white for my campaign colours for two reasons. The sky is the limit in terms of the exciting times and innovation ahead for our region, and these colours represent the elements as we want clean air, clean oceans, and clean waterways.
“I chose not to buy into campaign T-shirts, and I keep campaign paraphernalia to a minimum, because of the carbon footprint and ethical concerns attached to these sorts of products.”
Ms Hyman is also aiming to not be in “your face” at polling booths.
“I am of the opinion that politics is a serious business, not a circus, and the public should be able to enter a calm and measured space to engage in the political process.
“During the first two weeks of March, my volunteers won’t have bells and whistles, flashing neon or gaudy T-shirts – I aim for a quite respectful, and approachable presence at the booths with information at hand.”