THE Greens are the first out of the blocks for the 2024 Sunshine Coast Council election, launching their bid for Division 5 last week.
Greens representative, Tracy Burton, announced her bid for the division alongside Greens Senator Larissa Waters at the Maleny Community Centre on August 31.
The division is currently held by Councillor Winston Johnston.
Ms Burton promised to tackle the housing crisis, climate change, planning and development and community culture.
It is her fourth tilt in politics in the past six years, calling herself a “true optimist”.
Ms Burton is the first candidate of any party to put her hand up for the division, telling GC&M News that the size and diversity of the electorate meant she wanted to be on the front foot when it came to campaigning ahead of the March 2024 election.
“Over the next six months I hope to engage with every township, from the railway towns to those on the range, to hear how council can better address community needs,” she said
Ms Burton said she believed the housing crisis needed particular attention.
“We need to help ease the housing crisis,” she said.
“I will work closely with communities and council to provide flexible solutions.
Ms Burton said that could include allowing additional dwellings on rural and semi-rural land, identifying more sites for public housing and regulating short-term stay accommodation.
Ms Burton added that there was a significant amount to do at a local level on climate concerns.
“We need to require that council, internal and external reports contain information about how climate mitigation strategies are being maintained and used,” she said.
Ms Burton also said she would fight to “stop inappropriate development”.
“We’ve lost an enormous amount of native forest and we simply can’t keep doing that to the hinterland,” she said.
“We need to be much smarter about where we build the in demand houses for what we need. We need houses but we need to think much more carefully before we start ripping down forests.”
Ms Burton said she would also fight to review the appeals process for controversial developments.
“There are some big holes in previous developments being approved and current developments being approved.”
“We need to change this scorched earth approach to we are seeing by land development on the Sunshine Coast.”
Ms Burton said she would “improve community engagement”.
“I want to represent the diversity of our community,” she said.
A review of budget allocation would also be a priority for the Greens candidate.
“I’d like to review the current budget allocation for all townships in Division 5 to assess the equitable distribution of funds,” she said.
“Let’s ensure a fair and equitable distribution of the budget … by inviting greater participation by residents into how funds are allocated based on growing needs.”
Senator Waters said she was confident Ms Burton could take the 2024 Division 5 after falling short by only a few hundred votes in 2020.
“We are on the up and up and this is the best chance for us to finally break through in the Sunshine Coast Council,” Sen Waters said.
“Representation matters and that’s what Tracy offers in spades.
“It matters because we’re in a housing crisis, an inequality crisis, a climate crisis, we are in the darkest of times and we have a political system that is not representing our interests or in the interests of nature and the planet,” she said.
“We desperately need people in there with the right motivation who will work their guts out, like Tracy who deliver better outcomes.
“Council has a role to play. It could be building social housing. We can have community led planning that places housing in the right spots.
We are not seeing any of that vision from our current council.
The election will be held on March 16, 2024, with postal voting opening in six months.
