City of Greater Geraldton election candidates: deputy mayor Natasha Colliver on unfinished business & progress

Natasha Colliver has some unfinished business — she wants another four years on the council to help Greater Geraldton fulfil its immense potential and tackle roadblocks. Cr Colliver has been a councillor for almost a decade and deputy mayor for the past two years and seeks re-election. She’s vowing to advocate for greening the city, having rates as low as possible and keeping pace with population growth and infrastructure needs, and ensuring proper female facilities at sporting grounds and recreation spaces. There is a certain “big ticket” item on her agenda if she secures another term. “I’m really keen to take a serious look at kerbside recycling, so to get that yellow bin system in place. It is a big ticket item because there’s big infrastructure that needs to happen to support that,” she said. “It’s about how do we balance the good outcomes of that, with it being cost-effective for ratepayers as well.” Cr Colliver said some people might disagree, but she believed the council had done a “really good job” at keeping rate rises as low as possible in recent years, with increases ranging from 2.5 per cent to 4 per cent, apart from the COVID freeze. With 13 candidates vying for only four spots — and the number of councillors shrinking to eight, plus the mayor, after this election — Cr Colliver said voting had arguably never been more important. “I think that council has been really progressive the last few years, so I’d like to see that continue,” she said. “Going to eight (councillors) makes it really important about who the eight are, that the right eight people are sitting around the table. I am really invested in being one of the eight. “The most important thing is to have a well-functioning council, which means we can all have different opinions and personalities, but we still need to come together and actually make decisions that are for the greater community good and to keep our city progressing. “We need people around that table who are there for the right reasons.” The communications manager for Geraldton Universities Centre and former Nationals WA Upper House candidate has declared she will put her hand up again for the deputy mayoral position — voted on internally — if re-elected to the council. “I’ve really enjoyed the role and working alongside the mayor. That’s been a really good, strong relationship. And I’ve also really enjoyed being a support to my fellow councillors, particularly the new ones,” she said. If all vacant roles are filled by men at the October 18 election, that will leave only one woman — Cr Jenna Denton — on the council. “That’s not a healthy mix,” Cr Colliver said. While local government is a good training ground for those interested in politics, the last thing she wanted to see is the council become politically aligned, as seen over east and in some pockets in Perth. Another big fear for Cr Colliver is the impact voter fatigue might play, with this poll coming on the back of State and Federal elections this year. “It does concern me because sometimes when you don’t have compulsory voting — and you see this in the US all the time — things get played out on the fringes and the extremes and then what I call the sensible centre doesn’t get heard,” she said. Cr Colliver urged people to do their research on the candidates to determine who was the “right fit” to represent them at the grassroots. “Vote. Please just vote. I’m not advocating to vote for me. I’m advocating to just vote. It is really important you have your say,” she said. Remember to return your postal ballot via mail, allowing enough time for it to be received before Saturday, October 18. Or you can drop your ballot in person to the Geraldton Civic Centre up until 6pm on Saturday, October 18 or at the Mullewa District Office up until 5pm on Friday, October 17.