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New Shire of Carnarvon chief executive Andrea Selvey says she is eager to get down to business

Phoebe PinMidwest Times
Shire of Carnarvon new chief executive Andrea Selvey.
Camera IconShire of Carnarvon new chief executive Andrea Selvey.

Carnarvon’s new chief executive officer has hit the ground running, bringing years of leadership experience and a passion for local government to the role.

Andrea Selvey is one month into her five-year contract in Carnarvon after three years as chief executive of the Shire of Cocos Keeling Islands.

Mrs Selvey described the Australian external territory located about 2750km north-west of Perth as a “fascinating” and “beautiful” place, with leadership roles at the Shire of Dowerin and the City of Greater Geraldton also featuring on her resume.

Mrs Selvey said the Shire of Carnarvon was one of the best councils she had worked for and she looked forward to exploring opportunities for growth and development.

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“I saw the huge potential here in Carnarvon and the Gascoyne is just waiting to be realised and it is really exciting to be in a role to contribute to that journey,” she said.

“It’s about getting people to recognise the value and potential here and making sure that investors, residents and potential residents recognise what a great opportunity is waiting here for them.”

Mrs Selvey said one of her priorities was to repair roads damaged by flooding earlier this year.

“Our challenge will be to get the roads repaired as quickly as possible, but within the framework of the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements so we can recoup those costs,” she said.

Carnarvon roads damaged by floodwaters.
Camera IconCarnarvon roads damaged by floodwaters. Credit: Facebook / Main Roads Western Au

Mrs Selvey said realising Carnarvon’s potential would not be without its challenges, with housing shortages a key barrier to growth.

“Like everywhere, it is very difficult to get rentals in Carnarvon,” she said.

“There are blocks of land here that are ready to be developed and it would be great to create an environment that encouraged private sector investment.”

Improving communication between council and residents would also be important, said Mrs Selvey.

“We are looking at how we can be more proactive in our communication so the community knows what we are doing,” she said.

“We are also looking at how we can be much more responsive to community requests for service and making sure that requests are captured and responded to.”

Mrs Selvey she had received much support to get her to where she was today, with her interest in serving local communities starting when she was a fresh-faced 17-year-old who picked up shifts at the public library in Bassendean.

“My love of local government, my passion for what we do in the community started then,” she said.

“There were some fantastic female managers at the Town of Bassendean who worked in various departments and inspired me with what local government does as the tier of government closest to the community and most able to respond to community need.”

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