Bass Coast Council CEO Greg Box: Local government wasn’t on the radar for the arts graduate – then he learned it was a place where you could make a real difference. Bass Coast Post: Tell Post readers a bit about yourself. Did you know Bass Coast before you came to work here? Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?
Greg Box: I know the beautiful Bass Coast well and have family in the area where I have spent time as far back as the 1970s and 80s, particularly on Phillip Island.
After many years of my partner and I raising our family in the Dandenongs, I have for the past couple of years been a proud Bass Coast resident.
Greg Box: I know the beautiful Bass Coast well and have family in the area where I have spent time as far back as the 1970s and 80s, particularly on Phillip Island.
After many years of my partner and I raising our family in the Dandenongs, I have for the past couple of years been a proud Bass Coast resident.
Post: I see you’re a graduate in fine arts and art history. You surely didn’t intend to be a bureaucrat. What happened?
GB: I never ever considered working in government! But over time we realise that all careers aren’t presented in a children's book. We are not all doctors, plumbers, lawyers, posties, nurses or police.
As we grow we learn society is more layered and our working life a bit more complicated. I learned that local government is one of the main contributors in this country to not just the arts, but the cultural and community life of places. So in the end it is actually a great, natural fit for me. I come from a big family and have always been involved in sport, community and the arts so when you put all of these things together, for me, local government is the perfect place to be. Leading it is a privilege.
Post: You worked with former CEO Ali Wastie at Yarra Ranges Shire Council, and I presume she headhunted you for Bass Coast. What qualities did she see in you? What did you learn from her as a CEO?
GB: I worked alongside Ali for some time and she often said my creative problem solving was one of my best qualities. She was open to hearing my ideas and we had a great working relationship.
I was always struck by Ali’s resilience as a leader and I still am. It’s a critical quality for leaders. Ali is also very funny, sometimes at her own expense...another good leadership quality.
Post: Why did you want the top job? Are there any particular projects/programs/ directions you want to pursue, or is it business as usual?
GB: Business as usual can sound a little boring but it’s really important for us to get the fundamentals right. So when we say BAU we are often talking about those things that impact our lives, day to day, at the most fundamental level. That’s how we communicate and engage with communities, how we deliver key infrastructure including roads and how we manage our communities to be healthy, safe places to be.
These are the foundations of local government. So yes, I do want business as usual to be done- but I want our business to be exceptional.
Our Council has done a great job in recent years attracting more people to live and work here, as well as growing our visitor economy. We will continue that growth through innovation and strong leadership.
I have a background in arts and culture. Culture shapes the way we feel about the world and our local places and I am really optimistic about how creativity and culture can make a significant future contribution to Bass Coast. We can turn our creativity to innovation and positively transform our places.
Post: Our council has always faced special financial challenges because of its large non-resident population. Now that Bass Coast is one of the state’s fastest growing shires, is that easing the pressure or adding to it?
GB: Neither. Our region certainly has a large network of roads, culverts and other infrastructure to maintain relative to the density of the population. The financial pressures ultimately though are created by greater needs of community and a revenue environment that is constrained by rate-capping. More people means more infrastructure, more services and more need. The area that all local government finds difficult is where Council is capped in revenue well below the escalating cost of materials and services and this has been exacerbated in recent years. None of us want to pay more in rates, but a sustainable balance needs to be achieved to ensure we can maintain, renew and deliver the roads, drainage, paths, waste management and community infrastructure that creates the great place we all want to live.
Post: Are we in a position to take on any new major capital projects or do we have to hunker down for a few years until we’ve paid off the Cowes Cultural Centre?
GB: Major capital projects are regularly funded by all three tiers of government. I think we can all see that the Victorian government is financially contracting and signaling that there will be tough times ahead. The Federal government's position isn’t quite so constrained. We have prepared a modest draft budget but we will certainly be preparing and planning over the next year for possible funding opportunities in coming years with other tiers of government.
Post: You’ve been hit with the environmental audit overlay crisis early in your new role. Can it be sorted out without imposing a major cost burden on new residents?
GB: We are working urgently to find a resolution that will have the least amount of burden and impact on residents. Everyone who looks at it identifies that this a complex problem that has happened over many years. There are multiple agencies, and numerous reports.
It won’t be resolved overnight, but we have been very clear that we need to support individual property owners in the region to get the best possible outcome with the least amount of impact.
I am currently meeting with the CEOs of the Victorian Planning Authority and the Environment Protection Authority on a regular basis and we are determined to get a positive outcome for residents.
We immediately established a dedicated website page, emails to known residents, and I provided further emails and online statements. I am committed to ongoing open communication and transparency for my tenure both internally and externally.
Post: What do you do to relax from the stresses of this job?
GB: I try to approach the world in a consistent even-handed way, whether at work or at home. So I don’t really get so stressed that I need to consciously relax ... but I still like to draw.
GB: I never ever considered working in government! But over time we realise that all careers aren’t presented in a children's book. We are not all doctors, plumbers, lawyers, posties, nurses or police.
As we grow we learn society is more layered and our working life a bit more complicated. I learned that local government is one of the main contributors in this country to not just the arts, but the cultural and community life of places. So in the end it is actually a great, natural fit for me. I come from a big family and have always been involved in sport, community and the arts so when you put all of these things together, for me, local government is the perfect place to be. Leading it is a privilege.
Post: You worked with former CEO Ali Wastie at Yarra Ranges Shire Council, and I presume she headhunted you for Bass Coast. What qualities did she see in you? What did you learn from her as a CEO?
GB: I worked alongside Ali for some time and she often said my creative problem solving was one of my best qualities. She was open to hearing my ideas and we had a great working relationship.
I was always struck by Ali’s resilience as a leader and I still am. It’s a critical quality for leaders. Ali is also very funny, sometimes at her own expense...another good leadership quality.
Post: Why did you want the top job? Are there any particular projects/programs/ directions you want to pursue, or is it business as usual?
GB: Business as usual can sound a little boring but it’s really important for us to get the fundamentals right. So when we say BAU we are often talking about those things that impact our lives, day to day, at the most fundamental level. That’s how we communicate and engage with communities, how we deliver key infrastructure including roads and how we manage our communities to be healthy, safe places to be.
These are the foundations of local government. So yes, I do want business as usual to be done- but I want our business to be exceptional.
Our Council has done a great job in recent years attracting more people to live and work here, as well as growing our visitor economy. We will continue that growth through innovation and strong leadership.
I have a background in arts and culture. Culture shapes the way we feel about the world and our local places and I am really optimistic about how creativity and culture can make a significant future contribution to Bass Coast. We can turn our creativity to innovation and positively transform our places.
Post: Our council has always faced special financial challenges because of its large non-resident population. Now that Bass Coast is one of the state’s fastest growing shires, is that easing the pressure or adding to it?
GB: Neither. Our region certainly has a large network of roads, culverts and other infrastructure to maintain relative to the density of the population. The financial pressures ultimately though are created by greater needs of community and a revenue environment that is constrained by rate-capping. More people means more infrastructure, more services and more need. The area that all local government finds difficult is where Council is capped in revenue well below the escalating cost of materials and services and this has been exacerbated in recent years. None of us want to pay more in rates, but a sustainable balance needs to be achieved to ensure we can maintain, renew and deliver the roads, drainage, paths, waste management and community infrastructure that creates the great place we all want to live.
Post: Are we in a position to take on any new major capital projects or do we have to hunker down for a few years until we’ve paid off the Cowes Cultural Centre?
GB: Major capital projects are regularly funded by all three tiers of government. I think we can all see that the Victorian government is financially contracting and signaling that there will be tough times ahead. The Federal government's position isn’t quite so constrained. We have prepared a modest draft budget but we will certainly be preparing and planning over the next year for possible funding opportunities in coming years with other tiers of government.
Post: You’ve been hit with the environmental audit overlay crisis early in your new role. Can it be sorted out without imposing a major cost burden on new residents?
GB: We are working urgently to find a resolution that will have the least amount of burden and impact on residents. Everyone who looks at it identifies that this a complex problem that has happened over many years. There are multiple agencies, and numerous reports.
It won’t be resolved overnight, but we have been very clear that we need to support individual property owners in the region to get the best possible outcome with the least amount of impact.
I am currently meeting with the CEOs of the Victorian Planning Authority and the Environment Protection Authority on a regular basis and we are determined to get a positive outcome for residents.
We immediately established a dedicated website page, emails to known residents, and I provided further emails and online statements. I am committed to ongoing open communication and transparency for my tenure both internally and externally.
Post: What do you do to relax from the stresses of this job?
GB: I try to approach the world in a consistent even-handed way, whether at work or at home. So I don’t really get so stressed that I need to consciously relax ... but I still like to draw.