New council CEO Ali Wastie gives her first impressions of Bass Coast and lays out her blueprint in an extended interview with Post editor Catherine Watson.
Catherine Watson: You were a director at Melbourne City Council, at the centre of the known universe. What made you decide to come to an outpost like Bass Coast?
Ali Wastie: I’ve always had a passion for regional areas, including peri-urban areas, as Bass Coast is. Prior to starting at Melbourne, I was at Yarra Ranges Council for eight years and I really relished the opportunity to work with community to shape place. I also loved the opportunity I had at the City of Melbourne to work on big city issues. I was responsible for Aboriginal Melbourne, homelessness, which loomed very large for all of us, arts Melbourne, and all the community services. Back at Yarra Ranges I had the planning element. So I’ve had the city experience and a very long time in a peri-urban council. There’s probably more similarity with Bass Coast and Yarra Ranges although the issues are different.
CW: Where did you grow up?
AW: East Bentleigh, in the suburbs.
CW: You began as a French and psychology teacher and moved into the public service then seemed to find your niche in local government. What was the attraction?
AW: I was in senior policy roles in the state sector. I was writing reports and recommendations. While I enjoyed the intellectual rigour, I had no idea whether anyone read them. At the end of the day, you’ve got no idea whether it hits its mark. It goes to Parliament and they may or may not act on it. Or they’ll endorse the recommendations but not provide the funds to implement it.
I worked on a project – reviewing the Marine Safety Act, of all things – that took me out this way and all around the state. That was the only opportunity I’d had to work with local government and I got the sense that this is where you get to make a difference because of the engagement with the community. Before then I probably hadn’t considered local government.
I decided to make the leap in 2010. That’s when an opportunity came up at Yarra Ranges Council. It was a very diverse portfolio. I absolutely loved it, working with the councillors and the community on a whole host of issues. I arrived just after the 2009 Black Saturday fires. Thirteen lives had been lost and many in the community were still recovering. The project that gave me the greatest satisfaction was working with the community on the Black Saturday memorial project. These were people who had lost children or neighbours. It was incredibly humbling.
CW: Have you moved to Bass Coast or are you commuting?
AW: I’m living at Inverloch at the moment but my family are still based in Melbourne. I’m taking my time to work out where in Bass Coast we will land. I’m just looking at the lay of the land, whether it will be on the island, or here in Wonthaggi or Inverloch or up in the hills. It’s all so different. I’ve got two children. My youngest finishes grade six at the end of the year so that will probably be the time that we make the move. I’m really looking forward to that. I’ve heard great things about the two schools.
CW: Did you know this area beforehand?
AW: I did. I had a lot of school holidays here. I’ve got an uncle at Cape Woolamai and we had family friends who had a place at Inverloch. It was one of those typical fibro shacks. John and Mary Jenkins. They’re such beautiful people. On my first day here they came into council to welcome me. I spent many childhood holidays at Inverloch. I took my own family to Cape Paterson over the summer holidays. I spent a number of weeks at Cape Paterson with the boys when they were younger.
CW: When you first read the Bass Coast job advertisement, did you think it would be all about roads, rates and rubbish?
AW: Not at all, but I’m not a typical local government person. Because I’ve had that background in community and social services I’ve got a pretty good understanding of what councils are there for. Of course it’s for those traditional services but it’s so much more. I believe local government does itself a disservice in not promoting what it offers the community in terms of all those services it provides to improve health and wellbeing and prosperity. If you ask most people on the street they would say “roads, rubbish and rates” unless they have various touchpoints with council. At various stages in their lives, people tend to engage with children’s services or libraries or aged care more.
Our role is to promote that service because of what it provides to the community but also to acknowledge that this is what your rates are going to. Regardless of whether you use that service, the reasonable person test is “Well, that’s okay because my neighbour uses it, or it’s benefiting the community”, or “My neighbour’s using aged and disability services or meals on wheels”, or whatever. Or they’re providing funding to a Landcare group for this wonderful work.
CW: The previous CEO Paul Buckley talked about how Bass Coast is disadvantaged in the funding sense because so many of our ratepayers are not residents, and we don’t have alternative funding sources. Have you brought some good ideas from the city about how we can diversify our funding sources?
AW: Council is certainly focused on alternative revenue streams, and also tapping into … not necessarily the residents but the visitors, and not being ashamed of that. They’re using our facilities. How do we fund some of our really complex challenges, such as addressing coastal erosion? Part of my responsibility is to research options for council to consider, to work with our key partners in industry, and to engage with the community. To say “Here’s an alternative revenue stream that can support our work. Is this something you want to proceed with?”
CW: Are we talking about paid parking and perhaps a tourist toll to get onto the island?
AW: Paid parking is a possibility, but the Phillip Island road is already there so I think the state might have something to say about a toll. But there are all sorts of creative opportunities. Setting up trusts or funds where visitors can donate is an untapped area for council to look into. I think our visitors would be willing to pay a little bit extra if they know that money is going to support a particular initiative like tackling coastal erosion. There is so much that people want to protect and enhance.
CW: Apart from the visitor economy, are there any other funding options you want to pursue?
AW: We have to think not just of what the council can generate but what we’re bringing in and how we’re setting ourselves up to be a prosperous council. Really tapping into opportunities. The council’s advocacy really helped to get the hospital at Cowes. That’s going to create a space for people to go when they’re feeling unwell. It’s also going to generate employment.
A big one – we really wanted to see some funding in the federal budget and we haven’t – is a tertiary institution for Bass Coast. We’ve got a lot of kids who do really well at year 12 but they’re choosing not to take up higher education because of the tyranny of distance.
Public transport’s another one. We’re always advocating for that. What does that look like for Bass Coast? It’s not going to be the fast rail that Geelong got. It’s probably going to be buses. At the moment it’s not working for us. There are too many missing links. How do we think more laterally as a community?
Before I was appointed I caught the bus from the city to the island. I thought I would experience it. I got as far as Anderson and I thought “This was not a good idea”. At least I’ve got a choice, I’ve got a car. But if you’re an 18-year-old, straight out of high school, you can’t afford a car or the petrol. You should be able to have access to that tertiary offering. That’s another key advocacy initiative. It grows the economy and it makes for a more prosperous region.
CW: Were you surprised to find this council interested in some fairly progressive ideas?
AW: No, but I’d done my research. It’s fantastic! The conversation around the chamber is always enlightening. Lots of good ideas. There’s dialogue and constructive debate. It’s a very high-functioning council.
CW: Tackling homelessness was one of your responsibilities in Melbourne. It’s also an issue in Bass Coast. How should our council be involved?
AW: Addressing homelessness is part of our federal advocacy list. [The council is seeking $1.25 million for local agencies to identify and develop appropriate emergency housing/shelter in Bass Coast.] We’re partnering with the Salvos, Anglicare, all of those providers who work in Bass Coast, because they’re front and centre.
Location is critical. Don’t entrench disadvantage. Don’t put 50 homeless people together on the outskirts. That’s not supportive at all. Housing providers need to be able to establish themselves near public transport.
We can also use mechanisms like inclusionary zoning, where a developer might be permitted to increase density in return for including so many affordable or social housing units. It may not be appropriate for Bass Coast but it certainly is for that inner or middle ring of Melbourne.
CW: Climate change is the long-term challenge is but the immediate threat here is rising seas and coastal erosion. How do we begin to tackle that?
AW: That’s an urgent challenge. I’m meeting the Cowes East foreshore group on Friday.
Climate change is a global challenge and it requires all parties to work together. I think Bass Coast is leading in lots of ways. Again, I can’t claim credit for that. Seventy-seven per cent of all waste is diverted away from landfill. I don’t know if there’s another Victoria council doing better than us. The community went through a little bit of pain when the three bins system was brought in, I understand that, but we did it because of the challenge we face.
And wasn’t Phillip Island plastic bag free a long time before the rest of the state? We don’t like change! Remember the uproar when Coles and Woolworths decided to charge 15 cents for a bag. Why wouldn’t we do this? There is a huge implication if we don’t change our habits. The young people are telling us this.
CW: I heard one councillor remark that you’re the next generation after Paul Buckley. They don’t want you to replicate him but are looking to you to bring a younger perspective to issues like climate change.
AW: [Laughs] There’s that saying: “Be yourself because everyone else is taken.” I’m glad they’re seeing me in that light. I’ll be able to build on what Paul’s done but bring my own style and experience and leadership to the role. I hope I’ve been demonstrating that in the past 30 days.
Paul spent a lot of time setting up processes and systems and governance. I’d like to focus on delivery. Yes, we do have funding constraints but thinking about more creative ways of delivering services and infrastructure. That’s a key opportunity and what I would like my legacy to be.
Also putting the customer at the centre of everything we do. Having that customer mindset. The council satisfaction surveys are just one aspect. I want a constant loop of feedback from people who are using council services. Someone applies for a planning permit. What was their experience? How could we improve it?
The third thing is the continuous improvement approach to service innovation. Really looking at everything we’re doing. Understanding why we’re doing it that way. Just because we’ve always done it that way isn’t enough. Is there a better way that links us to the customer?
CW: Is that a hard focus to bring to staff?
AW: It’s all about change and change management. Appreciating what’s gone before and not dismissing it. Articulating a really clear vision. Consistently delivering that message. Communication at all levels across the shire and all locations. You can’t communicate enough with change management. That’s already started.
CW: Sharing services with other councils may be a big part of cutting costs?
AW: There was a report to council looking at shared services with South Gippsland, East Gippsland, Wellington. That’s got a regional focus, but to be honest we can have a Victorian focus, a national focus or even a global focus.
We’ll do that in an appropriate manner and engage with staff, always being mindful that we want to keep a good employment base here. We’re a large employer for Bass Coast. It may be that there’s great strength in Bass Coast in one area and we maintain an element of that shared service, while another one might go across the border. All we’re doing at the moment is putting in an application for funding to look at it.
There are other opportunities, whether it be joint procurement or contracts with a larger council like a Cardinia or Casey.
We can’t just rely on the ratepayer any more. All councils need to look at these innovations. Because if we don’t, it will be done to us. It won’t be our choice.
CW: What should we aim for in the federal election campaign?
AW: That’s been a key focus since I got here. We’ve got a really strong advocacy list of priorities. Every day there are calls in to various MPs and units. We’ve been talking to Jessica O’Donnell [Labor candidate for Monash] and Russell Broadbent [Liberal candidate] and trying to secure as much of our wish list as we can from both parties, while remaining absolutely apolitical. We’re expecting once the federal election is called we’ll ramp things up.
We had a call from the Deputy Prime Minister last week and he expressed an interest in meeting with us. We grab those opportunities with both hands and run with it. Some of them turn out and some of them don’t. Our approach is that there’s a time to make hay and hope enough sticks and we get something through. We’re hoping for some strong pre-election commitments, especially given that this area just might be marginal.
Ali Wastie: I’ve always had a passion for regional areas, including peri-urban areas, as Bass Coast is. Prior to starting at Melbourne, I was at Yarra Ranges Council for eight years and I really relished the opportunity to work with community to shape place. I also loved the opportunity I had at the City of Melbourne to work on big city issues. I was responsible for Aboriginal Melbourne, homelessness, which loomed very large for all of us, arts Melbourne, and all the community services. Back at Yarra Ranges I had the planning element. So I’ve had the city experience and a very long time in a peri-urban council. There’s probably more similarity with Bass Coast and Yarra Ranges although the issues are different.
CW: Where did you grow up?
AW: East Bentleigh, in the suburbs.
CW: You began as a French and psychology teacher and moved into the public service then seemed to find your niche in local government. What was the attraction?
AW: I was in senior policy roles in the state sector. I was writing reports and recommendations. While I enjoyed the intellectual rigour, I had no idea whether anyone read them. At the end of the day, you’ve got no idea whether it hits its mark. It goes to Parliament and they may or may not act on it. Or they’ll endorse the recommendations but not provide the funds to implement it.
I worked on a project – reviewing the Marine Safety Act, of all things – that took me out this way and all around the state. That was the only opportunity I’d had to work with local government and I got the sense that this is where you get to make a difference because of the engagement with the community. Before then I probably hadn’t considered local government.
I decided to make the leap in 2010. That’s when an opportunity came up at Yarra Ranges Council. It was a very diverse portfolio. I absolutely loved it, working with the councillors and the community on a whole host of issues. I arrived just after the 2009 Black Saturday fires. Thirteen lives had been lost and many in the community were still recovering. The project that gave me the greatest satisfaction was working with the community on the Black Saturday memorial project. These were people who had lost children or neighbours. It was incredibly humbling.
CW: Have you moved to Bass Coast or are you commuting?
AW: I’m living at Inverloch at the moment but my family are still based in Melbourne. I’m taking my time to work out where in Bass Coast we will land. I’m just looking at the lay of the land, whether it will be on the island, or here in Wonthaggi or Inverloch or up in the hills. It’s all so different. I’ve got two children. My youngest finishes grade six at the end of the year so that will probably be the time that we make the move. I’m really looking forward to that. I’ve heard great things about the two schools.
CW: Did you know this area beforehand?
AW: I did. I had a lot of school holidays here. I’ve got an uncle at Cape Woolamai and we had family friends who had a place at Inverloch. It was one of those typical fibro shacks. John and Mary Jenkins. They’re such beautiful people. On my first day here they came into council to welcome me. I spent many childhood holidays at Inverloch. I took my own family to Cape Paterson over the summer holidays. I spent a number of weeks at Cape Paterson with the boys when they were younger.
CW: When you first read the Bass Coast job advertisement, did you think it would be all about roads, rates and rubbish?
AW: Not at all, but I’m not a typical local government person. Because I’ve had that background in community and social services I’ve got a pretty good understanding of what councils are there for. Of course it’s for those traditional services but it’s so much more. I believe local government does itself a disservice in not promoting what it offers the community in terms of all those services it provides to improve health and wellbeing and prosperity. If you ask most people on the street they would say “roads, rubbish and rates” unless they have various touchpoints with council. At various stages in their lives, people tend to engage with children’s services or libraries or aged care more.
Our role is to promote that service because of what it provides to the community but also to acknowledge that this is what your rates are going to. Regardless of whether you use that service, the reasonable person test is “Well, that’s okay because my neighbour uses it, or it’s benefiting the community”, or “My neighbour’s using aged and disability services or meals on wheels”, or whatever. Or they’re providing funding to a Landcare group for this wonderful work.
CW: The previous CEO Paul Buckley talked about how Bass Coast is disadvantaged in the funding sense because so many of our ratepayers are not residents, and we don’t have alternative funding sources. Have you brought some good ideas from the city about how we can diversify our funding sources?
AW: Council is certainly focused on alternative revenue streams, and also tapping into … not necessarily the residents but the visitors, and not being ashamed of that. They’re using our facilities. How do we fund some of our really complex challenges, such as addressing coastal erosion? Part of my responsibility is to research options for council to consider, to work with our key partners in industry, and to engage with the community. To say “Here’s an alternative revenue stream that can support our work. Is this something you want to proceed with?”
CW: Are we talking about paid parking and perhaps a tourist toll to get onto the island?
AW: Paid parking is a possibility, but the Phillip Island road is already there so I think the state might have something to say about a toll. But there are all sorts of creative opportunities. Setting up trusts or funds where visitors can donate is an untapped area for council to look into. I think our visitors would be willing to pay a little bit extra if they know that money is going to support a particular initiative like tackling coastal erosion. There is so much that people want to protect and enhance.
CW: Apart from the visitor economy, are there any other funding options you want to pursue?
AW: We have to think not just of what the council can generate but what we’re bringing in and how we’re setting ourselves up to be a prosperous council. Really tapping into opportunities. The council’s advocacy really helped to get the hospital at Cowes. That’s going to create a space for people to go when they’re feeling unwell. It’s also going to generate employment.
A big one – we really wanted to see some funding in the federal budget and we haven’t – is a tertiary institution for Bass Coast. We’ve got a lot of kids who do really well at year 12 but they’re choosing not to take up higher education because of the tyranny of distance.
Public transport’s another one. We’re always advocating for that. What does that look like for Bass Coast? It’s not going to be the fast rail that Geelong got. It’s probably going to be buses. At the moment it’s not working for us. There are too many missing links. How do we think more laterally as a community?
Before I was appointed I caught the bus from the city to the island. I thought I would experience it. I got as far as Anderson and I thought “This was not a good idea”. At least I’ve got a choice, I’ve got a car. But if you’re an 18-year-old, straight out of high school, you can’t afford a car or the petrol. You should be able to have access to that tertiary offering. That’s another key advocacy initiative. It grows the economy and it makes for a more prosperous region.
CW: Were you surprised to find this council interested in some fairly progressive ideas?
AW: No, but I’d done my research. It’s fantastic! The conversation around the chamber is always enlightening. Lots of good ideas. There’s dialogue and constructive debate. It’s a very high-functioning council.
CW: Tackling homelessness was one of your responsibilities in Melbourne. It’s also an issue in Bass Coast. How should our council be involved?
AW: Addressing homelessness is part of our federal advocacy list. [The council is seeking $1.25 million for local agencies to identify and develop appropriate emergency housing/shelter in Bass Coast.] We’re partnering with the Salvos, Anglicare, all of those providers who work in Bass Coast, because they’re front and centre.
Location is critical. Don’t entrench disadvantage. Don’t put 50 homeless people together on the outskirts. That’s not supportive at all. Housing providers need to be able to establish themselves near public transport.
We can also use mechanisms like inclusionary zoning, where a developer might be permitted to increase density in return for including so many affordable or social housing units. It may not be appropriate for Bass Coast but it certainly is for that inner or middle ring of Melbourne.
CW: Climate change is the long-term challenge is but the immediate threat here is rising seas and coastal erosion. How do we begin to tackle that?
AW: That’s an urgent challenge. I’m meeting the Cowes East foreshore group on Friday.
Climate change is a global challenge and it requires all parties to work together. I think Bass Coast is leading in lots of ways. Again, I can’t claim credit for that. Seventy-seven per cent of all waste is diverted away from landfill. I don’t know if there’s another Victoria council doing better than us. The community went through a little bit of pain when the three bins system was brought in, I understand that, but we did it because of the challenge we face.
And wasn’t Phillip Island plastic bag free a long time before the rest of the state? We don’t like change! Remember the uproar when Coles and Woolworths decided to charge 15 cents for a bag. Why wouldn’t we do this? There is a huge implication if we don’t change our habits. The young people are telling us this.
CW: I heard one councillor remark that you’re the next generation after Paul Buckley. They don’t want you to replicate him but are looking to you to bring a younger perspective to issues like climate change.
AW: [Laughs] There’s that saying: “Be yourself because everyone else is taken.” I’m glad they’re seeing me in that light. I’ll be able to build on what Paul’s done but bring my own style and experience and leadership to the role. I hope I’ve been demonstrating that in the past 30 days.
Paul spent a lot of time setting up processes and systems and governance. I’d like to focus on delivery. Yes, we do have funding constraints but thinking about more creative ways of delivering services and infrastructure. That’s a key opportunity and what I would like my legacy to be.
Also putting the customer at the centre of everything we do. Having that customer mindset. The council satisfaction surveys are just one aspect. I want a constant loop of feedback from people who are using council services. Someone applies for a planning permit. What was their experience? How could we improve it?
The third thing is the continuous improvement approach to service innovation. Really looking at everything we’re doing. Understanding why we’re doing it that way. Just because we’ve always done it that way isn’t enough. Is there a better way that links us to the customer?
CW: Is that a hard focus to bring to staff?
AW: It’s all about change and change management. Appreciating what’s gone before and not dismissing it. Articulating a really clear vision. Consistently delivering that message. Communication at all levels across the shire and all locations. You can’t communicate enough with change management. That’s already started.
CW: Sharing services with other councils may be a big part of cutting costs?
AW: There was a report to council looking at shared services with South Gippsland, East Gippsland, Wellington. That’s got a regional focus, but to be honest we can have a Victorian focus, a national focus or even a global focus.
We’ll do that in an appropriate manner and engage with staff, always being mindful that we want to keep a good employment base here. We’re a large employer for Bass Coast. It may be that there’s great strength in Bass Coast in one area and we maintain an element of that shared service, while another one might go across the border. All we’re doing at the moment is putting in an application for funding to look at it.
There are other opportunities, whether it be joint procurement or contracts with a larger council like a Cardinia or Casey.
We can’t just rely on the ratepayer any more. All councils need to look at these innovations. Because if we don’t, it will be done to us. It won’t be our choice.
CW: What should we aim for in the federal election campaign?
AW: That’s been a key focus since I got here. We’ve got a really strong advocacy list of priorities. Every day there are calls in to various MPs and units. We’ve been talking to Jessica O’Donnell [Labor candidate for Monash] and Russell Broadbent [Liberal candidate] and trying to secure as much of our wish list as we can from both parties, while remaining absolutely apolitical. We’re expecting once the federal election is called we’ll ramp things up.
We had a call from the Deputy Prime Minister last week and he expressed an interest in meeting with us. We grab those opportunities with both hands and run with it. Some of them turn out and some of them don’t. Our approach is that there’s a time to make hay and hope enough sticks and we get something through. We’re hoping for some strong pre-election commitments, especially given that this area just might be marginal.