2022 Council ceremony

Welcome everyone to the ceremony for the 2022 - 2026 City of Hobart Council. I’m so honoured to have been re-elected to serve as the Lord Mayor of this beautiful city for the next four years.

I would like to congratulate those Elected Members who have been returned to Council – Alderman Zucco, Councillor Burnet, Councillor Harvey, Alderman Behrakis, Councillor Dutta and Councillor Sherlock.  And special congratulations to Councillor Helen Burnet on her election as the Deputy Lord Mayor for a second term.

When Helen and I were elected to these city leadership roles in 2018 we made history by being the first female Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor to serve together in Hobart’s history. But also, we are the only Australian capital city to have popularly elected two women into city leadership. This endorsement of women’s leadership in Hobart is something I’m proud or and speaks to the progressive nature of our city.

Tonight is a particularly special occasion for our newly elected members -  Councillor Kelly, Councillor Elliot, Alderman Bloomfield, Councillor Posselt and Councillor Lohberger.

Participating in electoral politics is a unique and humbling experience. Being endorsed to be a leader of your community is a great achievement, particularly the first time it happens. So a very special congratulations to all of our newest elected members and your proud family members here tonight.

Hobart is changing, and so is this Council – I’m pleased Council is broadly reflective of the community that we serve. For all organisations, there is strength in diversity and there is strength in change and renewal. The mix of new and incumbent, men and women, younger and older, as well as a diversity of cultural backgrounds and perspectives should make this a very interesting group.

Our challenge now as elected leaders of this city is to pivot from a campaign mode of slogans and rivalry to a governance mode of consideration and collaboration.

Over the coming weeks and months many of us will be on a steep learning curve about our legislative roles and responsibilities.

We’ll also learn much more about the 650+ people that make up the City of Hobart organisation who look to us to provide strategic leadership. We’ll become much more aware of the importance of stable governance for them and for the health of our city.

As we settle into our decision-making role we’ll also learn much more about how often we need to balance competing interests in our community, as well as take on board facts and evidence that may challenge our long held perceptions.

Being in a decision-making role is never simple, but it’s an enormous privilege, particularly when dealing with some of the more challenging issues that we will no doubt confront in the coming term.

During my campaign I was grateful for the kindness of people around the city who went out of their way to express their support. Thank you to all the people who hosted posters, delivered brochures, doorknocked with me, endorsed me to their friends and took the time to read and promote my ideas.

I particularly want to thank my partner Mark Horstman (the Lady Mayoress) – not a title that’s often used, but there remains no official title for the partner of a female Mayor!  Thank you also our daughter Jess (here tonight), our son Jarra and my parents Margaret and Henry Reynolds for your enthusiasm and encouragement for me taking on this role.

I want to acknowledge all the families of political candidates, including my own, and the distress they feel when their loved ones are in the firing line of personal attacks and toxic social media pile-ons. It’s an unfortunate symptom of a particular type of political culture that is growing around the world.

If there are things I can do to call this out and speak out on bullying and harassment in the coming term I hope to play a part in shifting this culture. While many of these trends are global, we can and should do what we can to create a healthy civic culture in our city, and lead by example.

Democracy was alive and well this election with over 84 percent of the Hobart community registering a vote. Our community has diverse views and they don’t see things in black and white – evident in the interesting voting patterns we saw. All of us received significant 2nd and 3rd preferences from people we might consider to be on the opposite side of politics.

The truth is that our voters have the wisdom to see good things in a range of candidates. I think we need to follow the lead of the voters of Hobart as we work together – to see that everyone around the table has something good to offer and to avoid assuming the worst of them and their work.

Thank you to all the 44 candidates who put their hand up for election ….it’s not easy when you don’t win.  It would be great to see these candidates stay engaged with our city and its issues.  Our democracy needs active citizens bringing concerns and ideas to decision makers.

I hope that everyone’s experience on this Council can be a positive one and that you feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of your term, that you have helped to shape Hobart in a positive way.

Our city, like most cities around the world, is having to deliver our traditional services while being influenced and buffeted by a significant national and global trends. As local decision-makers we need to be live to these trends and changes, while keeping our feet firmly on the ground.

Growing inequality, a housing affordability crisis for the young and those on low incomes, more extreme weather damaging our infrastructure, shrinking public sector incomes and growing inflation will affect the lives of our residents and the ability of our city to undertake our work.

But on the positive side, there are also so many new exciting and smart solutions to urban challenges and innovations that are making cities more livable and more interesting places to be. We’re also seeing growing multiculturalism and diversity in our cities – as well as a global competition for talent and creativity that Hobart is so well placed to meet.

Here’s to an inspiring term – I wish all of my colleagues and their families and friends here tonight the best for the coming years. Thank you.