Dave Porter
Hi I am Dave Porter and along with my wife Jo we moved to Norfolk some 16 years ago. For many years we owned and operated Aataren Villas accommodation on Queen Elizabeth Avenue.
During our time on Norfolk I have been a member of the last Legislative Assembly and of the first Regional Council. I am also an active member of my Church community.
Prior to moving to Norfolk, Jo and I owned and operated a construction business completing many residential, industrial and large commercial projects. I was an elected Councillor with the Bundaberg City Council for many years, serving as chair of the Engineering services committee with responsibility for the provision of Water, Sewerage, Drainage, roads, Airport and other infrastructure for a growing city.
When living in Bundaberg I was active in Rotary and on the management boards of a number of charities and my Church.
I believe with my experience in community leadership and service I have the ability to help Norfolk move forward.
The matter of governance, it’s structure and operation is very dear to most peoples heart and there are many and varied views on this. I am of the opinion that our Governance model must be Relevant, Inclusive, and Sustainable. Of these the matter of sustainability is to the fore given the small size of our economy, our isolation and reliance on tourism as our prime wealth generator .
All small and isolated communities rely on State and Commonwealth funding to supplement there own income capacity, and in this regard we are no different but with the added problem of our remote location with high cost air and sea access only, add another level of difficulty.
I have no issue with the need for “own source revenue” ( Paying our way) however if we raise the cost to live and operate business on the Island we risk pricing ourselves out of the tourism market, a fickle and competitive industry at best.
These are just a few of the competing forces we must address if we are to build a Relevant, Inclusive and Sustainable governance model, And I look forward to your vote to allow me to be a part of this most important process.
Dave Porter