Election candidates in focus | Naomi Godden

As a teenager I was very active in the Youth Advisory Council, and in 2003 I initiated the Shire’s annual community development trainee position, now in its 15th year.

I then left the region for 10 years, studying social work while working with communities throughout Australia and overseas to address social and environmental problems. I have a PhD in community work and have worked as a community worker and participatory researcher with universities, international NGOs such as Oxfam, and grassroots community groups.

I have also advised on sustainability policy for local, state and federal governments and the United Nations. I returned to MR in 2014 to start a family and I support my partner’s sustainable architecture practice while working as a social researcher for Monash University.

I am also very active in local community groups – I led the Save Mowen Forest campaign, I am a Committee Member of MR Regional Environment Centre, co-founder and Chair of Just Home Margaret River, co-chair of the Shire’s Homelessness and Affordable Housing Working Group, member of MR Professional Social Work Collective, and I sat on the Shire’s Sustainability Advisory Committee.

My personal demographic includes young people, young families, surfers, small-scale wine producers, small business, and environmental and social justice groups.

I believe diversity is vital for an effective Council.

I want to bring a young, fresh perspective to Council, drawing on my knowledge and experience of international best practice of sustainable communities and policies.

We need bold, innovative leadership to manage issues of economic uncertainty, unaffordable living, growth and change, environmental degradation and climate change.

I believe the Council needs a much stronger focus on community participation in decision-making – not just listening to the community, but actively involving the community in participatory processes to make plans, strategies, policies, budgets and planning decisions.

This is called Deliberative Democracy, and it involves the Council working in partnership with the community to make decisions, trusting the community’s expertise, perspectives and proposals.

There are many well-researched processes we can undertake for deliberative democracy, like workshops, dialogues, online forums and polls, etc.

I have extensive experience facilitating processes for community members to be actively involved in decision-making in Australia and internationally, and I want to introduce some of these methods to our Council, starting with community participation in setting the Council budget.

This will help curb extravagant expenditure and prioritise financial allocations according to the community’s needs. 

Many community members have told me they are concerned about state government decisions that have huge impacts on our local economy, environment and community, eg the Cowaramup BP and the Landcorp development in Gracetown.

I believe the Council should work in partnership with community members to proactively identify what we value in our community and natural environment, and amend planning schemes and policies to incorporate strong protective mechanisms.

This may help us prevent large projects that don’t stack up against our sustainability ethos. The Council can also be more vocal by standing with community members and groups who are concerned about big issues.

Council should strongly and strategically advocate our community’s rights and concerns to state and federal governments.

I am passionate about community participation in all aspects of decision-making, and I have a strong record of working with community members to advocate for the needs of our community, economy and environment.

As a Councillor, I want to support diverse voices to be heard and involved in decision-making. I believe the community recognises my relational, engaging way of working, and I will continue to act with integrity and respect.

I will govern for the rights of all people and the rights of our planet, and I trust that our community, the media and other Councillors will understand that.

Open communication and dialogue between Councillors and community members is really important.

Nothing beats a sunset surf at one of our gorgeous surfbreaks.

CHECK OUT MORE CANDIDATE PROFILES:

FRANK EDWARDS

IAN EARL

FELICITY HAYNES

KIM HASTIE

KYLIE KENNAUGH

PAULINE McLEOD

JULIA MELDRUM