Councillor Role

In 2008 Fiona ran for re-election on her own ticket- Team H. She was successful in being re-elected and only 100 votes short of her second candidate Gerald Power being elected also. If she had of been successful with the second candidate Orange Council would have had its first Aboriginal Councillor.

Items of particular interest to Fiona at this time would be the water issue in Orange. She has been active in working towards a way for future water sustainability. Evidence of the work done to date can be viewed on the Council web site- Water Project

Fiona also enjoys the role she plays in the numerous areas relating to the major portfolio in which she holds- Community Services. Given her background as a Registered Nurse, previous Councillor, Justice of the Peace, involvement in local community projects and various fundraising activities Fiona believes she is well suited to this role. In particular she is approachable, empathic, professional, understanding and seeks out the various needs of her community. Projects Fiona has been involved in through Council are:

* Water strategy for the future 2050
* Storm Water Harvesting scheme
* Planning and development of the New PCYC centre in Orange
* Spring Street Bridge
* Children's Memorial Garden
* Expansion of the Skate park
* Advocate for Icely and Ophir road users linking to Northern Distributor
* Youth Conference Orange
* Australian Rural Leadership Course- Vision Task needs assessment for families.
* Crime Prevention CCTV cameras
* Christmas Festival
* Chamber of Commerce representative for Council
* Disability services
* Mount Canobolas as a Tourist area
* Dragon Boats Orange

In 2004 Fiona was first elected as a Councillor with Orange City Council. After a busy time with election and campaigning against 77 other possible candidates. Fiona became the third female Councillor at Orange. Fiona is an extremely active Council member and some of the projects that she has driven or been involved in are:

  • Designing and building two BMX Tracks in Orange after establishing a partnership with organisations to provide funding in support (competitive and recreational)
  • Lobbying and building a recreational play area for children at Glenroi
  • Working with the community and other Councillors to have an Aboriginal Flag flown at the Council Chambers
  • Working with a committee and Youth to establish "Not just another Café" (NJAC)
  • Set up a Pilot Project with Police, Public School and Council to provide bikes and helmets so that bike riding could become part of the sport curriculum at no cost to students.
  • Lobbied for changes in phone directory, reduced speed on distributor road, better meeting times, shared space, and much more.
  • Been an active member in the Community Plan 2020 for Orange
  • Amongst many other things... Visit this site monthly to stay updated on what Fiona has been involved in with Council.

Fiona's objectives on council

Council Objectives (PDF File)

Orange Councillor and Candidate 2008 Election
Please find in this document the completed profile with full policy information and many other extras added in.

You Tube- Orange Electorate Fiona Rossiter Team H

Visit this new website Australian Family Matters


Saturday, June 16, 2007

Australian Local Government Women’s Association- Rockdale - 16 & 17th June


This was my first official meeting as a newly elected executive on the Australian Local Government Women's Association (ALGWA). After an extraordinary flight to Sydney in very poor weather I vowed I would never fly again. This was short lived though and a safe return was made a day later ( I have a huge fear of flying).

The meeting was held at Rockdale and the smell of fresh sea water gave it great appeal. The meeting we had was very productive and there was discussion about the next annual ALGWA forum being held at Rockdale. Further to that the group elected the representatives for each of the sub-groups which are: Conference Committee, Public Affairs/Communication and Governance. My preference was for the Public Affairs/Communication committee. We are looking forward to developing a presentation package in which we can use to meet with and speak at conferences encouraging more women to join ALGWA and also support and guide women wishing to enter politics.

Sponsorship from organisations are always welcome at ALGWA and in particular is a beneficial way to promote at the annual conferences. We welcome contact at our website ALGWA http://www.algwa.org.au/ to the President Sue Page.

We also discussed a Scholarships with stakeholders and will have updates on this in the near future. A Leadership program has been developed called "Work Life Balance" through the Local Government Learning Solutions http://www.lgsa.org.au/www/html/150-learning-solutions.asp I do recommend this course as I attended it last year, it was an opportunity to have a in depth look at yourself via workshops and identify where you can make changes as well as learning from others.

There was plenty more discussed at our meeting such as lobbying, budgeting at Councils for conference training for both Councillors and staff and of course strategies to increase membership numbers. Membership details are available on the web-site listed above.
A significant document worth viewing is the Review of the National Framework for Women in Local Government-The Way Forward. This document presents strategies that can be implemented at the three levels of Government to increase women's participation in Local Government. The document can be viewed at the ALGWA National web site

All executive members are passionate about their role and the commitment to encourage more women to politics. We hope you would consider this role!

Posted by Fiona at 4:01 PM

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