Cr Jan Farrell Ward: Beangala Portfolio for Democracy and Governance  Portfolio for Education and Youth   Telephone: 0437 103 035 Email: councillor@geelongcity.vic.gov.au Elected in November 2004, Cr Jan Farrell represents the Beangala Ward on the Bellarine Peninsula which includes the townships of St Leonards and Ocean Grove, the area of Point Lonsdale that lies west of Fellows Road, as well as the rural areas of Wallington and Mannerim. Cr Farrell is a bookkeeper and small business consultant and lives in Ocean Grove with her family, having made the "sea change" from Melbourne over seventeen years ago.

As a long term resident of Ocean Grove, she has been involved in a wide variety of community projects and has volunteered her time across a broad range of local groups and associations. Having experienced first-hand the joy of raising a family on the Bellarine Peninsula, Cr Farrell is keen to preserve the wonderful character of the area and is passionate about the unique identity of our wonderful coastal towns.

Cr Farrell holds the Council Portfolio for Democracy and Governance and the Portfolio for Education and Youth . She is a member of the following:

• Audit Advisory Committee 
• Graffiti Reference Group
• Geelong Drug Action Plan Committee
• Submissions Review Panel 
• Bellarine Multi Arts Facility (Potato Shed) Committee of Management - Chair
• Geelong Regional Library Corporation
• CEO Performance Review Committee
• Courthouse Youth Arts Centre Committee of Management
• Geelong Safety Committee

Cr Farrell is Council's delegate to the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) and also works with Victoria's other local government peak body, the Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA).  She is currently a member of the VLGA's  Women's Policy Working Group and the Local Government Working Group on Gambling (LGWOG), a state-wide committee that is active in the community campaign to reduce the numbers of electronic gaming machines across Victoria. 

Cr Farrell also demonstrates a strong commitment to the young people in the municipality by her support of youth activities and participation in youth forums and events. She regards the development and adoption of the "City of Greater Geelong Youth Stategy 2007-2011" one of the major achievements of her three years as a Councillor.

Another major achievement to date has been the securing of funding for the Bellarine Aquatic Centre, an indoor swimming pool at Ocean Grove which has been a long-held ambition of her local community. Thanks to considerable funding commitments by Council and the State government, the Bellarine Aquatic Centre is due for completion in November 2008.

Cr Farrell has a strong conviction that local government is about grass roots issues and that her most important role as a Councillor is to provide a two-way link between Council and the wider community.  Firstly, to consult with the community and engage them in the decision-making processes of Council and, secondly, to report back to the community regularly and keep them informed of Council's progress in that decision-making process.

At the request of local residents, the Council developed the "Bellarine Peninsula Strategic Plan 2006-2016" which consolidated existing land use policies and provided an integrated vision for the Bellarine Peninsula.  Cr Farrell was appointed the Chairperson of the Community Reference Group, which consisted of representatives from the towns and rural communities across the Peninsula.  The Reference Group provided a forum for community consultation and feedback and guided the Working Group in the development of the Plan which was adopted by Council in June 2006.