Four years on, he says nothing much has changed but he’s decided to put himself forward as a candidate because he wants to move the council forward.

Mr MacPhail said he wanted to play a part in getting the council working towards what should be its main goal, turning good ideas from residents into a reality.

As part of that goal, Mr MacPhail is campaigning for children to get free swimming lessons.

He said the idea sprang from local mothers telling him there were very few indoor activities for children in Warrnambool.

He said most children’s activities in Warrnambool were expensive or outdoor. 

If elected, he will lobby the state government to fund free swimming lessons for children.

Free swimming lessons would not only give young people something to do but would help save lives, he said.

While the move would add to the government’s budget, “you cannot put a cost on people’s lives,” Mr MacPhail said.

Taking a lead from a swimming program in the Northern Territory, he wants to offer vouchers with a set dollar value that can be redeemed for swimming lessons.

Mr MacPhail, who has worked in Warrnambool as a policeman for 14 years, is campaigning on many social issues that include providing transport for the elderly to help them get out of their homes and mix with others.

He is also campaigning for more activities for teenagers.

He said many teenagers were not getting a fair deal from society and were depressed.

He wants supervised youth clubs that would provide not only music but also sports instruction.

School bullies should also be taken out of schools and given home schooling to remove the problem, Mr MacPhail said.

He said family violence was the cause of many social problems.

He wants short-term crisis accommodation provided for male perpetrators of family violence to stop them returning home and continuing the violence. 

“The knowledge that he isn’t on the streets will cut down on the victims feeling sorry and letting him back in,” Mr MacPhail said.