Jamie Vogels to run for Corangamite Shire's Coastal Ward

Mr Vogels, 47, was born and raised in the shire and manages Scotts Dairies with his brother Andrew. He owns property in both the Coastal and South-West Wards and is the son of former Corangamite Mayor and Victorian MP John Vogels AM.

He said there was never a greater need for the community to come together and support each other to restore the local economy.

"Our Coastal Ward has suffered greatly from the pandemic and will need a strong voice at the council table," he said.

"I would like that opportunity and the chance to represent this community would not be taken for granted. Attracting business and investment is key.

"Supporting our businesses who depend on the tourism is a top priority, as is the health and wellbeing of our community as the full impact of this crisis continues to unfold.

"We need to be looking at how we can attract Australian visitors as international tourism is a long way off.

"We need to encourage people to spend money here with things like parking metres at the Twelve Apostles for example. We need to find a way to get our slice of the pie, for every tourist we have coming the area the money spent in the shire is really low, they bus in, leave a mess and council picks up the bill."

Mr Vogels and his wife Sheryn's son Ben attends Timboon P12 School. They live in Scotts Creek on a dairy farm - an industry Mr Vogels is heavily vested in.

"Supporting the advancement of agriculture in our community and listening to the needs of our farmers is paramount to our future," he said.

"Securing funding for local, state and federal roads, as always, is an issue that needs to be at the forefront of the council agenda.

"It's my view that we need a coherent and safe emergency plan in the event of bushfires, and it needs to be better communicated. There should be no confusion what community members do when a bushfire happens, we all need to know what to do and where to go."

Mr Vogels said the region needed to focus on a combination of fossil fuels and renewable energy in the future.

"I think we need a mix of both, Port Campbell is good for gas storage as well as storing renewables," he said.

"I'm all for a balance but at the same time renewables need to be made in Australia, they need to build wind turbines and solar panels here and create jobs in Australia."

He said the council needed to flex and adapt to the existing and emerging needs of the business community who were the lifeblood of the local economy.

"I'm also passionate about supporting our recreational facilities and sporting clubs, which play an integral role in the physical and mental wellbeing of our community," he said.

"But I'm also really keen to hear from community members about their priorities and how else I can play a role in improving the livability and economy of the Coastal Ward."

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