Veteran Moyne Shire candidate Jim Doukas wants to offer experience to council table

The 18-year stint has taught him that conservative financial management makes the council accounts "favourable" to attracting grants.

"We rely very heavily on grants, if you have sound financial management state and federal governments will look at you favorably," Cr Doukas said.

"When they offer grants they do it all of a sudden. You have to have enough money to back up the grant, and you have to have plans in the place that have a project shovel-ready."

He said while it was "nice to have grandiose ideas" he believed rural councils "need to keep on top of finances".

The beef farmer had a past career dairying which he retired from when he started as a councillor in 2002.

Cr Doukas also made a tilt at state politics as a Australian Country Party candidate in 2014 and 2018.

Maintaining assets like roads, halls and playgrounds are front of mind for him at council meetings, he said.

"If the asset is in good condition we have to maintain it, but if it's not we have to replace it and we have to replace it with something that is multi-purpose," Cr Doukas said.

"It needs to be replaced with something everyone in the community can have a benefit out of."

He is also concerned that the economic hit to follow the coronavirus could reach farmers in coming months and years.

"It will be interesting to see how much pressure the government put on the agricultural industry to try and get them out of debt," Cr Doukas said, adding that could include fee hikes for things like registrations.

He's also determined to ensure the council holds wind farms accountable for planning permits.

"I think if we need expert opinion on an issue with a permit we do have the rate money from the wind farms to hire these people, you don't have to hire them full-time, you hire them to get their opinion on the issue," Cr Doukas said.

Cr Doukas criticised council planning policy documentation as "inflexible" for farmers wanting multiple dwellings on their property, which he said restricted farm workforces.

"We need to discuss that document and make it more reflective of the wishes of the community ... Who's going to drive 50 to 60 kilometres to work every day when you can quite easily put them in a house on the property?"

He also believed he stood for all communities in the shire: "I have always made it a priority to represent and go to all".

"You know what I have done and how I operate."

Cr Doukas is one of 16 candidates contesting the Moyne Shire election, and the only resident standing from Mailors Flat.

Seven candidates are standing from the Port Fairy and Rosebrook area.

Koroit, Killarney, Mortlake, Panmure, Garvoc, Woolsthorpe, Pura Pura and Purnim each have one candidate standing.

READ more:

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.