Q: It's an unusual mayor and deputy mayor pairing. You're a Liberal Party member, and you have Councillor Belinda Coates of the Greens as deputy. Tell us about the dynamic of that.

BT: My attitude is we're people first and foremost and we're councillors second, and we all have our own interests, ideas and beliefs. In the end when it comes to council, I try and treat it that when I walk through the door, party politics is put aside and we put what is best for the city first.

Q: There are councillors who like to bash state government. That doesn't bode well for the city of Ballarat, given so much funding depends on state government?

BT: My attitude is: the politics side shouldn't come into it. My role and the council's role is to ensure that we're getting that money coming through to Ballarat and getting the best value out of that. I can't control individuals in the [council] chamber. It's probably one of the biggest challenges that we have to deal with as a collective group, how we manage the individuals.

Q: It was fairly clear [at the most recent council meeting] that there are significant tensions among the councillors. How are you going to manage that?

BT: For me, it's about building those relationships. We've worked well together for three years but we can always do better. Tensions always arise like in in any council and even in workplaces. It's just about managing them. [As mayor] you are representative of the council, but you are representing those other eight councillors. So I've got to be respectful of them. And, vice versa, that goes both ways.

Q: One of the big parts of your role is advocacy at state, federal, or local level. Samantha McIntosh was on a large number of boards not just here in Ballarat, but across the country. Are you going to carry on in those positions?

BT: I want to make sure that when we do these things, we're actually going to get value out of it. If some of these aren't offering that, then my opinion is let's not do it. I'd rather be here in Ballarat instead of flying around the countryside. That's where my focus is.

Q: Onto a really basic council issue: rates. Next year, what would you like to do? Are you going to push for the maximum limit? Or will you push council officers to look at efficiencies?

BT: This year Councillor [Amy] Johnson moved at the last-minute a motion for a zero rate increase and I supported her on that. I'd love to see rate relief. Why can't we try and look at reducing in some areas? We're a city that's growing, the revenue is increasing. Why isn't there an opportunity to at least review [increases]? I think it's worthwhile investigating.

Q: A recent Australian Financial Review opinion piece talked about local councils as one of the great overlooked inefficient bureaucracies in Australia. Do you have a view on that?

BT: Let's be honest, I think councils can do better. We've looked at areas where they can be savings. I think we're getting close to a point where it's difficult to trim but how can we get rid of red tape for people? How do we make it easy to do business with council? I think Ballarat has been quite good at trying to address that. As for state and federal governments: they are definitely not efficient. Bureaucracies in state and federal government are shocking. People have a go at local councils but local councils deliver, whether it's roads, rates, or rubbish. That's what we do on a day-to-day basis. Maybe we should be getting rid of upper house state government. Why do we need an extra layer of bureaucracy?

Q: You have been quite vocal that there's no way Ballarat is going to have six bins?

BT: It's bonkers to think six. If you live in units or a small townhouse in the middle of town, how the heck are you going to fit six bins? It's just not practical. If I can flip that on the head though: other countries do have mini sorting facilities with rubbish collections at the end of the street. You might actually have 10 bins that get collected once a week - all those different streams and it's already sorted. I think that has merit. Japan does it. So I think even some places in Europe do it. Why can't we start thinking differently about how we sort it?

Q: You have run for state MP a couple of times. Is this a springboard for another go?

BT: I've sprung. Those opportunities were fantastic. That campaign was amazing. I got to one and a half per cent, it was marginal. And then I gave it another crack, and got smashed. I'm still involved in the [Liberal] party wherever I can, but my family really suffered last time.

Q: Did you find the media scrutiny difficult?

BT: No, but the family did, if that makes sense. I coped, I can take it on the chin.

Q: There's a lot going on this last year, could I ask you to pick a project, an issue that means the most to you.

BT: I can't. We've got a council plan that we are coming to the end of and we've got to deliver. I've been pushing for a long time around the old sale yards. We've struggled a little bit with that from the council point of view/ officer point of view. I'm just saying: what are the roadblocks? Where are the red flags? How do we get on and deal with it? By the end of this term, we want the fences out, all the yards out the fences down and cleaned up?

There's money there in the budget for [Lake Wendouree] lights. We have got to deliver the project. What do we need to do to do it? My understanding is the scope's too big. We don't need it lit up like the MCG. We need it workable, we need it sensitive. Let's get that right.

Q: Is there a project that excites you the most?

BT: What I want is probably not going to happen in this next 12 months, [it's] probably 5-10 years away. I'm really passionate about a really vibrant CBD. We're getting there. We want activity. If you get the CBD right, you're getting the whole city right. Instead of people jumping on a train to Melbourne, why can't people in Melbourne come up to Ballarat and work? That's what I'd love to see.

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