Airport, bicentenary and trade regulation discussions on agenda as Greg Stocks puts hand up to be Albany mayor

Discussions about deregulated trading have been firmly put on the agenda by the first candidate to confirm he will campaign to become Albany’s next mayor later this year. Last week Dennis Wellington told councillors he would not seek a fourth term as mayor at October’s ordinary election, and he would also not be seeking to remain on the council. A week on from that announcement, Cr Greg Stocks is the first to declare he will be campaigning for the top job. He told the Advertiser this week he “thinks it’s just the right time” to give the community another opportunity to have its say on whether trading hours regulation need updating. “We’ve done two referendums and both of those, the community said they didn’t want it,” he said. “The demographic has probably changed a fair bit since the last referendum (in 2013) so I think it’s time to take it back to the community, because we’re a 20 per cent larger population than we were. “The whole retail landscape has changed. I’ll accept whatever the decision of the community is and I think we should take it back to them to ask ‘do you want it, or don’t you?’.” Cr Stocks has served on the council since 2011, and was deputy mayor from 2013-2021 before he decided to step away from the role. He said he believed he had the required level of experience to lead the council through what was expected to be a busy four years and to continue Mr Wellington’s good work. “When I was first elected to the City council we were on the front page in a negative way all the time,” Cr Stocks said. “Since then we’ve developed infrastructure, we’ve had some very good cohesive councils over the years, and they need leadership. “Dennis has been a very good leader, but he’s not going to be there and I think that I can ensure a steady hand and help make really good decisions around the city.” Cr Stocks said securing about $30 million to move forward with the Albany Airport master plan would be an important opportunity. He said a bigger airport would create more opportunities for Albany-based fly-in, fly-out workers and open up new international markets for the region’s fresh produce. “And hopefully get something like a weekly connection to the Eastern States,” he said. “If you don’t upgrade the airport, you can’t do any of that.” He also said now was the right time to lobby for upgrades to the region’s highways because of the “current situation of the State Government coffers”. He said South Coast Highway had the oldest road base in WA which made it dangerous because it was carrying trucks “twice the length and twice the weight” it was designed for, and he would also work with neighbouring local governments to advocate for more overtaking opportunities on Albany Highway. “If you live in Perth and you want to live in Darch or Two Rocks, the Government will build you a freeway all the way,” he said. “If you live in the country we should be afforded the same safety considerations about our transport routes.” Cr Stocks pointed to decisions about the future of Albany’s waste, childcare shortages, housing shortages and facility upgrades as other key areas that needed focus. He also said he expected further growth in Albany to be driven by the proposed Southdown magnetite project, which “I will be 100 per cent behind”. “That’s likely to mean 400 jobs drive-in, drive-out, and Albany will be the main centre for that,” he said. His final immediate focus will be on the 2026 bicentenary, “where we are going to need to talk to State and Federal politicians about funding”. “The bicentennial is when we’ll have to put our best foot forward,” Cr Stocks said. “If you look at all that, you go ‘you’re going to need an experienced hand to deal with what’s coming in the next four years’. I think I’m the best person to do it.”