It’s the small things that drive Division 3 Councillor Marnie Doyle in her second term as an Ipswich councillor.
“The last four years working within the community, alongside the community, helping the community has just been an amazing experience. Making the decision to run for another term was a natural progression for me,” Cr Doyle said.
Over her first four-year term, Cr Doyle championed the rebirth of Ipswich central through the Nicholas Street Precinct and a host of work to revitalise the city heart.
“So much work needed to be done within our CBD to bring it back to life,” Cr Doyle said.
“The moment our CBD loses importance and it’s not a place where people want to do business, it leaves our heritage buildings vulnerable and not amenable to adaptive reuse.
“It’s important for Ipswich’s identity as a beautiful heritage city. It’s also important to help steer the ship as we navigate our way through the Nicholas Street Precinct development and eventually taking those assets to market.”
Key Facts - Cr Doyle
- Councillor Doyle was born and raised in Ipswich and now resides in Sadliers Crossing.
- She is a St Mary’s old girl and holds a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws.
- Cr Doyle has undertaken extensive work on projects including open data, privacy and digital transformation – important issues in Australia with a direct impact on local government.
- Cr Doyle was appointed as a member of the Queensland Heritage Council in 2022.
Cr Doyle was elected to council in 2020 after a 25-year career as a banking and finance lawyer, bringing her wealth of experience to work on council’s major policy efforts.
Another key highlight for her first term was efforts to clean up the waste industry and improve compliance, with the council’s circular economy work a point of pride.
Being part of solutions for Ipswich in a difficult fiscal environment is a key driver for Cr Doyle, who is a lifelong Ipswich and Sadliers Crossing resident.
“My priority this term is working for the residents in each individual suburb to try and get them a tangible outcome or change,” Cr Doyle said.
“Something that makes a difference, and it might be as simple as beautifying or upgrading parks.
“It doesn’t have to be the big ticket items like kerb and channel or footpaths – it’s as simple as sprucing up a small patch of land that changes the visual amenity for residents. They’re very proud of their suburbs.
“It’s the small wins that I’m looking for.”
It’s these small wins that will help turn the dial. It’s not going to happen overnight, which can be frustrating, but being part of the solution is really important for me.
Division 3 at a glance
- Division 3 contains many of the central Ipswich suburbs and the Central Business District.
- As its suburbs are mostly well established, the amount of growth is limited when compared with other divisions.
- The division covers 68km2, with a population of 59,000
Ipswich City Council 2024-2028 Mayor and Councillors at the swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, 2 April 2024.