Jacob Madsen’s family and friends have always joked with him that he will one day be Prime Minister.
“I wasn’t exactly putting those plans in place though,” the 27-year-old Ripley resident responded.
However, he is taking his first step on the ladder with a spot on the new Ipswich City Council.
Cr Madsen had never harboured such lofty political ambitions, even at a local level, until he decided to throw his name in the hat for the 2020 local government elections.
He has now emerged as one of the two successful candidates to represent Division 1 on council, joining former councillor Sheila Ireland.
“It’s actually pretty surreal to realise I have been elected,” he said after the ECQ declared results this week.
While he was not expecting such a strong result (19 per cent of the vote), his family and friends thought he would be a winner from the outset.
But it is perhaps not surprising given that Cr Madsen graduated from university with a Bachelor of Commerce and Arts, having majored in political science.
“I have always been interested in politics and economics … I thought I was going to be an accountant. But when I finished my degree, I knew that I didn’t want to be an accountant.”
Cr Madsen’s path to political life has been somewhat different, more recently being a stay-at-home dad with his five-year-old son while finishing his degree.
“I am really looking forward to the challenge,” he said.
Cr Madsen and fellow council newcomer Andrew Fechner, 26, are both younger than the previous youngest Ipswich councillor.
“In my opinion, it is one of the most definitive things to come out of this election: we were two of very few candidates under 30 and now are on council. That is a great sign for the future of the city and will hopefully encourage other young people to stand up in the future.”
He has lived his entire life in Ipswich, moving between the suburbs of North Ipswich, Wulkuraka, Walloon, Silkstone and now Ripley.
“I am really proud of my city. We have so many high-achievers across so many fields. It would be great to see Ipswich City Council recognised as one of the best-run councils in Australia.
“We just need to pull our socks up, there are certainly areas where we can improve and connect with the community. I look forward to being part of it.”
Read more
The COVID-19 piece left out going to the rubbish tip. I am delighted that is permissible because of personal circumstances but am delaying it as long as I can. My household has struck rigidly to the rules as set out; although some have been a bit vague and needed the fine print spelt out and magnified; which was and is expected in a time of crises where decisions have to be made on the run with (sometimes) not a lot of preliminary thought. I think the authorities have done and are doing a magnificent job, albeit some “rules” and “laws” fit into the overkill category. If we all cooperate, the result will bring less pain.