WHO I AM

Victor Harbor is at a turning point in its history. Over the next 25 years, our population could double. The decisions we make today will shape the region future generations will inherit. I am running for the City of Victor Harbor Council because I want to help shape those decisions.  

Like many people who live here, I chose Victor Harbor for a reason. My wife Alison and I moved here from Sydney in 2011. Returning to South Australia was partly for family reasons, but where we chose to live was a deliberate decision. We wanted somewhere close to the coast, within reach of Adelaide, with the services and lifestyle that we would likely require as we grew older. For us, Victor Harbor was the obvious choice.

Over the past 16 years, we've built our lives here and become deeply connected to the community. Through my involvement with organisations such as the Fleurieu Community Foundation, where I served as inaugural Chair, I have seen firsthand the vital role that local councils, community organisations, service clubs and volunteers play in creating a thriving community.

WHAT I’VE DONE

My career has taken me through business, government, the military, the arts and the community sector. I have held senior executive positions with Westpac, served on a range of boards, and worked as a strategic adviser. After recently stepping back from a range of board and government roles in Adelaide, I have the desire to contribute more directly to the local community. I believe my professional experience, along with my character-building 20 years in the military, should be an asset to the community.

Alongside my corporate career, I have more than a decade of hands-on small business experience. I established and operated a strategy and mentoring consultancy, Notus Advisory, from 2015 to 2025, and founded two film production businesses, Living Not Beige Films and Mess Productions, with the latter still operating. Since 2020, I have also been a partner in Immersive Light and Art (ILA), an Adelaide-based entertainment and hospitality business.

To learn more about my professional history, click here.

WHAT I’M STANDING FOR

Today, Victor Harbor faces both tremendous opportunities and significant challenges. Our population could grow from around 18,000 to 35,000 over the next 25 years. Growth will bring new investment, new residents and new opportunities, but it will also place increasing pressure on infrastructure, services and community facilities.

The question is not whether Victor Harbor will grow. The question is whether we can manage that growth in a way that protects the character, lifestyle and natural beauty that make this such a special place to live.

In conversations with local residents, two themes come up repeatedly. Firstly, rates are too high and the rates we do pay aren’t being spent wisely. Secondly, are infrastructure and services keeping pace with growth? Both issues come down to good governance, careful planning and a relentless focus on value for money. I believe we need a Council which has elected members who can manage the here and the now, as well as the future.

If elected, I will focus on ensuring council operates efficiently, productively and transparently, that growth is managed sustainably, and that Victor Harbor remains a place where people of all ages can live, work and thrive. I want to support local businesses, attract new jobs in the area, invest in the infrastructure and services our community needs, and help preserve the qualities that attracted so many of us here in the first place.

Victor Harbor has given my family a wonderful place to call home. I am standing for council because I want to help ensure it remains that way tomorrow and into the future.

I would love your vote in April.

Peter