Irene Appointed to Governance Role
After three years as an Elected Member of Whyalla City Council, Irene Adair is looking forward to continuing to serve the Whyalla community in a different capacity, now taking on a role as a council employee.
Appointed as council’s Manager Governance, Irene will step down from her Elected Member role immediately (as per Section 54 (1)(j) of the Local Government Act) to manage council’s governance arrangements, which are critical to every aspect of council’s services to the community.
“The current group of Elected Members has been tremendous to work with – their diligence and passion for outcomes have been inspiring – and I’m looking forward to working with them as a council employee to continue to serve the community’s best interests,” Irene said.
“Although I’ll miss being a Councillor, I can look back fondly on my time and everything we achieved, including the construction and opening of our iconic jetty; engaging the community on our draft foreshore master plan; and helping strengthen the social and economic liveability of Whyalla.”
As well as serving the community as a Councillor, Irene has significant experience as a senior leader within the State Government, having been the Regional Manager for the South Australian Housing Authority (SAHA) for many years.
“It was an incredible honour and privilege to have worked with the SAHA team, community leaders and the individuals and families living in the Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Ceduna, Koonibba and Yalata communities,” Irene said.
“I’m proud to have led significant reform within the Housing and Homelessness service sector; bringing new housing development to each location; and supported communities across the state during emergency bushfire and state power outage responses.
A lifelong resident of Whyalla, Irene is looking forward to bringing her passion and commitment to the city to this new role, with both her councillor and SAHA roles providing the perfect preparation for this latest opportunity.
“I have always worked alongside council in my role with SAHA, and more recently as an Elected Member representing the entire community, so this new role will bring all of this experience together,” she said.
“I love this city and its people and believe we have an extremely exciting future, so I can’t wait to play my part in ensuring council capitalises on the numerous opportunities ahead.”
Council’s remaining Elected Members will be officially informed of Irene’s resignation at council’s October meeting. As per Section 6 (2)(b) of the Local Government (Elections) Act and Council’s Supplementary Elections Policy, a supplementary election is not required to be held to fill one vacant councillor position.