Mr Cockram is keen to see a voice on council for the outlying regions of Queanbeyan Palerang, to balance what could be a city heavy council.

“It’s really important for the outer areas, Bungendore, and even further out like Braidwood and villages, to maintain a presence on council, to alert the people who are more or less city-centric to the special needs of our region, and that of the small towns” says Mr Cockram.

He supported the 2016 amalgamation, which he believes was inevitable, but thinks its critical regional voices are heard on council.

Having sat on council between 2008 and 2016, he sees the role of councilor as being to steer the direction of the region.

“What we need councilors for is to set overall policy, to take direction from the community and to respond to areas where there’s a community need” says Mr Cockram. 

Renewable energy is one of the biggest areas of potential growth for the region, says Mr Cockram. He sees the field as a way to redress the imbalance between city and country in QPRC, coupling rural space for solar panels with urban demand for power.

As much as Mr Cockram is behind the Queanbeyan Palerang region’s joint future, he is concerned outlying areas will not get the voice they need in these elections. He urged Braidwood residents to make their vote count for a local representative, saying “vote your Braidwood candidates first otherwise we’re done for.”