Mayor Troy Pickard now touts Joondalup as the ‘capital of the north’

He said for the first five years of his now 10-year tenure, he used those exact words but not anymore.

“I don’t compare Joondalup to Perth,” he said.

“We are in a different market to the capital city of Perth and we are on the global stage.

“Our competition is in Asia and in Europe and in America, not in our own backyard so I now refer to Joondalup as the capital of the north.

“When we won the most liveable city award (for a city with a population of 150,000 to 400,000 at the United Nations-endorsed International Awards for Liveable Communities) in 2011, it was not only a significant event, it also changed the mindset of the council and the City.

“It gave us the confidence to project ourselves on to that global stage.

“We shifted away from thinking about WA and very much placed our mindset on the global stage to ensure we could position ourselves with the opportunities that lay ahead, particularly in the Asia Pacific region.

“I think we’ve actually got a kick-start on most cities in Australia, apart from the big capital cities, because we already have a head start in being in that global space and I think that’s probably what will project the City forward over the next decade.”

New marina crucial link to future

THE development of Ocean Reef Marina will play a role in the City of Joondalup’s next 10 years, Mayor Troy Pickard says.

“When you get a critical mass like Ocean Reef Marina and Hillarys Marina, you’ll start to see connectivity between the coast and the city centre,” he said.

“We’re a masterplan city and the forefathers did a great job in ensuring all the key elements of the city centre were present for the City of Joondalup but I wonder what the city centre would be like if it was on the western side of the freeway abutting the coast.

“Developments like Ocean Reef Marina and Hillarys Marina will create connectivity with the city centre.

“There’ll be the high frequency bus services and who knows, beyond the decade, there could be a light rail connecting those hubs into the city centre.”

City ‘will attract entrepreneurs’

EDUCATION and health will continue to play a role in the City of Joondalup’s future.

“Where we’ve positioned ourselves in the digital space will drive the next decade for the City of Joondalup, particularly leveraging the strengths of our health and education sectors and leveraging opportunities particularly for big businesses that want a progressive city to base themselves in,” Mayor Troy Pickard said.

“I think we’ll see our City become a magnet for entrepreneurs and start-ups. We’ve seen it already with companies like Seqta and Navitas that were born in our city centre and it will be those types of businesses that will flourish over the next decade.”

Clock is ticking on Pickard’s term

MAYOR Troy Pickard sees many things for the next 10 years of the City of Joondalup’s future, but himself still in the role is not one of them.

“I won’t be here in 10 years time,” he said.

“I think it would be fair to say I’m on the tail-end of my chapter as mayor.

“I believe politicians have use-by dates and I think I’ve played a role amongst other people in helping to refresh and position Joondalup to where it needs to be but there are many other people out there that have some great ideas and there are no doubt opportunities for them to put their fingerprints on the next chapter of Joondalup.

“As politicians, we need to realise when is the right time for us to create the opportunity for others.

“Whether that’s in two years time or six years time, who knows; I’ll be guided by my family.

“I don’t know what the future holds, I don’t know when it does.

“My absolute focus at the moment – I’ve got two years to serve in this current term, there’s a lot to do, there’s a lot happening and I’ll probably make a decision within the year as to whether I will seek a fourth term or call it a day.”

Also read: Sky’s the limit for Joondalup city centre .