Trailblazing Broome Shire president Desiree Male opens up on decision to take on top job in candid interview

The first female to ever lead the Shire of Broome has opened up on her strenuous decision to step up into the top council job earlier this year, describing it as one of the toughest choices she has ever made in her life. Desiree Male etched her name into the history books when she was elected president in March, becoming the first woman to officially be in the position since the council’s inception. Although she had been an elected member for almost 14 years, taking on the job was not an easy decision for the trailblazer, who also owns and manages her own business, all while balancing being a mother to her four-year-old son. In her most candid interview since becoming president, Cr Male said she had not looked back since being appointed in March. “It was a very, very tough decision for me for where I’m at in life right now,” she said. “I have a four-year-old son, I run my own business and then adding running a shire on top of that was such a huge commitment that required so much thought, I definitely didn’t make my mind up overnight put it that way.” Cr Male said life had become a balancing act, but it was a juggle she was finally getting used to. “I would work more than 45 hours on Shire duties some weeks, plus I’m in the office for my business, Male and Co Accounting, for at least 30 hours every week,” she said. “I’m also not immune to the childcare crisis in Broome, so when my son finishes kindy I have to look after him between my commitments or find a friend who can mind him . . . I find myself having to make sacrifices on weekends to spend time with him. “It’s a balancing act doing three things that are very important to me all at once — and three things that I absolutely love doing.” Cr Male spent the six years before her new appointment as deputy under ex-president Harold Tracey, with the Broome-born pair overseeing the $29 million Chinatown Revitalisation project and $30m Town Beach Foreshore Redevelopment and were also pivotal in crime and safety initiatives, such as voluntary liquor restrictions across the town. Under Mr Tracey, the Shire in 2020 endorsed a business plan for the multi-million-dollar Cable Beach Foreshore Redevelopment, which is currently awaiting government funding. Cr Male said the momentum she and Mr Tracey had gained was the driving factor in her stepping up as president. “I worked so closely under Harold and I know we had gained so much traction with things we were fighting for and I wanted to see these projects through to the finish,” she said. “We had some really big wins on the board during our time together and I want to be a part on the rest of our goals coming into fruition, with the CBFR at the top of that list. “We have also placed a huge emphasis on crime, safety and other issues such as housing and I just felt it was such a pivotal time for Broome that I had to keep going.” Cr Male hails from generations of Broome Shire leaders, but said she felt honoured to have her own distinction as the first woman to ever officially lead the council, with female elected members only having previously stepped into acting roles. “There is an element of this job that must be in my blood, with my family generations that have been on the shire,” she said. “But it is such an honour and priviledge to be the first female and I’m lucky to have sat on so many balanced councils in the past, in terms of men and women. Cr Male said she had been overwhelmed with support in her first few months in the top job. “I’m always so honoured and humbled by the Broome community, it’s really enlightening to be living in a place that shows you so much support like that,” she said. Mr Tracey stepped down as Shire president in February for family reasons, but has remained on as an ordinary councillor until his term expires in 2025. The public will vote directly for the Shire president position this October, following new government legislation.