- Published:
- Thursday 3 November 2016
The Andrews Labor Government has welcomed the increased number of women elected as councillors across Victoria as the first step of many to improve gender equality within local government.
All councils elected at least one woman, while 15 now have more women than men in the council chamber.
Today, 38.1 per cent of all councillors in Victoria are women, up from 33.9 per cent at the 2012 elections.
The Labor Government wants to see better female representation on council, and will continue to work to support more women to nominate ahead of the next council elections.
We have provided $50,000 towards the Victorian Local Governance Association’s GoWomen LG 2016 project to encourage women from a range of different cultural backgrounds, including Aboriginal women, to stand for council.
We’ve also introduced a Local Government Ministerial Roundtable to develop practical changes to lift the number of women in senior roles in the sector.
Victoria’s councils have had a significant refresh, with more than half the total vacancies state-wide filled by a new councillor.
Wangaratta and Brimbank have returned to democratically elected councils following years of administration.
These elections have also yielded one of the most diverse fields of councillors ever, with members of the LGBTI community elected and many councillors from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Local Government Natalie Hutchins
“Councils that have equal representation of women and men make better decisions because they are more representative and utilise the diverse range of skills and talents of their communities.”
“Victoria’s councils today are much more diverse and representative than they were in 2012, but we plan to do much more work before the next election to ensure our councils showcase equality.”