Premier

Momentum Grows For More Women To Nominate For Council Elections

19 November 2015

The Andrews Labor Government is urging more women to consider nominating for next year’s local government elections across Victoria.

Speaking at the launch of the Victorian Local Governance Association’s (VLGA) GoWomenLG 2016 campaign, Minister for Women Fiona Richardson said that while the number of women in leadership roles in local councils had been slowly growing, women were still underrepresented.

Currently 35 per cent (217) of Victorian councillors and 18 per cent (14) of council chief executive officers are women.

In August, the Labor Government announced $50,000 in funding for the GoWomenLG 2016 Project, to build on the VLGA’s existing work and increase the diversity among female candidates in the 2016 general local government elections.

The funding will allow the GoWomenLG to partner with Oxfam and the Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Coalition, with a particular focus on encouraging Aboriginal women and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Services including mentoring and training will be offered to increase the capacity and confidence of women from all walks of life to stand for local council next year.

For more information, please visit www.gowomenlg.org.auExternal Link

Quotes attributable to Minister for Women Fiona Richardson

“There has been significant progress in increasing the number of women involved in local councils in Victoria. But we are not there yet - and we still have work to do.”“Improving the representation of women at the senior level in both the public and private sectors is a key priority for the Andrews Labor Government and one we work tirelessly to achieve.”

Reviewed 10 February 2021

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