NSW Local Government Welcomes Growing Number of Women Elected to Councils | Manning River Hours
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Communities across NSW can look forward to better and more representative local government following a dramatic increase in the number of women elected to councils, the sector’s highest body has said. MidCoast Council has four Councilors, including a new Councilor. These include Claire Pontin, Katheryn Smith, Kathryn Bell and Dheera Smith. New South Wales Local Government (LGNSW) President Darriea Turley said women now made up 39.5% of all NSW councilors, a jump of 8.5% compared to the proportion of women elected in 2016/17. “The councils are the level of government closest to their communities, so to ensure that everyone has a voice it is important that they reflect the communities they represent,” she said. Related: Five New Representatives and Six Former Representatives Make Up MidCoast Council “The proportion of women on the board has stuck at between 27% and 31% for almost a decade, so making such great strides in just one election is definitely worth the effort. worth celebrating. This is an excellent result of the local elections on December 4, and it is gratifying to see the result of the hard work of LGNSW, the Australian Local Government Women’s Association (ALGWA) and the New Wales Government of Australia. South. “Some 69 of the 124 councils that have held elections in NSW now have more women on the council than in previous terms.” A staggering 27 councils actually have a female majority, almost three times the number we saw in the last term of the board. “said Cr Turley. The result follows a focused effort to stimulate board diversity, with LGNSW and ALGWA offering mentoring services and a range of development programs providing practical leadership information and tools and techniques. of successful political campaigns. “One example is LGNSW’s Leadership for Aspiring Women program, but there is a wide range of continuing professional development programs designed to enhance board diversity at elected and professional level,” she said. . 200 participants also helped give women the means to run for local elections. “Surveys have shown that 98 percent of attendees found the workshops useful, and 67 percent said they were more likely to show up to the board because of their attendance. Cr Turley said another important contribution to the higher proportion of female council candidates was the introduction of a retirement pension for mayors and councilors, aligning them with the rest of the Australian workforce. . “The lack of retirement pensions for councilors has been a real drag on running for council, especially for women, and I am proud that LGNSW has helped put our elected representatives on an equal footing with others. workers, ”she said. “Likewise, our advocacy has helped secure child care for counselors, as the former minister announced at LGNSW’s International Women’s Day luncheon last year.” These reforms are all aimed at remove barriers to community service, so NSW communities benefit from counseling that truly represents them and their needs. ” Did you know ? Manning River Times online subscribers not only have 24/7 access to local and national news, sports, news and entertainment – they also have access to our print editions in digital format, with all announcements and classifieds at your fingertips.
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Communities across NSW can look forward to better and more representative local government following a dramatic increase in the number of women elected to councils, the sector’s highest body has said.
MidCoast Council has four Councilors, including a new Councilor.
These include Claire Pontin, Katheryn Smith, Kathryn Bell and Dheera Smith.
New South Wales Local Government (LGNSW) President Darriea Turley said women now made up 39.5% of all NSW councilors, a jump of 8.5% compared to the proportion of women elected in 2016/17.
“The councils are the level of government closest to their communities, so to ensure that everyone has a voice it is important that they reflect the communities they represent,” she said.
“The proportion of women on the board has stuck at between 27 and 31 percent for almost a decade, so making such great strides in one election is well worth celebrating.
“This is a great result of the December 4th local election, and it is gratifying to see the result of the hard work being done by LGNSW, the Australian Local Government Women’s Association (ALGWA) and the NSW government.
“Some 69 of the 124 councils that have held elections in NSW now have more women on the council than in previous terms.
“An impressive number of 27 boards actually have a female majority, almost three times the number we saw in the last term of the board.”
Cr Turley said the result follows a focused effort to boost board diversity, with LGNSW and ALGWA offering mentoring services and a range of development programs providing practical leadership information and campaigning tools and techniques. successful policies.
“One example is LGNSW’s Leadership for Aspiring Women program, but there is a wide range of continuing professional development programs designed to enhance board diversity at the elected and professional level,” she said.
“The tremendous work of ALGWA NSW and President Cassandra Coleman, in organizing 29 forums across NSW last year with over 200 participants, has also helped empower women to run in local elections.
“Surveys have shown that 98 percent of attendees found the workshops useful, and 67 percent said they were more likely to show up to the board because of their attendance.
Cr Turley said another important contribution to the higher proportion of female council candidates was the introduction of a retirement pension for mayors and councilors, aligning them with the rest of the Australian workforce. .
“The lack of retirement pensions for councilors has been a real drag on running for council, especially for women, and I am proud that LGNSW has helped put our elected representatives on an equal footing with others. workers, ”she said.
“Likewise, our advocacy has helped secure child care for the counselors, as the former minister announced at LGNSW’s International Women’s Day luncheon last year.
“These reforms are all aimed at removing barriers to community service, so that communities in NSW have counseling that truly represents them and their needs.”
Did you know? Manning River Times Online Subscribers Not only do they have 24/7 access to local and national news, sports, news and entertainment – they also have access to our print editions in digital format, with all the advertisements and classifieds close at hand tomorrow.
