The Andrews Labor Government today hosted the inaugural Local Government Ministerial Women’s Roundtable focused on practical changes to lift the number of women in senior roles in the sector.

Minister for Local Government Natalie Hutchins launched the Roundtable earlier this year as a forum for women in local government across Victoria to champion change and move towards greater gender equality.

Women account for the majority of staff at councils, but this is not reflected in Council Chambers or senior council management roles.

The Roundtable meets twice a year and advises government on strategies to increase the number of women at senior and executive levels within local government.

It is made up of every female council chief executive across the state along with other key people in the sector.

A record number of women have put their hands up for election this year – an increase of 1.4 per cent from the last election.

The Labor Government wants to see strong, proactive and diverse Victorian councils that are truly representative of the communities they serve, which means having more women in key positions.

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.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Local Government Natalie Hutchins

“Councils can only truly be representative of the communities they serve by having more female councillors and more women in senior positions.”

“I want to hear more about what we can do to create gender equality across local government and this Roundtable is a great way to make that happen.”