In 2008, a diverse group of industry leaders met to chart a way forward for women in Local Government in Australia.
It was clear that women were underutilised in Local Government both at a political and management level.
Given that councils were facing significant pressures to find the right people to take on the challenges facing the industry, there had to be a way to promote women as an integral part of the solution to this dilemma.
The unanimous agreement of all involved was that the vehicle to start this promotion was the Year of Women in Local Government 2010 (YoWiLG 2010). This would highlight the benefits that women bring to the industry, including the great balance that would be achieved in the process.
YoWiLG 2010 was aimed at raising awareness of the significant roles played by women and highlighting the benefits of Local Government being an employer of choice.
Here are some of the highlights of YOWILG 2010:
- a national Steering Committee (NSC) was
set up to coordinate the Year of Women in Local
Government 2010 at a national level - the year was launched in January 2010 at the
City of Sydney by then Federal Minister for
Local Government Anthony Albanese - the NSC chose 21 Ambassadors from across
Australia to promote Local Government in
their respective States and Territories and, where
the opportunity provided, on the national stage - the Local Government and Planning Ministers
Council (LGPMC) endorsed both the YoWiLG
2010 and the Australian Local Government
Women’s Association (ALGWA) 50:50 Vision –
Councils for Gender Equity Program - LGPMC also endorsed targets to increase the
participation of women at decision making
levels in Local Government - the Federal Government provided $490,000
funding to support a range of programs in 2010
and beyond - a dedicated website – lgwomen2010.org.au was
developed and launched - a partners program for councils to participate
with the NSC to roll out YoWiLG 2010 was
established. Around 120 partners signed on
and contributed over $130,000 in cash and in
kind support - a significant number of councils developed their
own gender diversity strategies – examples of
these are highlighted throughout this feature - a range of programs and events were run in each
State with councils, Local Government
Managers Australia (LGMA) branches,
ALGWA, Local Government Associations and
State departments being part of the promotion
of women in Local Government - Through the LGMA Management Challenge,
a gender equity survey was carried out by
128 councils in Australia and New Zealand and
an outcomes summary was produced and made
available to the sector - a series of activities focused on YoWiLG
2010 were held at the LGMA National
Congress, the Australian Local Government
Association (ALGA) National General
Assembly and ALGWA Conference - ALGWA’s 50:50 Vision program was launched
in June 2010. The first round of bronze award
winners was announced at the ALGWA
Conference in November 2010 - ALGA released the ‘Women in Politics’ booklet
at its National General Assembly in June 2010.
A number of Local Government elected
members were featured, some of which were
also YoWiLG Ambassadors - The Victorian Office of Women’s Policy funded
the Women’s Participation in Local Government
Coalition to undertake a 12 month project
to resource and encourage councils to adopt the
Victorian Local Government Women’s Charter
and implement a three by three action plan
looking to 2012 and beyond.
The YoWiLG 2010 was a big hit. It created a lot of involvement within the industry and attracted media attention on many occasions across Australia.
It has created the necessary momentum to carry it forward into 2011 and beyond.
The 50:50 Vision program and the LGPMC strategies provide the vehicle to achieve this.
Gender diversity will be an important issue in Local Government in the coming year and will be a significant part of a wider diversity strategy for Local Government.
If we are going to develop our communities in a way we and they desire, then we need diverse and balanced elected bodies and workforces.
Women will play a significant role in the future of Local Government and the Year of Women in Local Government 2010 was an ideal launching pad.
Ray Pincombe
Chair, Year of Women in Local Government National Steering Committee and CEO
City of Unley, South Australia
