Rain clouds over the Illawarra’s beautiful beaches didn’t cloud the Australian Local Government Women’s Association (ALGWA) NSW Conference held in Wollongong over the first weekend in May.
The event brought together over 100 Councillors and Council officers from across the state.
Titled ‘Leadership Adventure’ the focus of the event was on advocating, educating and supporting women both elected and employed in Local Government.
Attendees heard from a diverse range of speakers including Sam Mostyn, President of the Australian Council of International Development, Wendy Machin, Deputy President of NRMA and author and columnist Elizabeth Farrelly, as well as motivational speaker Clio Cresswell.
ALGWA NSW President Vicki Scott said that discussions ranged from the importance of women in leadership roles sponsoring women into key roles as well as encouraging women to take more risks and extend themselves when applying for positions.
“Education, personal development and smart trust were identified as being key elements for women in building a basis for better engagement with their communities and also as having positive flow on effects to their positions in Council.”
There was lively debate on the setting of quotas for boards, with the outcome of gender-neutral boards having the benefit of a balanced perspective.
“In the lead up to the 2016 NSW Council Elections I’d like to think this year’s conference as a positive platform for encouraging women to stand for the 2016 Local Government Election,” said Councillor Scott.
“We will be preparing an educational program for women across NSW who are interested in standing.”
Wollongong City Council Lord Mayor, Gordon Bradbery OAM said that hosting the conference was significant as it gave Wollongong Council an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to pursue opportunities for women in local government.
“We want to encourage women to apply for jobs at Council.
“On Wollongong Council, 5 out of our 13 Councillors are women, a statistic we’re very proud of.
“In the lead up to the 2016 elections I’d encourage any women who are thinking of standing for Council to do it.”
