Council representatives from across the state gathered in Sydney today for Local Government NSW’s (LGNSW) International Women’s Day event.
Mayor Darcy Byrne, President of LGNSW, said the event was an excellent opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the role of women in the local government sector across NSW.
Addressing Mayors, Councillors and council staff, Mayor Byrne said while there had been gains in female representation on councils across the state, there was still much more work to be done.
“At present, we’re tracking at about 41 per cent female representation on our elected councils in NSW,” said Mayor Byrne.
“While it’s pleasing to see this is up slightly from 39% at the 2021 election, it’s still behind our state counterparts who sit at 44 per cent across the Parliament,” he said.
“And down in Canberra, our federal colleagues are up at 49.6% – the closest to parity yet. So, it’s absolutely an area where local government is shamefully lagging behind,” he said.
Mayor Byrne pointed to concerns over appropriate remuneration for Mayors and Councillors as a contributing factor to the under representation.
“We simply have to get the pay right for Mayors and Councillors if we want genuine diversity in our council chambers,” he said.
“This year’s theme of International Women’s Day is “balancing the scales”, and I reckon increasing representation in local government is a pretty good place to start,” Mayor Byrne said.
The keynote speaker at the LGNSW event was Kerri Pottharst OAM OLY, three-time Olympian and gold medallist, author, and sports commentator.
Mayor Byrne thanked her for attending the luncheon, saying that she and other female athletes had opened doors and opportunities to young women that simply did not seem possible just a generation or two ago.
“You have truly changed our landscape,” Mayor Byrne told the athlete. “Not just the physical landscape when you see the volleyball courts at almost every beach on the east coast of Australia, but the metaphorical landscape as our daughters and granddaughters embrace new opportunities,” he said.
