Local Government Association to launch election campaign to get more women on to South Australian councils

WOMEN are increasingly nominating for council elections but fewer than a third of South Australian councillors are female, sparking a campaign to fix the gender gap.

Salisbury Mayor Gillian Aldridge would like to see more women in local government but said it was equally important to get candidates committed to their community.

WOMEN are increasingly nominating for council elections but fewer than a third of South Australian councillors are female sparking a renewed focus to address the gender gap.

The Local Government Association of SA will rollout targeted election promotion material with an “emphasis” on encouraging under-represented groups particularly women, culturally and ethnically diverse communities, Aboriginal people and young people to vote and run for council in the November elections.

LGA president Lorraine Rosenberg said the sector is still “not where it wants to be” in terms of diversity, but was tracking in the “right direction” with the number of women running for council increasing from 288 in 2000 to 381 at the 2014 poll.

LGA president Lorraine Rosenberg.

“Thee focus in the past has been on increasing the number of candidates. However, the sector has identified an opportunity to increase diversity in council chambers, and asked the LGA at our 2016 AGM to develop strategies to address this,” she said.

“A diverse council can better represent and advocate for the varied interests of different groups within its community.

“Diverse councils allow for the consideration of differing experiences and points of view, and ensure that there are not community voices missing from debate and decision making about local issues that are a part of our everyday.

“Ultimately we would like to see equality of gender representation in councils, but this is not a specific goal for this year’s election.”

Analysis by The Advertiser has found that 208 of the state’s 706 councillors — or 29 per cent of elected members — are women and just 12 out of the 69 council mayors are female.

Holdfast Bay Council, with eight female councillors and five male councillors, is the only council in which women hold the majority.

Wakefield, Ceduna, Elliston and Franklin Harbour councils have no female representation while major metropolitan council Unley has just one female councillor out of 12 members.

Ms Rosenberg, who is also Mayor of Onkaparinga Council, said common barriers to women nominating for council include the timing of council meetings and the amount of time needed to fulfil responsibilities of the role.

“We recognise that becoming a new council member might be intimidating for many people, as councils operate within a highly regulated environment under a State Government Act, and the LGA is developing a peer support program to build capacity within the sector,” she said.

Salisbury Mayor Gillian Aldridge, who has been on the council for 30 years and is in her 10th as Mayor, said it was important to have a balance of women on council as they can provide a different perspective on matters.

She said she would like to see more women in local government but said it was equally important to get the right people who are committed to their community.

“Let’s get people who are passionate and caring and not using it (council) as a stepping stone to get somewhere else,” she said.

GENDER SPLIT IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Councillors

Men - 499 (70.7%)

Women - 207 (29.1%)

Total - 706

Mayors

Men - 57 (82.6%)

Women - 12 (17.3%)

Total - 69

CEO

Men - 61 (88.5%)

Women - 8 (11.5%)

Total - 69