Brisbane City Council votes against equal representation for women

Brisbane City Council has today voted down a proposal to commit to equal representation of men and women by 2024, during International Women’s Week.

Brisbane City Council has voted against committing to equal representation of women and men on its boards by 2024 during International Women’s Week.

Labor councillor Kara Cook (Morningside) made an urgency motion that the council “commits to at least 50 per cent of women on all Brisbane City Council boards by 2024” in Tuesday’s meeting.

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As councillors stood to vote a female LNP councillor called out: “so you need vaginas to be on boards?”

The motion was lost 20 votes against to seven in favour.

Cr Cook, the only woman on Labor’s five person team, read out the list of eleven members of the Urban Futures Board – all were men.

“That’s it. Not one woman,” she said.

Some other Brisbane boards fare better: the Inclusive Brisbane Board has six women and ten men, plus the divisional manager for Lifestyle and Community Services, who is presently a woman

Cr Kara Cook. Picture: Jono Searle

The Independent Design Advisory Panel has eight men and five women.

Cr Cook said now was the time to introduce the commitment, with International Women’s Day this Friday.

“We know there are plenty of women in this city with the skills and experience we need on these boards,” she said.

“We know we’re dealing with a systemic bias and must challenge the system by setting clear targets and meeting them.”

Only a few weeks ago, Labor spoke out against former LNP councillor Margaret de Wit being appointed to the South Bank Corporation Board, which the Lord Mayor raised after the motion lost.

“They had the opportunity to stand up and support a woman being appointed to the South Bank Board and they could not bring themselves to do it,” he said.

Aveo CEO Geoff Grady, Councillor Vicki Howard, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk (L-R).

“So that’s why I was surprised, a bit taken aback when that motion came before us today, I have to say.”

The Lord Mayor had earlier responded to a question on what he had done for women in the past year by saying he had appointed Cr Vicki Howard to the civic cabinet as Field Services chairman.

“We have in this place a situation where women form half the cabinet,” he said.

He also announced the new divisional manager of Lifestyle and Community services was a woman.

“That’s what I’ve done Cr Cumming, my question to you is what have you done,” he said.

Labor councillors called out they had “preselected women”.