Community calls for women in Wingecarribee Council

With not a single female voice on the now-suspended council, there are renewed calls for more women to lead the Southern Highlands community.

Southern Highlands residents are demanding change in its leadership with a call for more female voices in the new Wingecarribee Shire Council.

With anger about sexual assault and harrassment against women rising around the country, there is a growing chorus for more women in leadership roles in the region as the current suspended council awaits the looming local government elections in September.

The Wingecarribee has historically been a male-dominated council, with only two female mayors and 11 female councillors since the council amalgamated more than 30 years ago.

The first female mayor of Wingecarribee Shire Council, Dr Sara Murray was elected in 1997, some 16 years after the amalgamation of the councils in 1981. Juliet Arkwright followed in her footsteps to become mayor in 2013.

Former Wingecarribee Shire Mayor Juliet Arkwright had a difficult time wearing the mayoral chains.

Former general manager Ann Prendergast left the council in the middle of last year, and councillors have since suggested that it was due to the work environment.

Former Wingecarribee Shire mayor Juliet Arkwright said the council was a battleground during her time as mayor.

“When I was mayor, the culture was a problem,” she said.

“Every attempt was made to destabilise my mayor position.”

She said that her “inconvenient” refusal to be compliant made her a target for the other councillors.

Ms Arkwright, who is now a political commentator, said the council environment was not inclusive or supportive.

Reports of dysfunction in the council have continued since Ms Arkwright was mayor in 2013. Mayor Duncan Gair said that he believed the “toxic culture” of the council deterred women who would otherwise be interested in running for election and he had seen the council’s current adversarial climate discourage women from participating.

“The requirements of council would need to change in terms of how we accommodate women,” he said.

Businesswoman Jane Crowley is running for Wingecarribee Council. Picture: Jennifer Harden, Regional Lifestyle

Businesswoman and council candidate Jane Crowley agrees the council needed to be more adaptable to attract different demographics.

She said the tradition of holding meetings on Wednesday afternoons excluded women with school aged children who could contribute so much to the community.

“I don’t believe the current council fosters active engagement from residents,” she said.

A spokesperson for the council said the council recognised that the current suspended council “lacked diversity”.

The spokesperson said the council had been considering a number of options to promote diversity within the council, including changing when the council meets.

“It is however, the councillors who determine the timing, frequency, and duration of council meetings,” the spokesperson said.

Council will also be hosting a workshop with Australian Local Government Women’s Association on May 22 to encourage women to become councillors.

A spokesperson for the Wingecarribee Council noted women are employed in Management, Team Leader, and Co-ordinator roles at the council.

The lack of women in local government is an issue all around Australia, but NSW is the worst performer, according to non-partisan organisation Women for Election.

Women for Election aims to inspire and equip more women to run for office in Australia by providing them with the information and tools they need to get elected.

They will be running workshops in April and May to educate regional women on how best to run for council.

The organisation notes that only 31 per cent of councillors in the state are women, despite the population’s gender split being roughly equal.

According to CEO Licia Heath, many women are looking to change that ratio by mobilising into leadership roles.

Women for Election CEO Licia Heath said their educational workshops were sold out last year due to high demand from women looking to step up in their communities. Picture: Women for Election

“There are already so many women leaders in our community, and it’s those people we want to see in our political chambers,” she said.

Ms Heath said it was time for women, many of whom are doing the unpaid and unrecognised work for community groups, to be more visible and influential.

“I see so many women in our communities doing nine tenths of what a good political representative should be doing,” she said.

“They’re making the communities better.”

Ms Heath said the importance of diversity in local government can’t be overstated.

“If you have a homogenous group of people, you get a homogeneous group of outcomes,” she said.

Ms Heath said she has seen a huge increase in the number of women from the Southern Highlands who are interested in attending election workshops.

“I sense that there’s a real fire in the bellies of women in the region,” she said.

An all female team is running on the Labor ticket and looking to make a difference. Picture: Jo-Ann Davidson

Most of the candidates who have already put up their hands to run for council are female, including an all-female team of five running on the Labor ticket. Led by Jo-Ann Davidson, they are women from both business and service backgrounds who are keen to diplomatically get the job done.

“We’re trying to bring a fresh change so there’s more collaboration and co-operation, rather than confrontation,” she said.

Another woman who has been vocal about her candidacy is Rachel Russell, who isn’t intimidated by the council’s “toxic” culture.

“I can hold my ground in extraordinary circumstances,” she said.

Ms Russell has been participating in local workshops and said she’s heard the community’s need for new faces in government.

“It’s been bad for so long on council,” Rachel said.

“People are ready for a change.”