Ku-ring-gai Council’s women’s committee under scrutiny after women dropped, men appointed

A political stoush is brewing over a new council women’s advisory committee after the number of women serving on the group was slashed and replaced with 10 councillors, including seven men.

A political stoush is brewing over a new council women’s advisory committee after the number of women serving on the group was slashed and replaced with 10 elected councillors, including seven men.

Three Ku-ring-gai councillors are calling for a rewrite of the selection process of a newly formed ‘women’s advisory committee’ after a confidential session of a council meeting resulted in the number of women serving on the committee cut by one-third.

The idea for the committee was proposed by councillor Christine Kay to boost female participation in council policies, as well as identifying initiatives that promote the inclusion of women in the community.

A report by the council had recommended 15 women serve on the committee – in line with the makeup of similar women advisory committees in other councils such as Ryde and Lithgow.

But in a closed and confidential session of last month’s council meeting, a majority of councillors voted to cull the list to 10 and instead invite all 10 councillors to sit on the committee as members, including seven men.

Ku-ring-gai councillor Christine Kay has spoken out at the selection process.

Ku-ring-gai mayor Jeff Pettett.

While the candidate list has not been made public, the North Shore Times understands the list had included prominent business women and at least one female principal of a local school.

Cr Kay – a Liberal member who is also an executive member of the Australian Local Government Women’s Association – said having men serving on the committee would defeat its purpose.

The selection process was voted on during a closed session of a council meeting.

“To take five women out of the committee is bad enough but then to replace them with seven men does the exact opposite of what the committee was designed to achieve which is to give women a voice and empower them,” she said.

“There are issues that are female specific and it’s important women are able to discuss those issues in an open environment. If men are engrossed in the committee, the discussions may be less open, women may feel less confident and the contribution of men could have a limiting effect.

“At the end of the day why have a women’s committee at all? We’ve eliminated five community members’ voices because the group was supposedly too big yet we’ve invited all councillors to sit on the committee.

“All other council committees only have one or two councillors sitting as observers. Why should this committee be any different?”

A rescission motion has been tabled for the next council meeting.

The selection process comes after Ku-ring-gai mayor Jeff Pettett – who was one of seven councillors who supported reducing the number of women on the committee – put forward a mayoral minute at a council meeting in May to change committee guidelines so that non-member councillors may attend meetings as observers only.

The mayoral minute stated the committees were a forum “for community engagement and discussion – not politics” and “we can’t allow these meetings to become too large”.

Cr Pettett in a statement declined to say why he supported reducing the number of members, and did not respond to claims the decision was politically motivated.

“A number of aspects regarding the women’s committee were discussed by the council at the last meeting and put to the vote,” he said in the statement.

Jessica Matthews (right) from Ryde District Mums sits on Ryde Council’s women’s committee.

“The council is now focused on formalising its terms of reference and ensuring that this important committee is broadly representative of all women in Ku-ring-gai”.

Jessica Matthews, who runs the Ryde District Mums Facebook group and sits on Ryde Council’s all-female women’s committee, said full female representation was important.

“I believe it is important for the committee to be only women because it gives an opportunity for women to speak freely,” she said.

“Women might be of a cultural or diverse background who might not feel comfortable to speak in front of men for cultural reasons.

“It’s the same with Ryde District Mums, there are topics only women feel comfortable discussing with other women.”

Councillor Sam Ngai.

Ku-rin-gai Councillor Sam Ngai, who has backed the concerns by Cr Kay, is one of three councillors who have signed a rescission motion due to be discussed at the next council meeting in a move designed to reconsider the selection process.

“My personal view is that the more diversity of representation we have the better and it’s quite normal to have women to make up the majority membership of these committees to discuss women’s issues and promote women’s issues within the local government area,” he said.

“If I was invited to the committee I’d gladly attend, but wouldn’t force myself onto the committee in the place of a woman.”

A council report stated the committee had the potential to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women while accelerating progress and promotion of women’s rights in political, economic, and social fields.

The committee’s term of reference specifies members should be made up of women who represent women’s organisations, business and professional women, Indigenous women, women from CALD backgrounds, women under the age of 25 and individuals with specialist skills and professional interest in women’s health and wellbeing.