Gympie Deputy Mayor Dolly Jensen headed to Women Unlimited Summit to talk gender equity

Gympie’s Deputy Mayor has championed women’s rights for decades, and will be joining a huge panel summit in Brisbane alongside Hillary Clinton, Julia Gillard and Leigh Sales to talk gender equity.

Gympie Deputy Mayor and Australian Local Government Women’s Association’s Queensland president Dolly Jensen joins Leigh Sales, Hillary Clinton and Julia Gillard at Brisbane summit talk.

Gympie Deputy Mayor Dolly Jensen will join some of the world’s most accomplished women at a summit in Brisbane later this year.

Ms Jensen will be in the renowned company of former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, ex-Prime Minister Julia Gillard and ABC’s former 7.30 host Leigh Sales at the Women Unlimited summit from September 30 to October 1.

The latest summit is expected to be their biggest yet, with more than 3000 attendees across six cities.

The three keynote speakers will appear in person at some locations, and virtually at others.

Ms Jensen, who is also Queensland president of the Australian Local Government Women’s Association, will be discussing gender equity on day two of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre summit in a four-person panel at 9.45am on October 1.

Gympie Deputy Mayor Dolly Jensen said local governments are “a big boy’s club”.

Ms Jensen, who won the Emma Miller award in 2010 for her advocacy work, gave this publication a preview of what she will be discussing on the panel.

Local government “is a big boy’s club, an old boy’s club,” she said.

“Will there ever be gender parity? No, it’s not realistic.”

While a woman takes “six years out of the workforce to care for their child, technology changes every six minutes,” Ms Jensen said.

The ALGWA Queensland president said it was usually women who found themselves estranged returning to the workforce, while the husband had climbed the corporate ladder.

While men sometimes took on the “stay-at-home” role, it was mostly women that were marginalised in that respect, she said.

“Women are disadvantaged because we have a womb.”

This year’s Women Unlimited Summit is tipped to be their biggest yet. Picture: Women Unlimited Summit

Ms Jensen said among other services, ALGWA offered a hotline for women in local government that were “being bullied”.

She said while “they wouldn’t dare” be sexist within the Gympie Regional Council, women in other councils were leaving politics due to ingrained misogyny.

In that respect, “we are going backwards,” Ms Jensen said.

This is her first year in her role with ALGWA, and the proud Gympie local said she was excited to be among the two-day summit’s acclaimed speakers.

“To be number eight on the list, it’s amazing.”

Ms Jensen will be joined by Dr Terry Fitzsimmons from the Australian Gender Equity Council, Danielle McAllister of the Department of Housing and Public Works, and QUT professor Michael Flood.

She said the four had a meet and greet scheduled for next month, ahead of the summit.

“It’s two men, two women, so it should be a great discussion,” she said.

Originally published as Gympie Deputy Mayor Dolly Jensen headed to Women Unlimited Summit to talk gender equity