The next local government elections will be held on September 4th 2021.
The Minister for Local Government and the Minister for Women has launched a campaign to encourage more women to stand for their community at the next local government elections.
“Currently, women represent just 31 per cent of all NSW councillors, which in 2020 is just not good enough,” Mrs Hancock said. “While we have made steps towards equality in other parts of society, the gender gap in local government is real and we can do better.
“To inspire a new generation of leaders, we’ve called on ten prominent women to share their passion for local government and encourage more women to make a difference to their community and run for council at the September 4 2021 elections. We’ve also secured $100,000 for a series of workshops and programs for potential female candidates.”
Lane Cove Councillors – Five Women
Lane Cove has nine councillors. Three councillors represent the Central, East and West Wards. Lane Cove currently has 5 women councillors – this is against the trend of male dominated local councils. The complete list of councillors can be viewed here.
Diversity
What Lane Cove does not have is diversity in ethnicity and age in our local councillors. It would be great to see some younger candidates. There is currently only one councillor, Andrew Zbik, who has young children.
Running For Council
You have just under one year to start your campaign. You don’t have to be a member of a political party to run for office. In fact, Lane Cove has a recent history of electing independent candidates. If you are interested in running for council, further details can be found here.
The NSW Government has partnered with Women for Election Australia to run a series of workshops to equip aspiring candidates to stand for election at the 2021 elections. Women for Election Australia CEO Licia Heath said a combination of face-to-face workshops and online webinars, will help address the barriers women face when they run for office.
“In particular, we’ll be focusing on running our workshops in regional NSW to encourage women, who are doing so much out in their community already, to consider doing that same work but as an elected member of their local council instead,” Ms Heath said. “Local government is a wonderful place to start your political career and is a role that provides an opportunity to do great things for your community.”
More information about the Election of Women to Local Government campaign including the videos can be found on the Office of Local Government website. Workshop details can be found on Women for Election Australia’s website.
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