What a pleasure to see so many women throwing down the gauntlet for the upcoming council elections on October 22.
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Out of the 18 candidates trying their luck to represent the various wards of Hepburn Shire, seven are women.
Let’s hope this translates into a greater representation of women on Hepburn Shire Council.
The outgoing council had an embarrassingly low level of gender diversity, with only one female councillor – Birch ward’s Kate Redwood.
That ghastly number made Hepburn Shire one of the lowest councils in the state for female representations.
Unfortunately, female representation on councils statewide still has a way to go.
A Municipal Association of Victoria study showed only 35 per cent of Victorian councillors were females.
The 2012 November council elections resulted in all councils having at least one female councillor. However, 10 councils had only one female representative.
When you consider that women make up 50 per cent of our population, these results really weren’t good enough.
Ms Redwood has been speaking out publicly as early as February this year about the council’s gender problem, encouraging other women to step forward for October’s election.
Ms Redwood said she had been speaking with a number of “talented women” to stand for council. She was also hoping for contenders from diverse backgrounds, such as someone with a disability or with Dja Dja Wurrung heritage.
At least in Birch ward, women have picked up the gauntlet, and we now have the Neighbourhood Centre manager Fiona Robson standing, alongside Donna Kelly, editor of fortnightly news magazine, The Local.
Creswick ward was a wasted opportunity this year.
While incumbents Don Henderson and Greg May have done a good job over the past four years, the fact they will be re-elected unopposed is a shame for local democracy.
More than that, it was an opportunity for some female leaders in the Creswick community to stand up and make a difference at a local government level.
Creswick is a strong community with some incredibly talented women who would make excellent councillors. Let’s hope the 2020 council elections reflect that.
