How local government GEAPs can support more women to stand for council

Research shows that councils with better gender balance make different policy decisions. They're more likely to invest in community services, public safety, and infrastructure that serves diverse needs. They're more likely to consider the gendered impacts of their decisions.

This is why the Victorian Government set a target for women to make up 50 per cent of councillors and mayors by 2025. Sadly, we didn’t meet this goal. More work is needed to ensure women are fairly represented on local councils across the state.

Of course, council staff must be impartial and cannot interfere in the election process. This means they can’t express support for, or platform particular candidates above others.

But local council CEOs and their staff can and should implement strategies to encourage women and gender diverse people to stand for election. We want councillors to reflect the communities they serve. Making sure the processes, systems and culture within the council are fair and inclusive will allow more diverse candidates to stand for election.

How GEAPs can improve women’s representation on local councils

‘Gender composition of governing bodies’ is one of 7 workplace gender equality indicators that duty holders must address in their GEAPs. In local government, the governing body is made up of elected councillors.

When duty holders submitted their first GEAPs in 2021, only a third of councils had strategies to support equal gender representation of councillors.

To be compliant, GEAPs must include at least one strategy for each indicator. This means that local councils need to include at least one strategy to address gender composition of their governing body.

GEAP strategies to improve gender representation on council can include:

• Engaging current councillors who are women or gender diverse to identify and address any challenges they have faced during their term.
• Considering how, when and where council meetings are run to mitigate barriers for particular groups. For example, avoiding school drop-off and pick-up times so that people with children can attend, or holding online meetings to allow greater flexibility. Also consider if the physical space and facilities meet diverse needs, such as accessibility, toilets and baby change or breastfeeding spaces.
• Establishing an advisory group to guide activities related to the goal of broadening women and diverse representation on council
• Holding several ‘Stand for Council’ sessions prior to elections at various times (during school hours, weekends etc) to allow for more people with caring responsibilities to attend
• Ensuring that speakers at ‘Stand for Council’ events reflect the diversity of the community
• Developing targeted council communications that promote the opportunity to stand for election, with diverse images of women (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women of different racial and cultural backgrounds, women with a disability, women of different sexual orientations, etc.) and gender diverse people.

Engaging in these activities does not amount to interference in the democratic process.

Why gender equality matters in local government

Councils deliver the services people rely on every day, including maternal and child health, libraries, aged care, community infrastructure, waste, and recreation.

Importantly, councils deliver services that women disproportionately use and rely on. Women are more likely to be primary carers for children and elderly relatives, more likely to use public transport, and more likely to access community health services.

This means council decisions about infrastructure, planning, and service delivery have direct and often gendered impacts.

Local government is the tier of government closest to the community. Councillors influence both their local council workforce and their community. When the people making decisions reflect the people they serve, we see more inclusive policies, more responsive services and stronger communities.

Local government is also often the first point of political participation for women. It's where many women begin their political journeys, building the skills and networks that can take them to state and federal levels.

Case study: City of Greater Geelong and WiLD

In Geelong, work to increase women’s council representation began may years ago. The council held a community forum on women in local government. This led to forming Women in Local Democracy (WiLD) in 2011.

WiLD’s 3-year strategy includes activities to engage with women well before they announce they will stand as candidates. City of Greater Geelong continues to work closely with WiLD to support more women and diverse candidates to stand.

One example of practical change at the council is a re-designed councillor’s lounge, allowing parents to bring their children with them while they work.

Read the full case study: More women standing for local government