Council representatives from across the state have gathered in Sydney for Local Government NSW’s (LGNSW) International Women’s Day event.
LGNSW President and Inner West Council Mayor, Darcy Byrne said the event was a great opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the role of women in the local government sector across NSW.
Addressing Mayors, Councillors and council staff, President Byrne said while there had been gains in female representation on councils across the state, there was still much more work to be done.
“At present, we’re tracking at about 41% female representation on our elected councils in NSW,” he said.
“While it’s pleasing to see this is up slightly from 39% at the 2021 election, it’s still behind our state counterparts who sit at 44% across the Parliament.
“And down in Canberra, our Federal colleagues are up at 49.6% – the closest to parity yet. So, it’s absolutely an area where local government is shamefully lagging behind.”
President Byrne pointed to concerns over appropriate remuneration for Mayors and Councillors as a contributing factor to the under representation.
“We simply have to get the pay right for Mayors and Councillors if we want genuine diversity in our council chambers,” he said.
“This year’s theme of International Women’s Day is “balancing the scales”, and I reckon increasing representation in local government is a pretty good place to start,” Mayor Byrne said.
The keynote speaker at the LGNSW event was three-time Olympian and gold medallist, author, and sports commentator, Kerri Pottharst OAM OLY.
