WOMEN IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT

WOMEN IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Page: 119

The Hon. PENNY SHARPE
(Parliamentary Secretary) [1.15 a.m.]: It is often said that local
government is about roads, rates and rubbish, but over recent decades it has
evolved to be so much more. Local councils are responsible for the look and feel
of our communities through our neighbourhoods and our town centres. They are on
the front line of maintaining and sustaining our built and natural environments.
Information is power, and through our local libraries local government is
sharing that power with anyone who walks in the door. Local councils are
responsible for tourism promotion and regional promotion, and contribute greatly
to the economic prosperity of local areas. Local councils support and celebrate
the diversity of our local communities through the design and use of public
spaces and through community events and cultural planning.

Local councils
provide support for our communities from childhood to old age. They can be the
difference between simply a place to live and a local community that feels
connected and safe. Local councils are also the engine room of innovation in
community consultation. A local council's greatest strength is in finding
solutions to local problems, and the problems that confront our communities need
every bit of help they can find. No stone should remain unturned. How can we
draw on all the available talents that exist within our communities to provide
local councils with the right mix of skills, talents and experiences to solve
these problems? I do not pretend to have all the answers, but a good start would
be to elect more women to local councils across the State.

Tonight I
speak about the Ministers' Awards for Women in Local Government. The awards were
established last year by the former Minister for Local Government and the
Minister for Women. The awards acknowledge the contribution of women to local
government in New South Wales. The awards celebrate not just the women who make
a significant contribution to local Government in New South Wales as elected
representatives, but also the women who work in our local councils across the
State as staff. Our local governments are integral to our local communities.
These awards recognise the input of women into our communities in making them
more responsive and more representative of our whole population. They highlight
the important work of talented individuals at a local government
level.

The awards also provide an opportunity to reflect more broadly on
the work of all women who contribute to our local governments and communities on
all levels. Just under two weeks ago, Anna Bligh became the first woman elected
Premier of an Australian State. It was only at the end of 2007 that Australia
had its first female Acting Prime Minister. I mention these things not just to
highlight the importance of Anna Bligh's victory but to highlight the
underrepresentation of women in politics, including in local government. As
members may be aware, I served as a councillor on Marrickville Council until
last year. During my time at Marrickville Council we had a woman general
manager. Having women in senior positions in local government is still,
unfortunately, very rare. Despite the fact that women make up about half of our
population, only 22 per cent of mayors and 27 per cent of local government
councillors are women, and only 5 per cent of general managers and 24 per cent
of senior staff in New South Wales councils are women. In 2009, these figures
are unacceptable.

I recognise that there are structural barriers that
prevent women from participating as elected representatives or at higher levels
of management. But I also acknowledge that councils and government have come a
long way in making local government environments more supportive towards women.
It is essential for us all to keep the goal of increasing women's participation
in local government as a key priority. That is why the Government's Joint
Ministerial Advisory Council on Women in Local Government is so important. The
advisory council will be overseeing the implementation of two action plans: to
increase women's representation among senior staff and as elected
representatives. I congratulate the Minister for Local Government and Minister
for Women for their dedication to this initiative.

It is fitting that
the Ministers' Awards for Women in Local Government were presented by the
Minister for Local Government and Minister for Women, two women who served as
councillors before entering this Parliament. Their experience gives a unique
perspective on the importance of women's participation in local Government and
is why they bring a personal commitment to developing initiatives to increase
women's participation in local government. I congratulate the 42 women who were
nominated for this year's awards. The two elected representatives who won the
awards were Councillor Tania Mihailuk, Mayor of Bankstown City Council, who
received the award for metropolitan elected representative for her community
leadership in multicultural relations, particularly the initiatives she
developed following the Cronulla riots; and Councillor Sue Whelan of Queanbeyan
City Council, who won the award for regional/rural elected representative for
her consistent contribution to local government and her community over a number
of years.

Ms Leanne Barnes, Group Manager, Customer Service and Community
Development, at Bega Valley Shire Council, in my duty electorate of Bega, won
the regional/rural staff member award for her sustained focus on reconciliation
in her community. Ms Penny Holloway, General Manager, North Sydney Council,
which serves another of my duty electorates in Willoughby, won the award for
metropolitan staff member for her efforts in the areas of the environment and
sustainability and for increasing the participation of women in local
government. I pass on my congratulations to those four outstanding women and I
also thank them. It is because of women like these, who dedicate themselves to
serving their local communities, that other women are inspired to stand for
election and strive for senior management roles. I know that without the
inspiration of women who came before me in local government, I would not have
taken that first step to seek election to council. I hope that these women,
recognised as winners of this year's Ministers' Awards for Women in Local
Government, will inspire many more young girls and women to serve their
communities. We will all be better for it.