Minister for Local Government, Marlene Kairouz released the Best Practice Guide for Gender Equity in Local Government earlier this year, providing a blueprint that that will continue to have relevancy for years to come.
Although 60 per cent of the administrative workforce in local councils are female, women only account for 34 per cent of director roles, 39 per cent of manager roles and only 19 per cent of Chief Executive Officers.
As the level of government closest to Victorians, it’s important that local governments reflect the makeup of the communities they serve – including women, young people, people with disabilities and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
The guide is supported by the Victorian Government’s gender equality strategy Safe and Strong, which aims to progressively change attitudes and behaviours, reduce violence against women and deliver gender equality.
As part of the strategy, the Victorian Government wants to achieve 50 per cent female councillors on local councils by 2025.
All councils are strongly encouraged to engage with the guide and share with their community examples of how they’re promoting gender equity both within their organisation and in the broader sector.