The City of Greater Geelong prides itself on providing equal opportunities to everyone.
Some of the ways this is done is through holding educational programs and advocating for important causes.
One of the programs the City is proud to be promoting now is the Women Leading Locally program, which aims to address gender inequality in local government.
At the most recent City of Greater Geelong elections, 11 out of 39 candidates were female, or 28 per cent.
The City wants to encourage more female candidates, and it is hoped that the Women Leading Locally program will increase the number of women participating in local elections and help achieve the Victorian Government’s target of 50 per cent female mayors and councillors by 2025.
Some people will ask ‘why is this so important?’
For starters, representation matters.
It shows young girls and women that their voices matter.
But more than that, women’s leadership qualities transfer well into political office and our community benefits from having more women in council chambers.
The Women Leading Locally program will be delivered by the Institute of Community Directors Australia and will help women develop leadership skills, provide ongoing mentoring, and equip women with the knowledge and skills needed to run a successful local government campaign.
If you have uncertainties about whether you would be suited to holding a position on Council, I encourage women from all backgrounds and of all leadership experience levels to consider this program to find out if local government is for you.
Creating a culture of respect and equality starts by involving women in all decision making, from politics to business, and sporting clubs to media.
The Women Leading Locally will be held in Geelong from 5pm to 8pm on Wednesday, June 8.
There are 60 places available for the program’s first intake in 2022, with 120 places offered in total.
For more information, visit the localgovernment.vic.gov.au website.
