Geelong women asked to stand for election

ADVOCATES for gender parity in local government gathered on Friday last week to launch a campaign encouraging women to run for council in this year’s coming elections.

The Ask Her To Stand campaign strives to empower women to stand for election in October in the City of Greater Geelong’s 11 new wards, with the overall aim of achieving the Victorian government’s target for gender parity in local government.

The launch, held at Geelong’s City Hall, was attended by Greens MP Sarah Mansfield, Geelong councillors Melissa Cadwell and Elise Wilkinson, and Queenscliffe councillor Isabelle Tolhurst, along with members of the Empowering Women 50/50 x 2025 Network, an initiative of Women in Local Democracy (WILD).

The network was also represented at the launch by patron and Corangamite federal member Libby Coker, who urged local women to stand for election in October.

“Women bring unique perspective and invaluable experiences to the table and their participation in local elections is not just beneficial, it is essential for a truly representative democracy,” Ms Coker said.

“Communities thrive when women are empowered to lead. We need more women in local government to ensure that all voices are heard.”

Ms Coker said she was proud to be part of “the first federal government in Australian history with a majority of women parliamentarians” where their “voices and experiences” are helping to change public policy.

“Over recent years, the voices and experiences of women have helped change public perception and importantly, policies that provide better outcomes, not just for women but for our society.

“You can see, across every portfolio, this has made a difference.

“The experience and perspective of women and children is driving our actions on family and sexual violence law reform. The gender pay gap is at a record low, with the participation rate reaching a historic high.”

WILD convenor Jenny Wills said it was “good news for local democracy” and “very encouraging” that more women, including those from diverse backgrounds, were considering running for council in October.

The community will now have the opportunity to meet some of the women candidates standing for election this year at an event, hosted by WILD, at the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre on August 8.

The event’s keynote speakers will be Ms Coker and Western Victoria MP Gayle Tierney who will address the importance of women’s leadership and equal representation across all levels of government, and the actions being taken to achieve gender equality.

To register for the event, head to events.grlc.vic.gov.au/event/10877222