Weekly column from Council Courier e-newsletter by CEO Greg Hallam, Friday 29 April 2016.
This year’s council elections saw the number of female mayors jump from 12 to 16, a 33 per cent increase.
Lucky last to be confirmed in that number was Tanya Milligan (pictured left), who was elected mayor on 16 April at the tragically delayed Lockyer Valley elections. Beyond the mayoral result, women held their own in councillor ranks, with the overall percentage of women elected to that office staying remarkably similar to the 2012 outcome.
Overall, just under one third – or 32.5 percent – of all councillors in Queensland are women. In quite a few councils, women are in the majority.
Women mayor numbers reached their zenith in percentage and absolute terms in 2004, having risen gradually for the decade before that. The amalgamation election of 2008 saw their number cut in half and the situation improved only marginally in 2012. This election was different.
Ever so quietly we are seeing more female CEOs pop up, especially in indigenous councils. However, the most recent addition to female CEO ranks was Chris Murdoch (pictured right) at Livingstone Shire, that council’s first female chief executive.
Margaret de Wit has very quietly but firmly spent real time and political capital advancing the cause of women during her almost four years as LGAQ President. Women now are far better represented on LGAQ corporate boards with close to equal numbers of either sex holding those offices.
Speaking of the boss, she very clearly spelled out the LGAQ’s frustration and disappointment at the Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s off the cuff remarks this week about a potential change to the method of electing councils.
They can do want they want in their patch (within reason) but Margaret demanded full consultation before legislative change to voting methods was even contemplated in our sphere of government. The shot across the bow has been fired.
Finally this week the LGAQ’s trek across the state delivering Elected Member Updates (EMU) continued. We are well on target to break the magic million kilometres of travel visiting member councils again in 2016 – the third year in a row.