In anticipation of October’s council elections, Alderman Helen Burnet (above) is tonight hosting an event encouraging more women to participate in local government.
“Women currently hold an average of 27% of positions in local government around the country,” says Alderman Burnet. “With three female aldermen to nine males, Hobart City Council falls just below that average.”
“This is a great shame for the community. The job of a politician is to represent the needs and desires of their constituency, and there’s a huge amount of insights and concerns that female representatives are more likely to be alive to than their male counterparts.”
The event is to be held in the stately Aldermen’s Room of Hobart Town Hall. Among those in attendance will be a number of seasoned female politicians and women who have risen to leadership roles in corporate and non-government organisations.
“The aim is to provide encouragement and practical advice for first time candidates and their supporters,” says Alderman Burnet, who has served on Hobart City Council since 2005. “It can be intimidating to enter what may seem like a very male domain, so an opportunity to talk to women who have achieved leadership positions could be very valuable.”
Although Burnet is a proud member of the Tasmanian Greens, she wants this soiree to cross party lines. “It’s important that this be a non-partisan event, because I think that whatever our side of politics, we can agree that our community is stronger when we have equality at a leadership level.”
“We need to be a part of that leadership team of the community: there’s quite clearly no reason to think that women are any less able than men to fulfil leadership roles, nor is there any excuse.”
For those wishing to attend, please RSVP to [email protected] or 0407 725 001
Allderman Helen Burnet
