NSW councils say the State Government has made no commitment to gender diversity in Local Government.

Local Government NSW (LGNSW) President Cr Keith Rhoades has called on the Government to support a significant long-term women’s development program to help improve diversity among councillors and mayors in NSW.

The call would have to be backed by State Government funding of $600,000 per year over an eight year period.

“Only 27% of councillors elected in the 2012 Local Government elections were women,” Cr Rhoades said.

“In that same year just 19% of NSW Mayors were women, and the proportion of female Council General Managers was even lower at 11%.

“Government is supposed to be about building a better future, and we need to start now.”

Cr Rhoades said he was deeply disappointed that the State Government had failed to formally respond to this - or indeed any of the Local Government sector’s election priorities.

“We provided these priorities to Government in December last year, so they’ve had ample time to respond,” he said.

“It’s very hard to see their failure to do so as anything other than arrogance and an open contempt for grassroots democracy.

“Ask former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman – contempt and complacency are not a good look for a Government, and certainly not on the eve of a State election.”

Cr Rhoades said the ALP had responded with the promise of a one-off $50,000 grant to the NSW Branch of the Australian Local Government Women’s Association, and the introduction of gender equity audits.

“That’s good news, but it needs to go further – we really need a substantive long-term program,” he said.

“We need to build momentum if we are to reach the point where women make up 50% of participants in the political decision-making process, reflecting their proportion of the population.

“LGNSW believes a long-term program could help build an equal, fair and representative future for our communities.

“It’s a crying shame that the Baird Government either doesn’t feel the same way, or just doesn’t care enough to comment.“