Corangamite Shire made history when its new council was unveiled on Wednesday.
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Five of its seven newly-elected councillors are women, putting it ahead of almost every council in the state. Corangamite ties with Murrindindi and Maribrynong councils for the greatest female representation.
Councillor-elect Jo Beard said it was pleasing to see Corangamite lead the way.
“It just goes to show that women are feeling more empowered,” she said.
“It’s great for diversity and to have a balance and mix of experiences. It’s great that our communities are more concerned about what contributions can be made, no matter whether they are male or female.”
Ms Beard joined returning councillors Ruth Gstrein and Neil Trotter and newcomers Helen Durant, Bev McArthur, Lesley Brown and Simon Illingworth at the official announcement of election results in Camperdown.
Long-time central ward representative Ms Gstrein said she hoped Corangamite would continue its tradition of being a respected and cohesive council. She also acknowledged the efforts of retired councillors Chris O’Connor and Geoff Smith and paid tribute to Wayne Oakes and Peter Harkin, who missed out on a place at the council table.
“We’ll miss having them as part of our team but I’m sure the new team will go on to work hard for the shire, there’s a lot of hard decisions coming up,” she said.
Mr Illingworth, who claimed the coastal ward with 885 votes compared to Mr Harkin’s 443, said his predecessor had served the region well.
“I know the result was fairly resounding but I will say that is no indication of the job that he did,” he said.
“The elections that we have here weren’t this backstabbing scenario that are often blown out in all elections these days and I think it’s a wonderful credit to all of us that we don’t go down that track here.
“There are some major challenges for us all, starting very early in the piece, particularly down in the coastal ward and that is really what attracted me to running.
Ms McArthur said she felt proud to be elected.
“I’m sure there are lots of challenges ahead, not the least of which are our roads, and I’ll be making sure that we focus on those core responsibilities above all else. I look forward to ensuring we have a council that represents the best interest of all ratepayers.”
Mr Trotter said council would be “a different ball game” over the next four years. “If we can continue the good working relationship we’ve had in the past it should be very productive.”
Ms Durant said she was looking forward to working with her fellow councillors, staff and the community.
“I think we’ve got some really difficult decisions ahead of us, but I think the diversity of skills and experience that we have sitting around the table will mean we will make some really great decisions in the best interests of all our residents,” she said.
Ms Brown described her election to council as “a great honour”.
“I’m looking forward to working with my fellow councillors and other council staff and working through all the issues and decisions we need to make over the next four years,” she said.
Across the state, Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) figures show there has been a 4 per cent increase in female councillors voted in at the 2016 elections. This year, 38 per cent, or 243 councillors across Victoria are women.
Corangamite is one of 15 councils to have a majority of female councillors, joining Brimbank, Darebin, Greater Bendigo, Indigo, Macedon Ranges, Manningham, Maribyrnong, Melton, Moonee Valley, Murrindindi, Stonnington, Surf Coast, Whitehorse and Yarra.
Councillors will be officially sworn in and elect a mayor at a special meeting on Monday.
