The state government’s draft Local Government Bill proposes a number of changes, one of which Corangamite Shire says will bring in gender equity requirements for senior staff.

Cr Simon Illingworth said “you cannot defeat discrimination with discrimination”.

“Is this century’s whipping boy going to be a generation X male that’s Caucasian with blue eyes? Each and every one of us must realise the only antidote to discrimination is actually merit,” he said.

“What do I say to my 10-year-old son who is Caucasian with blue eyes? Do I say, ‘listen son … work hard get your experience, go to university and hopefully you’ll fit into that category that doesn’t have a quota on it, if you want to work for local government’.

“What would you say as a young man, ‘what’s the point, dad? What is the point in me working, what is the point in me going to university? Which is the same feeling I dare say that discriminated people have had in the past.

“You cannot have discrimination on one hand and then it becomes equal, it doesn’t work that way.”

Crs Lesley Brown and Bev McArthur also spoke out against gender equity requirements. Cr Brown said it was important appointments were merit-based. Cr McArthur agreed.

“It’s absolutely incumbent on us to find the very best person for the task, and whether that’s a man or a woman, of whatever background… we have to get the best person to deliver the most cost-effective outcome for our ratepayers,” Cr McArthur said.

In its submission to the draft bill, the shire said requirements had to take into account rural councils.

“Gender equity requirements in workforce plans must have regard to rural councils where candidate pools for positions are limited. Merit based appointments to council positions are critical,” it states.

Corangamite Shire made history at its 2016 election, with five females elected out of the seven-member council, giving it the equal highest representation of any council in the state. Of the shire’s executive managers, three are male and one is female.

Life in local government is getting “tougher and tougher”, while new regulations could add thousands to councils’ bottom line and lead to less representation for ratepayers, Corangamite Shire fears.

In approving a submission to the draft Local Government Bill, councillors said some of the proposals took a “one-size fits all” approach, particularly when it came to changes that could do away with Corangamite’s ward structure.

Mayor Jo Beard said she was concerned about where local government was heading and that it would become harder to find people willing to put their hand up to take part.

“The impact from such a change as this is really quite concerning to me for the future,” she said.

“Unless you’ve got a real savvy political aspiration or you can bothered with all these impositions, I really don’t know where local government is going to end up and at what stage the local community stalwart or person who really cares… would want to stand up for local government and being on their local council having seen where it’s heading.

“It’s not very attractive to a lot of people and it’s only going to make what we do even more difficult.

​“What we’re having to see and deal with is certainly getting tougher and tougher.

“We want it to continue being that level of government that does great things for our communities.”

Councillor Helen Durant said despite one of the stated objectives of the local government act review being to “enable councils to drive reform across the state by being more autonomous”, the plan would add more regulation.

Cr Durant said her main concern was around the potential end to Corangamite’s current five-ward structure.

“The current system serves us well and ensures we have representation from all areas across the shire,” she said.

“If there is a change and we move to an unsubivided ward, certain parts of the shire, particularly those with smaller populations, could actually be under-represented or not represented anymore. I’m thinking particularly of the northern parts of the shire.” 

Deputy mayor Neil Trotter said by his calculations, the changes would cost Corangamite $100,000 per year.

“Many of the proposals outlined in the draft act are already policies at council,” he said.

“There seems to be a headlong rush to have this new act in place by the November election.

“The only imperative to rush through this legislation is a political one.”

Cr Ruth Gstrein said there should be more respect for the role of councils.

“I wish the state government would have more respect for local government. Yes, there are, in every organisation, there are some bad apples, but don’t taint the whole barrel because of one person or two or three people,” she said.

Cr Bev McArthur said the draft document was “incredibly subjective”.

“There’s a whole lot of feel-good words that could be interpreted any which-way you like. It’s all very well for the minister and this government to impose rules and regulations and criteria on this third tier of government while accepting none for themselves, except at the ballot box,” she said.

“This council is incredibly financially responsible… these sorts of impositions from state government add dramatically to our bottom line.”

Cr Lesley Brown said local government needed to be recognised as a genuine third tier of government.

Chief executive officer Andrew Mason said there were also concerns that the draft gives the Local Government Minister greater control over local government that would not necessarily be subject to a public or parliamentary process.