Three south-west councillors discuss their journey into local government, push for gender equity

Moyne Shire councillor Karen Foster was joined by Corangamite Shire councillor Jo Beard and Warrnambool mayor Vicki Jellie on Wednesday to discuss women in local government.

Cr Foster - who is the shire's only female councillor - said achieving gender equity was "a numbers game".

"Certainly in my own experience, some very trusted advisers said to me at the start, 'a word of warning - don't play the gender card' and so I didn't for a while but a year in I thought it was time to (start that) because if not me, then who?" she said.

"It's a numbers game. The more of us who stand, the more of us who get in to decision-making spaces, the more we have a voice so that's the important part."

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She said women accounted for 51 per cent of residents but only attracted a small number of votes at the past council election.

"In Moyne for example, we had four or five women candidates and we attracted 16 per cent of the primary vote so that's a lot of women who were voting for men."

Former Moyne Shire councillor Jill Parker said it was time for change.

"The time now is so much different to the 12 or 14 years ago when I stood because of all the things around gender equity happening now," she said.

"I suggested I'd stand on a gender equity basis at one stage and I got held down by my supporters - 'don't do that, that's not right' whereas I think you could stand on gender equity now and be accepted for doing that because it is time."

The shire is one of the under-represented areas in the Women Leading Locally Fellowship Program. The initiative helps 60 women enter local government.

Cr Beard said Corangamite Shire was leading by example.

"For a long time it was only Ruth and I, and in the last two election cycles we've bucked the trend in Victoria by having a majority of female councillors."

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