Brimbank women will be celebrated this week as part of International Women’s Day.
Brimbank council has the highest representation of women of any council in Victoria – seven of the 11 councillors are female, including mayor Margaret Giudice.
Cr Giudice said having the chance to lead such a council was a privilege.
“Brimbank council is a good example of how women can progress, challenge stereotypes and bias and forge positive visibility for women,” she said.
“Brimbank City Council is a leader in opportunities for all and I believe because of this we have attracted the best people to be elected as councillors.”
Cr Virginia Tachos said International Women’s Day – on Friday, March 8 – was a good chance to look back on the progress that has been made by women and look forward to the opportunities ahead.
“It’s an opportunity to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women, but also a time to reflect on how far we have come, where we are at and how far we still have to go,” she said.
She said she hoped young women would take note of the strong female presence on the council.
“I believe it reflects a very positive trend of women leading, both in their local communities and on local council,” she said.
“It is also sending a very positive and strong message to our younger women and girls that this council embraces gender equity and encourages and supports more women considering getting involved in leadership roles in their own communities and also running for council.”
Cr Lucinda Congreve said that despite much progress, more needed to be done to enhance opportunities and services available to women across Brimbank.
“The reason I decided to run for council was that I wanted to ensure that families and parents got a voice in important matters like maternal child health and parks and family spaces,” she said.
“Council has already started making positive change in this area with the introduction of council-funded lactation support for breastfeeding mothers and new families, but there is far more that can be achieved.
“Council has also now drawn its attention to female participation in sport and recognises the need for and are working towards some significant investment in this area.”
