The Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA), in partnership with Greater Shepparton City Council and the Victorian Government, will hold a free Candidate Development Workshop in Shepparton in August, encouraging women in the Goulburn Valley to run for local government in the 2020 Council elections.
The workshop forms part of the Local Women Leading Change campaign, and will be held from 5.30pm-7.30pm on Thursday 27 August.
Due to the ever-changing COVID-19 situation, how the workshop will be delivered is currently undecided. The situation will continue to be assessed, and if it is safe to do so, the workshop will be held in the Greater Shepparton City Council Boardroom, 90 Welsford St. Otherwise, it will be delivered online.
All updates on the delivery of the workshop will be communicated.
For those interested in running for Council, the VLGA’s workshops provide strategies and key skills for managing your campaign, policy platforms, planning for success and connecting with community and convincing voters.
There are currently four women Councillors on Greater Shepparton City Council, Cr Shelley Sutton, Cr Fern Summer, Cr Kim O’Keeffe and Mayor Cr Seema Abdullah.
“Greater Shepparton women have a significant contribution to make to public life. Their connections to their community, their skills and their unique perspectives mean they are rich with potential to be great local councillors,” Greater Shepparton City Council CEO Peter Harriott said.
“Women make up 51 per cent of Victoria’s population – and they should make up more than 38 per cent of local government councillors in Victoria.
“It is critical that we continue to encourage local women from a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and abilities to run for local government.”
The campaign Local Women Leading Change recognises the important roles that women play in their communities, working with others to achieve positive change. The VLGA and Greater Shepparton City Council are attempting to connect women with the knowledge, skills and contacts to do that on a larger scale – as local government councillors.
Registrations for the Shepparton session are essential and must be made online by 14 August. Register here.
The VLGA is also currently providing free online Local Government 101 workshops for potential candidates, more information here or on the Local Women Leading Change Facebook page.
