WILLIAMSTOWN resident and Victoria's first female premier, Joan Kirner, has backed a statewide push for more women in local government.
At last week's meeting of Hobsons Bay Council, Altona Meadows councillor Luba Grigorovitch called for figures on the number of female councillors - past and present - and female council employees in management positions.
The data will be collated by the Victorian Local Governance Association as it marks the Year of Women in Local Government.
Ms Kirner became premier in 1990 and after leaving Parliament in 1994 helped introduce minimum quotas for the number of female ALP candidates in winnable seats.
She also founded political network, EMILY's List Australia.
The former teacher and mother of three has had first-hand experience of sexism.
After marrying her husband Ron in 1960, Ms Kirner found she was no longer required as a full-time teacher.
"I had no idea that when you got married you couldn't remain a permanent staff member ... unlike my husband who was also a teacher - he got married, too."
While times have changed, Ms Kirner said the number of women in local government was still too low.
"It's very worrying that the figures aren't improving.
"There are a couple of issues: whether you could introduce affirmative action rules for local government and the second thing is, because so many woman have families and have two jobs, I think in many ways local government is the most onerous form of government because you're available all the time.
"It's very challenging to fit in family and work, and I think some of the attitudes are that women really should do what the blokes decide rather than be full participants in the decision-making process."
Ms Kirner said that, unlike married men, most women "don't have wives at home".
Cr Grigorovitch, 24, is the youngest woman elected to Hobsons Bay Council.
"At the end of the day, we are in a man's world. We're quite dominated by men," she said.
"I'd like to establish a women's group here to tap into the females because there are so many talented women in Hobsons Bay and we just don't utilise their skills," she said.
"I'd like to establish a network across the municipality.
"Joan is an inspiration, I think being the first female premier, even through to the fact that today she takes the time to speak to the younger generation - myself and others."
Cr Angela Altair, who was Australia's first Maltese-born female mayor, is among three women to have served as mayor in Hobsons Bay.
"I understand that the ratio of senior officers continues to rise and we see increasingly that there's a number of very competent women CEOs across our sector, and indeed we're proud to say that one of our directors recently has taken an appointment as CEO of the Shire of Baw Baw," she said.
MEN STILL DOMINATE
HOBSONS Bay has had eight male mayors.
They include Bill Baarini, who served three terms, and Brad Matheson and Carl Marsich, who both served two.
Three women have been mayor in the municipality.
Females in management positions include one director, seven managers and 22 co-ordinators. Among the men, there is the chief executive, four directors, 10 managers and 24 co-ordinators.
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