Northern Grampians Shire Council missed an opportunity to clarify its stand on gender equality by not signing the Victorian Government Women's Charter at the June meeting on Monday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Council, however, agreed to source additional information and discuss the matter further at the July meeting.
Of the 79 Victorian Councils, 74 have signed the Charter since it adoption, but a request by Women4Council NGSC member Veronica Monaghan during public question time, was unsuccessful, despite Crs Hyslop and Dempsey urging council to sign.
A council staff member advised the meeting that the matter had been discussed by councillors in 2018 and they had decided not to sign as council was already working on gender equality. No resolution was passed at the time.
The Victorian Government passed the Act in 2020 and it commenced in 2021.
Councils and other government organisations were encouraged to sign the Charter.
Cr Eddy Ostarcevic requested further information be sought on the Charter and the 74 councils who had signed and where the NGSC stood in its requirements as a statutory body.
Members of the W4C NGSC were in the gallery to hear the response to their question on why the NGSC had not signed.
President Prue MacAllister told the Stawell Times News she, along with other members present at the meeting were extremely disappointed in the outcome.
"It was an opportunity for council to confirm their commitment to gender equality in council and it was an opportunity missed," she said.
W4C NGSC invited Mayor Rob Haswell to attend several of its meetings and this matter was addressed from the gallery by Ms McAllister
Ms McAllister said the mayor had accepted an invitation to attend the W4C NGSC May meeting but cancelled due to an another appointment. She said the group changed the date of their meeting to accommodate the mayor but he cancelled that one also, she told council.
He accepted an invitation to attend the June meeting but later cancelled.
Ms McAllister said it was extremely frustrating for the members and asked the mayor to commit to meet with the members.
Mayor Haswell said he would take the request on notice and respond after he had the opportunity to do so appropriately.
In a local government election year and a commitment to increase women in council to 50 percent by the government, the spotlight has been on the NGSC gender equality commitment since Cr Lauren Dempsey publicly called out what she described as bad behaviour towards her by several of her fellow councillors.
She first went public with her claims in March this year and again in May through this publication and since then in other media.
Cr Dempsey said she had not attended the May council meeting due to the toxic environment but attended the June meeting.
Council voted in favour of adopting the Fair Access Policy at the May meeting.
Mayor Haswell told the Stawell Times News the issue raised by Cr Dempsey was a confidential matter and council would continue to address it appropriately.
