Jan 32 min read

Diverse Voices For Women’s Ku-Ring-Gai Committee

Ku-ring-gai Council seeks women from diverse backgrounds to join its Women’s Advisory Committee in 2024.

Ku-ring-gai Women's Advisory Committee meeting

About the Ku-ring-gai Women's Advisory Committee

The committee is to advise Council on local issues affecting women and will ideally be drawn from a range of residents, including young women and those with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Indigenous heritage and/or LGBTQI interests.

Professional and business women, advocates from women's organisations and specialists in women's health and wellbeing are also strongly encouraged to apply.

The committee will accept a maximum of 15 women and will be responsible for identifying and participating in projects, activities and opportunities that promote the inclusion of women in the Ku-ring-gai area. Additionally, where appropriate, it may also provide advice and feedback on Council's planning processes, events and policies to ensure its objectives and actions address issues affecting women.

Ku-ring-gai Women's Advisory Committee panel

Membership to the committee is voluntary and requires attendance at quarterly meetings to be chaired by the mayor or an appointed councillor.

Second Attempt

This is the second attempt that Council has made to form a Women’s Advisory Committee; after Council fielded applications in 2022, then Mayor Jeff Pettett moved to reduce the number of committee members from 15 to 10 and replace these community volunteers with sitting councillors, seven of whom were men. Council then voted to dissolve the committee, despite strong support from current Deputy Mayor Christine Kay, and it was replaced by two public forums.

The dissolution of the committee did not go unnoticed, with coverage in the North Shore Times calling it a “political stoush”. Ku-ring-gai businesswoman and former local government candidate Adrienne McLean began a petition to reinstate the committee and was vocal about the need for one, stating a committee had the advantage of leadership and focused advocacy over forums, which were largely talkfests.

At its November 2023 meeting, Council once again voted to form a Women’s Advisory Committee and applications are now open.

Applications close at 5pm on Friday 12 January 2024 and successful applicants will be informed in time for the first meeting, to be held by March 2024.

More details can be found at krg.nsw.gov.au/womensadvisory