Written by Women for Election CEO, Licia Heath. Article originally published by Women’s Agenda on Tuesday, 9 January 2024.

This year presents an incredible opportunity to address gender equality in public office, with state and local government elections to be held across six states and territories, and a federal election on the horizon. This could be a watershed year in which we as a nation build upon what the Victorian Parliament achieved following a by-election in late 2023: gender parity.

It is, therefore, disheartening to learn that preselection of women for the Liberal Party, especially to contest safe or even winnable seats, is going backwards. It serves as a timely reminder that achieving gender equality in politics is never a ‘done deal’ and a single election cycle can undo hard-won gains. Should this preselection trend continue, 2024 will not be a watershed moment, but rather a backslide.

So, what’s really going on? And why is there a propensity to continue preselecting the same (overwhelmingly male) faces? The problem can be summed up in one word: MERIT.

Let’s be clear: in Australian political circles, MERIT is anything but meritorious. The term has previously been weaponised as a ‘dog whistle’ opposition whenever gender quotas aimed at increasing political diversity are raised.

For this reason, many women, on both sides of politics, have come to associate MERIT with a tongue-in-check acronym: Men Elected Regardless of Intellect or Talent. While it is not my desire to stir up a ‘battle of the sexes’ type debate, the reality is thus: in political circles, being assessed as meritorious is often shorthand for: male enough, straight enough, able-bodied enough, white enough and with a desire to maintain the status quo. In short, MERIT in politics is just that…political.

For this reason, Women for Election put MERIT in the bin years ago. Our laser focus is on finding women who exhibit CALIBRE, a more contemporary and meaningful acronym, namely: Community Aimed Leadership in Brave Representation of Everyone.

Across Australia, women exhibit CALIBRE every day in their communities; in paid positions but most frequently in volunteer positions. This lived experience ranges from chairing the regional business chamber, to being President of the school P&C, to forming a residents’ lobbying group to have local roads upgraded, and frankly outweighs someone who comes to politics via working as a staffer or trade unionist. 

CALIBRE, by its very definition, is inclusive of women from politically under-represented communities. Whether our candidates are from an economically disadvantaged background, from the queer community, or from the First Nations community, everyone can see themselves fitting within the company of CALIBRE.

Research consistently shows that diverse groups of people lead to better, more inclusive policy outcomes. It makes sense: take, for instance the recently announced Parliamentary Inquiry into Issues Related to Menopause and Perimenopause. Would such an Inquiry have been launched without the advocacy of female parliamentarians? I think not.

But here’s the rub: there are a set number of seats at our political tables in Australia. As I’ve previously written, if we are serious about achieving gender equality in politics, we need to acknowledge it is a zero-sum game. When a man steps out of politics, a woman needs to be pre-selected in his place. Period. If there’s no women of CALIBRE in the pipeline, call Women for Election – we can help!

The reality is that in embracing CALIBRE, and the political and societal windfalls that come with it, more women and others from politically underrepresented backgrounds will be elevated (ie. preselected) into winnable seats. At the same time, others will need to take a step back and acknowledge that diversity and representation in our political chambers is more important than their perceived ‘birthright’.

And so, while Women for Election cracks on with our important work of inspiring and equipping women with the tools to run for political office in 2024 and beyond, my hope is that the Liberal Party voting members, amongst others, will pre-select candidates not based on MERIT but rather on CALIBRE. Our nation will be the better for it.

Written by Women for Election CEO, Licia Heath. Article originally published by Women’s Agenda on Wednesday, 22 November. 

Irrespective of your political allegiances, Saturday’s by-election in the seat of Mulgrave represents a considerable win.

Why? Because Eden Foster’s election to the state’s Legislative Assembly marks a watershed moment for gender equality in Victorian state politics: for the first time EVER gender parity has been achieved across the Parliament (averaged across the upper and lower houses).

However, reporting on this major milestone has been absent. Is it because achieving gender equality in the Victorian Parliament is no longer newsworthy?

This is a success we should be shouting from the (metaphorical) rooftops. It’s also illustrative of how policy settings that place gender equity at the forefront of decision making provide an environment for women and girls to step into leadership positions, for the benefit of our communities.

In September 2022, Dr Niki Vincent spoke at a Women for Election event to discuss her role as Victoria’s first Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner. Dr Vincent was appointed in September 2020 and she discussed the advancements Victoria was making that is still eluding other states. These advancements are a direct result of Victoria implementing the Gender Equality Act 2020 and the recently established Commission plays a key leadership role in promoting gender equality in the Victorian community and workplaces.

Gender in politics will remain newsworthy as long as sexism in politics remains commonplace. Take, for instance, attacks levelled against Richmond Greens candidate Gabrielle de Vietri in 2022 for her use of ratepayer funded childcare whilst Mayor of Yarra. Such criticism would never be levelled at a male candidate.

What happened in Victoria on the weekend is a hard-won victory – exactly 100 years in the making – since state legislation was enacted enabling women to stand for parliament in Victoria.

In further good news, the recently announced establishment of a Chief Municipal Monitor,  with new powers to tackle poor councillor behaviour ahead of the 2024 local government elections, is a tangible improvement that promotes more women, or all backgrounds and lived experience, to engage in politics. Improve the culture, and women will join. With more women joining, the culture improves! It’s not lost on me that this decision was made by the Minister for Local Government, a woman in politics who wants to reduce barriers for future candidates. This positive feedback loop in making politics more accessible is something that Victorians should be proud of and it’s my hope that other States will follow Victoria’s lead. 

So when milestones are reached, we need to celebrate the wins loudly and proudly. Of equal importance is ensuring that we have a strong pipeline of politically-engaged women ready to run in the future. History shows us that a single election cycle can reverse hard-won gains when it comes to gender equality in politics. This is why Women for Election is proud to INSPIRE and EQUIP women across Victoria to run for public office – both through our partnership with the Women Leading Locally program and our new EQUIP: Power Edition course, coming to the state in 2024 (sign up to our mailing list for more information).

Congratulations Victoria. In my lifetime I hope we reach a stage where reporting on gender breakdowns of our parliaments and councils is genuinely, no longer newsworthy.

Written by Caitlin Crowley. Article originally published on The Country Caller website on Thursday, 5 October 2023.

Women in rural and regional communities who are already doing “nine-tenths” of what it takes to be a good politician, without getting paid for it, are among those being targeted by a new campaign to achieve gender equality in Australian politics.

Women for Election, a non-partisan educational organisation, is launching national candidate training program, EQUIP: Power Edition, in regional Queensland later this month ahead of next year’s local and state government elections.

CEO Licia Heath told the Caller many women in rural and remote communities already had the skills needed for public office, but were often reluctant to dive into the political process.

“It’s a very opaque process and what we’ve realised is the more transparent that we make the whole process from A to Z the more likely that particularly women are to step into it,” Heath said.

“Having trained over 3000 women in recent years, we’ve witnessed first-hand how many women effectively wield power positively in their communities.

“Typically in volunteer roles – which are very noble roles – but often they’re doing nine tenths of what a good political representative does, but in a volunteer capacity.

“Women for Election understands the barriers that exist for women to get elected and this program will demystify the process and address those barriers so you feel ready and capable to run for elected office.”

Independent Toowoomba candidate Suzie Holt (pictured above) said she completed some of Women for Election’s candidate courses before she ran for the seat of Groom in last year’s federal election.

Holt finished second behind the LNP’s Garth Hamilton, with 43 percent of the vote on a two-party preferred basis.

Holt said the courses were brilliant and were an “eye-opener” around what to expect when running for office.

“There is not a lot of information around and people are reticent to give you information, for whatever reason, I don’t know,” Holt said.

“I think that secrecy around it – what these courses do is open it up and start to get in the doors.

“Until this election, there really weren’t a lot of role models out there for women – there weren’t a lot of women in politics that you could talk to about what is involved in getting down to parliament, what does that mean, to get a team.”

Holt said she wanted to particularly encourage younger women to be “bold and brave” and consider representing their community, ahead of next year’s polls.

Women account for just 37 percent of local government councillors in Queensland and 31 percent of the state’s MPs.

“We still have a lot of work to do in particularly local government – there’s still a lot of male-only councils across the country and those male only councils exist in regional Australia only,” Licia Heath said.

“Something that was very obvious to Women for Election after the federal election – we had 43 of our alumni run in that election – is that there was a significant change in a lot of the suburban seats in the country but that there really was a gaping hole in terms of an increase in the number of candidates who ran in regional and remote Australia, and in terms of any sort of change of conversation in those electorates.

“Our sense is that women are hungry in those regions for us to come and visit them.”

Heath said that voters were increasingly looking to support female candidates and candidates from diverse backgrounds.

“So timing is everything – so if you’ve ever thought about it, I would really consider riding the wave that’s existing within Australia at the moment, because who knows if it’s going to be there in 10 years time.”

Written by Nick Newling. Article originally published on The Guardian website on Friday,
17 November 2023.

Almost every council in Australia has a gallery of “dead men”, says Licia Heath. In the Cairns regional council, the gallery of past mayors – overwhelmingly white and male – is in the civic reception room.

Underneath their gaze, a change is taking place. A group of Indigenous women and women from other culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are meeting to learn how to launch their own political campaign.

It’s one of a series of workshops being held around the country to nurture new political talent. The workshop which was held in Cairns in far-north Queensland on Thursday will be followed by two days in the Torres Strait.

Heath, the CEO of Women for Election, secured $5m in federal funding for the workshops, run in conjunction with Politics in Colour.

Women are underrepresented in all levels of government in Australia, making up just 44% of federal, 37% of state and 38% of local representatives. The numbers for culturally diverse female parliamentarians are even lower.

Kat Henaway, the founder of Politics in Colour and a facilitator of this week’s “leadership incubator” workshop, says it focused on “authentic representation”.

“I think that’s what women need to understand – they’re voting for you, because you’re turning up with all your authenticity,” Henaway says.

Michelle Deshong, who co-facilitated the workshop and is a former CEO of the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute, says the failure of the voice to parliament referendum was a turning point for many Indigenous women in deciding whether or not to run for public office.

“Right now one of the biggest questions as Indigenous people, and more importantly Indigenous women, is asking ourselves where we turn our focus,” she says. “The outcome of the referendum is really an opportunity for us to decide on our strategy to be in places of influence.”

Natasha Lane, an Indigenous woman who lives on Wulgurukaba country, attended the Cairns workshop because she is considering contesting the district of Thuringowa at the 2024 Queensland state election.

“I just got a passion after the referendum and thought how can I use my voice to make a difference in my community and speak up for the community,” Lane says.

She currently works as the managing director of not-for-profit Indigenous corporation Queensland Youth Connections, and is considering running on a platform of youth crime reform. “It’s time for politics to be authentic and actually answer to its communities,” Lane says.

Another participant, Stacee Ketchell, a Waikaid and Meuram woman and founder of local organisation Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good (DIYDG), says she wants to better understand how Indigenous people can work within non-Indigenous systems of government.

“There’s layers of complexities for women, women of colour, in politics which is a system that’s not reflective of, or built for, our people,” says Ketchell. “We all call this place home, we are all interconnected, we have so much to share and offer, and everyone has a responsibility to this country, to make it better for the next generation.”

Newly armed with a $5 million ‘Women in Public Office’ (WIPO) Commonwealth grant, Women for Election is launching its national candidate training program: EQUIP: Power Edition.

An enriched version of previous training workshops, this program will explain the political process, equip participants from a range of backgrounds with practical campaigning tools and build the confidence necessary to step into the political spotlight at all levels of government.

With strategic partners The Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at the Australian National University, Ruth McGowan Pty Ltd, Quantum Impact Group, the Australian Local Government Women’s Association and Politics in Colour, Women for Election will reach women across every state and territory in the next four years. The program is free and includes a focus on regional and remote communities. Women for Election CEO, Licia Heath said that any woman who has ever contemplated running for public office should register for the program.

“Any woman or non-binary person who has thought they could make a difference or been told by those close to them they would make a great elected representative, this is your chance to begin the journey.”

“We are holding a free online briefing session online at 7pm (AEDT) on 12 October, and women with even the slightest curiosity about politics are encouraged to register,” said Ms Heath.

“Having trained over 3000 women in recent years, we’ve witnessed first-hand how many women effectively wield power positively in their communities.

“Many already possess the skills necessary for a career in public office. Routinely, women are active leaders in their community, they’re natural consensus-builders, networkers and communicators. Yet, unlike many male candidates, women are often reluctant to dive into the political process. Women for Election understands the barriers that exist for women to get elected and  this program will demystify the process and address those barriers so you feel ready and capable to run for elected office ,” said Ms Heath.

The program’s first stop is Queensland, where It’s hard to ignore that women currently make up only 37% of local government Councillors and 31% of state government MPs.

“Ahead of the Queensland local government and state elections in 2024, we have a chance to make a real difference and ‘move the dial’ on gender equality at both levels,” said Ms Heath.

Women can register to attend the information session or the specific training sessions below via our website: www.wfea.org.au.

• Mackay on 14 November
• Cairns on 16-17 November
• Brisbane on 23 November
• Barcaldine on 27 November
  

WIPO funding is provided under the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Women’s Leadership and Development Program.

About Women for Election:

Women for Election is a non-partisan, for purpose organisation with a mission to achieve gender equality at all levels of government in Australia. We achieve this through inspiring and equipping women and non-binary folk to run for public office through place based and online training events that address the barriers to women’s political participation.

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 Please direct media enquiries to WFE’s Communications and Relationship Manager, Katrina Van De Ven: [email protected].