Women should not be hired just to meet quotas, says Dubbo Regional councillors Jane Diffey and Vicki Etheridge.
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The two councillors have been on council since September 2017. Along with deputy mayor Anne Jones they make up three of the 10 elected representative spots.
Cr Diffey said women should not be positions just for the sake of having a woman in the role. She said they should be chosen based on merit and being he best person to fill the position.
Cr Etheridge had the same view. She said she got annoyed when positions were created just for women.
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Either you were right for the role or you weren’t, Cr Etheridge said.
According to the 2018 Women in NSW report, women are represented significantly lower than men across all levels of government. Across NSW, women hold 31.6 per cent of the council positions.
Women also account for 29 per cent of the NSW Legislative Assembly and 23.8 per cent of the NSW Legislative Council. Federally, women hold 31.9 per cent of the NSW seats in the House of Representatives and half of the Senate seats.
Cr Etheridge said she had put up her hand for the role and was elected.
“If you’re there for the right reasons, male or female, you’ll see results. I haven’t noticed anything different, I’m just in there doing my job,” she said.
In the 16 months on council, Ms Diffey said she had faced no discrimination.
“I don’t think we are treated any differently. I think those days are very much gone. But I am a strong person,” she said.