The city with the only all-male council in NSW

Tamworth Regional Council has elected an all-male local government, the only NSW council to do so

Transcript

00:00Tamworth Regional Council now holds the dubious honour of being the only local government

00:06out of 128 councils in New South Wales to have an all-male council.

00:10Despite nine women putting their hands up for a spot, including Labor's Laura Hughes,

00:15not one was elected.

00:17Ms Hughes said the vote showed there was a clear desire for change but was disheartened,

00:22alongside other candidates like elected councillor Mark Rotter, to see no women at the table.

00:27I think it is disappointing that there are no women.

00:29I know Mark actually has, Mark Rotter has contacted me and said he was very disappointed

00:34before the mayoral election the other night.

00:37And I think there might be a different tone, perhaps on the council.

00:42Strikingly, just an hour away, Gunnedah Shire Council had a very different outcome.

00:47Gunnedah elected six female councillors, including both a female mayor and deputy mayor.

00:52Ms Hughes said although Labor has an affirmative action policy to encourage female representation,

00:58she doesn't think a rule will be achieved to have a minimum number of female councillors

01:02in local government.

01:04I think probably the thing that might be achieved before that is a popularly elected mayor.

01:10So about one third of the councils in New South Wales have a popularly elected mayor.

01:14A little bit like the way Americans elect their president and then you elect everyone

01:18else.

01:19The number of women in local government in New South Wales has risen to 39.5%, an 8.5%

01:26jump on the number elected in 2016.

01:29I do think that people will vote differently next time and one of their intentions will

01:37be to vote for at least one female candidate.