Photo: starobserver.com.au

All councils elected at least one woman, while 15 now have more women than men in the council chamber.

Today, 38.1 per cent of all councillors in Victoria are women, up from 33.9 per cent at the 2012 elections.

The Labor Government wants to see better female representation on council, and will continue to work to support more women to nominate ahead of the next council elections.

We have provided $50,000 towards the Victorian Local Governance Association’s GoWomen LG 2016 project to encourage women from a range of different cultural backgrounds, including Aboriginal women, to stand for council.

We’ve also introduced a Local Government Ministerial Roundtable to develop practical changes to lift the number of women in senior roles in the sector.

Victoria’s councils have had a significant refresh, with more than half the total vacancies state-wide filled by a new councillor.

Wangaratta and Brimbank have returned to democratically elected councils following years of administration.

These elections have also yielded one of the most diverse fields of councillors ever, with members of the LGBTI community elected and many councillors from ethnically diverse backgrounds.