Dubbo Regional Council - NAIDOC Local Government Candidate Training For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

In March 2020, the ABC News reported that at the last round of local government elections, the typical local government candidate was an English speaking male aged 60-69 years and that no mayors in NSW have identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander since 2012.

Dubbo Regional Council Mayor Stephen Lawrence said it was time things changed.

"Local government is the grassroots level of government and we need Aboriginal people to participate and be represented," Mr Lawrence said.

“Key to this is addressing a “gap” that rarely gets talked about; that’s the electoral enrolment gap. It’s not that well known but there’s a substantial difference in the rate at which Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people are enrolled to vote. Dubbo Regional Council has resolved to try and close that gap,” Mr Lawrence said.

Despite Aboriginal people making up 14 per cent of Dubbo's population, there were no Aboriginal people elected to the city's regional council last term. Nationally, Indigenous people make up 3.3 per cent of the population.

"We have also resolved to reach out to and encourage Aboriginal people who might be interested in standing for council. Quite simply, we need a diverse range of candidates in order to elect a strong council. Key to that is Aboriginal candidates who can bring their unique community perspective,” Mr Lawrence said.

Delivered by Indigenous business, Politics in Colour, the workshop includes seven interactive sessions over one day, covering topics like the Local Government political system, candidate eligibility, governance and risk management, building community support, running for Local office and much, much more.

“This workshop is the first step in our Aboriginal electoral engagement and enrolment strategy and I hope it provides useful information for potential candidates,” Mr Lawrence concluded.

Day: Saturday
Date: 3 July, 2021
Venue: Dubbo Regional Council, Cnr Church St & Darling St, Dubbo NSW 2830
Lunch: Sandwiches and refreshments provided
Time: 10:00AM – 4:00PM AEST
Cost: Free
Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/dubbo-council-political-candidate-training

Guest Speakers:

* Mayor Stephen Lawrence of Dubbo Regional Council
* Aboriginal Clr Dominic Wy Kanak of Waverley Council
* Clr Jane Diffey of Dubbo Regional Council
* Elisabeth Perham of Pathways to Politics for Women (NSW)

Facilitators:

Katja (Kat) Henaway

Kat is a descendant of the Mer and Mua peoples of the Torres Strait Islands. She has gained significant experience working in multinational organisations Australia and UK. Kat has worked for some of the world’s largest private sector companies and government organisations and she now specialises in Indigenous business advisory, programming and engagement. From 2009-2014, Kat worked at City of Sydney Council commencing in the Office of Independent Councillors and later moving to Council business. During her time at council she launched several Indigenous initiatives including NAIDOC in the City. She launched Politics in Colour in 2020 to authentically diversify political representation. Kat holds leadership roles with Women for Election Australia and Women & Leadership Australia.

Marcelle Hoff

Between 2004-2012, Marcelle served as a Independent Councillor at the City of Sydney. This included two terms as Deputy Lord Mayor. She was the Inaugural Co-Chair of the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel. Marcelle is also a Qualified Coach, Trainer, Counsellor and Mediator with 40+ years international corporate work experience and community development. Highly skilled in building the capacity and resilience of female leaders, particularly those from marginalised communities. Marcelle travelled the world extensively as a Qantas Flight Attendant before going on to develop training programs across a wide range of topics throughout Australia, Fiji, Zimbabwe and India. Marcelle lives with the After Effects of Polio (AEP) and relates readily to people with disabilities.

This initiative is proudly supported by the Dubbo Regional Council and its
commitment to diversifying local government candidate.

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