In the week we celebrate International Women's Day, join the VLGA for a special lunch event as we launch the results of the our first ever Local Government Councillor Census.

Hosted by Tanja Kovac, CEO GenderLens Australia, the VLGA has put together two panels to take a dive deep analysis of the results, hear first hand perspectives and experiences from past and present councillors and get insight into how the sector, and the VLGA, is planning to respond. 

Panel 1 - The Victorian Councillor Census - What the 2020-2024 council term taught us about the councillor journey.

• John Armitage, Director, QDOS Research 
• Mike Gooey, Executive Director, Local Government Victoria
• Dawn Bray, Manager Strategy Governance and Operations, Local Government Inspectorate
• Peter Brasher, Senior Compliance Officer, Local Government Inspectorate
• Simon Harrex, Policy and Programs Lead, Victorian Local Governance Association

Panel 2 - The Councillor Experience - Lessons learnt, and what needs to change.

• Cr Jack Kowarzik, Mayor, Cardinia Shire Council 
• Cr Jane Karslake, Glen Eira City Council 
• Cr Josh Fergeus, Monash City Council 
• Lauren Dempsey, former councillor, Northern Grampians Shire Council 

This event is a great opportunity to hear about how we can best support elected officials and officers in local government, but also to network with your fellow members and share your own experiences. There will also be the opportunity to ask questions of the panelists in both sessions.