-taken from the post-election WILD (Women in Local Democracy) newsletter
Excluding women from having a voice in so-called democratic processes can be classed as a psychological violence. The concepts related to covert violence, e.g. gaslighting, bullying, coercive control and other forms of psychological cruelty involve manipulation and control of women.
Women repeatedly try to break the barriers only to be told in non-subtle ways that they are not good enough, that they don’t measure up against men/that man they are competing against. Women are gaslit. Dirty tricks muddy the waters around them.
In 2023, Melissa Horne, the Minister for Local Government, was quoted as saying,
‘Residents of Greater Geelong deserve a council that represents their needs. As the level of government closest to the people, councils play a vital role in communities across the state and it’s imperative they have a positive and inclusive culture.’
Given our population is 50.8% women, to have the final result of our recent Council election of 8 pale, male, stale men and only 3 women elected to represent us, is proof that patriarchy, which mocks and blocks the ideal of gender balance, reigns victorious in this region.
A bunch of fantastic, energetic women of the Geelong region put themselves forward as candidates in the 2024 CoGG Council elections. They spent months being mentored, gaining skills and confidence through WILD, and other groups that focus on increasing the amount of representation of women. They listened and learned from the experience of past and present female councillors, politicians and business women. Their aims were to support families and individuals, the way we function as a community, and for positive change. This learning incorporated sustainability concepts and adaption to climate change.
Women too are guilty of internalising the patriarchal way of thinking imbued in our society that rewards men with power. Women’s skills are often undervalued and dismissed in comparison to men’s, with society tending to measure their abilities through a biased lens that favours male standards of competence.
We know from gender pay inequality, that the value attributed to women’s work, is assessed differently to that of men’s. Think of the arrogant confidence of Trump that led people to believe he was the better candidate. Harris’s far superior wisdom, intelligence, education and professional experience were dismissed. Remember that focus on Julia Gillard’s choice of jackets, body shape and hairdo that detracted from the bills she was successfully pushing through a hung parliament? Both men and women succumb to this patriarchy-granted authority.
‘His’ assumed authority is enabled by women – the mother who waits on him from birth; the woman who raises the family, keeps the kids quiet as he studies, sits on kinder, school and a myriad sporting committees, manages household accounts, negotiates with trades and sales reps, dresses him, picks up his dry cleaning; and usually in the workplace there’s the loyal female Executive Assistant who fills in for him at meetings, and contributes fresh ideas to the Board, and finds time to prepare his speeches for him.
Women who break the bounds of patriarchal thinking are exceptions to the rule and are frequently castigated. Christine Holgate was bullied out of her role as CEO of Australia Post by the then Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, the mainstream media, and popular opinion, for rewarding senior executives for securing a highly successful deal with the country’s largest banks in 2018. This deal provided banking services to regional Australians via Bank@Post. She signed on to this role with a salary of $1.375 million, five times less than her male predecessor.
Since its formation in 1993 the City of Greater Geelong has had a checkered history. In April 2016, the Victorian Government placed the ‘dysfunctional’ council in the hands of administrators.
Two of the recently confirmed Council line up are the re-elected Eddy Kontelj and his brother, Stretch. The latter, first elected to council in 1998, resigned in April 2015 to take up an OS appointment. Both were members of that sacked ‘due to concerns about the workplace culture and adequacy of governance’ lineup. (https://www.localgovernment.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/165254/Geelong-City-Council-Report.pdf).
In September 2019, a number of the recently elected men joined Kylie Grzybek in voting against a motion calling to declare a Climate Emergency for the Geelong Region. Defeating the motion by voting with her, were the Liberal mayor, Stephanie Asher, and four men, the now re-elected Anthony Aitken, Eddy Kontelj, Trent Sullivan, and Ron Nelson.
Aiming for a decrease in emissions and a circular economy, must be central to thinking. The damage done by increasing climate events to public buildings and spaces, roads and trees, together with increasing plastic and general waste problems, is exacerbating problems for CoGG. Pretending that Council’s role is limited to roads, footpaths, gutters and drains, as the male Councillors state, is disingenuous.
On Jan 24 2023, the Victorian Government appointed Ms Prue Digby and Mr Peter Dorling to CoGG ‘to watch over them, advising, supporting, and negotiating with councillors in an attempt to resolve matters.’ Four men recently re-elected to the 2024 council line-up, Anthony Aitken, Eddy Kontelj, Trent Sullivan, and Ron Nelson, were part of the troubled 2021 council.
During his 2024 campaign, Eddy Kontelj was championed by a Bell Park butcher who ran his knife through a corflute of a female candidate as ‘publicity’. Abbott’s ‘Ditch the Witch’ came to mind. Anthony Aitken was re-elected despite current sanctioning following behavioural complaints from CoGG staff.
It seems the patriarchy is thriving at CoGG.
Kind regards,
Yvonne Parker
BA Soc. Sci., MA Edu.Admin., Dip Int. Des., Dip Writ & Edit., MA Writ & Lit
