Empowering women in focus at annual conference

The Inspectorate took part in the Australian Local Government Women’s Association (ALGWA) Victorian branch state conference on Monday 6 June.

The annual conference was held in Shepparton this year and attracted about 150 people to hear from a range of speakers about issues including Covid-19, the Indigenous experience, Shepparton’s path through the pandemic and creating workplaces that attract and benefit women.

Chief Municipal Inspector Michael Stefanovic and Senior Investigator Laura Majewski spoke about our work in promoting integrity, including case studies about conflict of interest and how councils have managed the issue of councillor interference in operational matters.

We were also joined by our communications advisors Steve Pogonowski and Jane Gillard. We offered councillors and council staff copies of our new fact sheets, reports and report summaries.

The conference was a great opportunity for councillors and staff to speak to us about issues they face and seek our advice. It was also a chance for us to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing the local government sector in 2022.

We thank the ALGWA executive for the opportunity to take part in the conference – one of the largest gatherings of local government in Victoria. The next ALGWA conference will be held on the Mornington Peninsula on 18–20 May 2023.