Where weve got women, we win: NSW Liberals aim to replicate local government success at federal level – Sydney Morning Herald

The Liberal Party in NSW is confident its push to get more women into federal Parliament will succeed after reaching its target for the proportion of female councillors elected in recent local government polls.

Final results of the December 4 council elections released on Thursday show of the 120 Liberals voted in, 48 were women, with significant swings towards the party in many areas where a woman headed the ticket.

Georgia Ryburn, pictured with her five-week-old baby Harvey, is among a wave of women elected to local councils for the Liberals.Credit:Flavio Brancaleone

This almost doubles the percentage of Liberal women elected to 40 per cent, from 21 per cent in 2017, meeting the goal the state division set for local government in 2019.

Its part of a wave of women of all political stripes elected to local governments across the state. Councils including Parramatta, Randwick and Woollahra now have a majority of female councillors.

NSW Liberal Womens Council president Mary-Lou Jarvis, who is also the state divisions vice-president, said achieving the 40 per cent target was the result of four years of methodical and committed work to identify women interested in running, and actively mentoring and supporting them.

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Its the collaborative work of the NSW division and womens council, with men recognising the need for change, she said. Where weve had women standing and leading tickets, weve had swings towards us. It shows ... that where weve got women, we win.

These swings were as high as 10 points in the Hornsby local government area while in Sutherland Shire, a two-point swing in the ward where the ticket was led by Louise Sullivan meant the Liberals got a second candidate elected and gained control of the council.

And in blue-ribbon Woollahra, where Ms Jarvis led the ticket in the Vaucluse ward, the party won a three-point swing to get 63 per cent of the overall vote.

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Where weve got women, we win: NSW Liberals aim to replicate local government success at federal level - Sydney Morning Herald