29 October

With biennial ARM Branch Council elections completed in all States and the ACT, fewer women are holding official positions than before. Two Branches out of seven have female convenors – SA and Tas. In the ACT, there are two women out of eight Branch Council members; in NSW, one (total 6); in Victoria, one (11); in Qld, one (9); in WA, four (9); SA one (4) and in Tasmania, one (4), making women only in WA, SA Tas and the ACT around 25% of Branch Council membership. This corresponds with the drop in female representation on the ARM’s National Council, that currently has no women elected members. This is not a good state of affairs for republican leaders who should reflect the make-up of Australian society (women are over 50% of the Australian population). One present member of National Council has a non Anglo-Celtic background but there are no Indigenous representatives.