The Breaking Barriers report was produced by Andrea Carson and Leah Ruppanner, with interviews undertaken by QDOS research. It is part of a larger Australia Research Council Linkage project with Dr Gosia Mikolajczak at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at ANU, partnered with the Victorian Local Governance Association.

Part of a multi-year Australian Research Council (ARC) partnership agreement between the VLGA, La Trobe University and Melbourne University, this research has followed women and men councillors across their 2020-2024 term, assessing their trajectories, their representation and barriers to success and longevity in local government.

Over the past four years, the research has listened to the family demands, role strain and experiences with trolling and harassment of councillors, as well as their overall satisfaction with the elected official role. A number of research articles have been produced on this research to date, with The Missing Cohort: Women in Local Government highlighting a lack of engagement by younger women in local politics, and From Online Trolls to ‘Slut Shaming’ which identified women councillors are experiencing a range of gender-based harassment and incivilities at significantly higher rates than their male counterparts.

“Women’s representation in all levels of government is critical. Decades of research shows we can create a more equal society that benefits us all if we have more equal parliaments. What we need now is fresh thinking and policies from the Victorian Government that deliver women the resources they need to be empowered and engaged in their elected roles.”

– Professor Andrea Carson