Mayor Cr Annemarie McCabe used what could be her final mayoral address at last month’s Baw Baw Shire Council meeting to call out her male colleagues.
“When I became a Councillor in 2020, I felt there was certainly an element of a ‘boys club’,” she said.
“Women were not respected, and it was an unprofessional and at times hostile environment, not a lot has changed over the 4 years,” she said.
These words follow months of tension within council meetings.
“I have seen firsthand and been subjected to appalling behaviour that would never be tolerated in a workplace,” she said.
There is very little legislation to protect councillors or ensure council meetings are respectful. Some improvements were made to increase the accountability of councillors in the Local Government Act 2020, with more changes to be enacted when new legislation is established.
The Local Government Act 2024 will introduce ongoing mandated training for mayors and councillors, an improved code of conduct and increased severity of punishments for councillor misconduct.
Cr Darren Wallace and Cr Michael Leaney both expressed their disagreement with Mayor McCabe’s use of the phrase, ‘boy’s club’.
“The so-called ‘boys’ club’ is a figment of Cr McCabe’s imagination. It’s a mask to hide her shortcomings in dealing with others. It doesn’t exist; the ‘boys’ club’ is just a lazy line to use when things aren’t going your way,” said Cr Wallace.
“For the Mayor to claim there was a “Boys Club” within council is not correct and devalues the work of all councillors,” said Cr Leaney.
Cr Goss called the mayor’s comments “very disappointing,” and said “I don’t believe the mayor’s comments are accurate or valid.”
Both Cr Wallace and Cr Goss claim that it is the current women in council who are the problem and not the fact that there are women in council.
“We have managed to work effectively and harmoniously with previous female councillors,” said Cr Goss.
“At the last election two highly intelligent, hardworking female councillors were replaced by two other female councillors,” he said.
They also specifically pointed the finger at the mayor, claiming she had created and emphasised a gender divide.
“I’d suggest [Mayor McCabe] has done everything possible to create a ‘girls’ club’ and whip up division based on gender,” said Cr Wallace.
“Seeking to wedge people into opposing camps that simply do not exist for no good reason doesn’t harbour cooperation and does not deliver what our community needs,” said Cr Leaney.
However, Mayor McCabe is not alone in her belief that the behaviour of some male councillors has been unacceptable.
“I felt personally attacked at several points in the one year,” said Cr Farhat Firdous.
“Everyone has got the right to differ in their views. But… do it with respect and do it without personally attacking anyone… I think part of it is misogyny, but part of it is just total lack of understanding,” she said.
Although Cr Leaney said “decisions have never been made along ‘gender’ lines from what I have witnessed.”
Cr Jazmin Tauru has previously spoken about the way in which terms like “woke” or “feminist brigade” have been frequently used to patronise or belittle the opinions of women in chambers.
Cr Firdous said that recent events – such as debates around a place naming policy and another incident in which a male councillor told women in council to “stick to the knitting” – have been a turning point for when the behaviour became unacceptable.
There has since been debate around the origin and connotations of this previously mentioned phrase, with some claiming that it was coined by management experts in a book published in the 1980s as a metaphor for ‘know what you do well and stick to it.’
However, there is also the obvious thought that this term originates from, or at least refers to, telling women to stick to household activities, especially within the context of a woman – in a male-dominated field – voicing her opinion.
Cr Firdous said that this language can be dangerous, especially when used and normalised within public discourse.
“We understand that those sayings and those management jargons are constructed upon a gendered way of doing things,” she said.
“You can’t take the gender away from that. If you say, stick to the knitting or stick to the cooking… it is gendered,” she said.
“I guess people fail to see how it can impact people who have been subject to that discrimination,” she said.
Although Cr Firdous said “I wouldn’t say that all of [the male councillors] are misogynists.”
However, as Mayor McCabe said “It only takes one councillor to make this an unsafe workplace.”
Cr Wallace in turn suggested that Mayor McCabe is the one who has set the tone and style of behaviour that is being called into question.
“Instead of blaming others, maybe she should reflect on her own behaviour,” he said.
“[She has shown] her total lack of respect for the position of mayor and her fellow colleagues,” he said.
It seems to be well within the mayor’s right to call out her fellow councillors if their behaviour does not align with what is expected. The Local Government Act 2020 states that part of the role of the mayor is to ‘promote behaviour among councillors that meets the standards of conduct.’
Perhaps it is best left to readers and voters to decide whether calling out poor behaviour counts as promoting good behaviour.
Regardless, it is clear that Baw Baw Shire has a council that is divided. The upcoming elections bring with them new possibilities for progression.
Cr Farhat Firdous and Deputy Mayor Tricia Jones are both planning to run for re-election, while Cr Jazmin Tauru will not. At the time of writing, Mayor Annemarie McCabe was undecided about her future on the council.
Most of the men currently in council, including Danny Goss, Michael Leaney and Darren Wallace, are standing again.
At the end of her address, Mayor Cr Annemarie McCabe urged shire residents to strongly consider who they are voting for in the upcoming October elections.
“I strongly encourage voters to do their utmost to get a good understanding of who the candidates are,” she said.
Her fellow councillors shared this sentiment.
“Make an informed choice and cast your ballot,” said Cr Wallace.
Cr Firdous is hoping for a balanced chamber so that the council can avoid unproductive conversations.
“That comes at a cost to the community. If you can’t get things through, then it’s a waste of resources,” she said.
“Make your vote count and elect councillors who are professional, accountable and who represent the diversity of our growing community,” said Mayor McCabe.
