Sabrina Mamone is on a mission to give the women of western Sydney a chance to shine.
The young Liverpool councillor – who was elected for the first time in 2012 – says the time has come to give women of the west a fair go.
“I want to help get more women elected to councils across western Sydney; that’s one of my aims, but there are other issues affecting women in western Sydney which need to be tackled,’’ Cr Mamone says of her plan to help establish a local government organisation solely for women.
“I think the time has come for this, we have so much to do.
“Did you know there is no refuge for women in Liverpool, so that’s another issue, domestic violence, and a women’s organisation will push for resources, for action, for something to be done to help women,’’ Cr Mamone says.
Earlier this year, Liverpool Council supported a motion by Cr Mamone to hold a Women’s Forum at the Casula Powerhouse.
Cr Mamone says the forum will be held next week, on Thursday, November 12 in the Casula Powerhouse arts centre.
It will be attended by 50 women, mostly female councillors from across western Sydney.
“There will be men attending the forum but as observers only,’’ Cr Mamone says.
“Only women will talk at this forum.’’
The aim of the forum is to establish an organisation for women to represent their interests in the western Sydney region.
It will be similar in structure to the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC).
It will have a board with two female councillors from each local government area (LGA) in western Sydney.
But it will be different from WSROC in that there will also be two non council members from each LGA, a community representative and one prominent business woman, Cr Mamone said.
“I would like to see this organisation meet every two months but the forum will decide if this is the right way to go to become as effective as possible in promoting the interests of women in western Sydney,’’ Cr Mamone said.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“All of the women I have spoken to are very excited about this forum and the plan for a women’s organisation in western Sydney,’’ she said.[/social_quote]
“There is so much such an organisation can do to help women in western Sydney,’’ Cr Mamone said.
The forum will be held over two hours, between 6pm and 8pm.
