Jillian van Turnhout (Independent)

I second this amendment. We are missing an opportunity by not applying the gender quotas to local elections. I agree fully with the 5050 Group and its contention that for quota legislation to be meaningful and to work, it must be extended to local government. By failing to do that, I believe we will run the risk of making the same mistake that was made in France, to which Senator Keane referred earlier, where women who do not come from a political family are effectively excluded from entering local politics and thus gaining political legitimacy within their constituency, which is often what is needed to succeed at a general election.

To be truly effective in the long term, quotas cannot be introduced in isolation. New candidates should be given every opportunity to build up the skills and the experience that would allow them to achieve their full potential. As the majority of Members in this House, and the Minister himself, began politics at a local level, they should be more than aware of the invaluable experience that can be derived from participating in local democracy before moving on to the national Legislature. Excluding local government from gender quota legislation denies potential female candidates the experience and sense of political legitimacy that would protect new female candidates from any allegations of tokenism.

The amendment we have put forward is non-binding. It states "shall endeavour", but we think it is an important principle that local elections are included in this Bill to set down a clear marker for the parties that they need to ensure that in the 2014 local elections and the subsequent 2019 elections, they will strive to increase female participation.