Councillors in regional South Australia would like to see changes to local government laws to create more diversity on councils.
Teacher Heidi Thompson was elected to the Regional Council of Goyder in the mid-north in 2018 after working for the council for 10 years, describing herself as a passionate member of her local community.
Cr Thompson's busy work schedule means she has not been able to attend many meetings this year, and she said it made her feel like she was letting her constituents down.
"I work in a special education class, it is very rewarding but it's quite time-consuming. There isn't much flexibility in coming in and out of the classroom," Cr Thompson said.
The Goyder council meets at 1pm, which was set to help elected members manage travel times across the large council area.
At the last council meeting, Cr Thompson put forward a motion to change the meetings from their current time of 1pm to 7pm.
A compromise of 3pm was eventually reached and voted on by the seven-member council.
The vote was lost, split on gender lines — three female councillors in favour, to four men.
Mayor Peter Mattey said the council covered a large area and some councillors believed it to be unreasonable to drive at night.
According to the Local Government Act, municipal, metropolitan and larger town councils must meet after 5pm unless council unanimously agrees for a different time.
District councils, such as Goyder, decide their own meeting time by majority vote at first meeting of term.
Cr Thompson wants a change in local government law so a blanket rule applies to all councils.
She believes all councils should meet after 5pm unless there is a unanimous decision of the entire council,
"So it then doesn't make those that those who have other commitments during the day or are working feel like a burden," she said.
Where it works and where it doesn't
Cathy Troup sits on the Barossa Council and she says she's lucky her job is part-time and she can choose which days she works — otherwise she would not be able to serve.
The Barossa Council meets at 9am. Cr Troup voted for a night meeting in the first meeting of term but lost.
She believes a time change would improve the diversity of council members
"If we want council to be a representation of people in our local government area, then we are going to have to have some conversations otherwise we will not get the younger generation or workforce represented," she said.
Full-time worker Denni Agnew sought to serve on the Wakefield Regional Council after learning it did not have a female councillor.
Cr Agnew believed without that council's 5pm meeting time, herself and other diverse aspiring councillors wouldn't have a fair chance.
The minister's thoughts
During the pandemic, many councils moved meetings online, an option that would not help those who work during the day.
Some councils have also taken to recording and posting their meetings to council websites.
Local Government Minister Geoff Brock said, while it was usually a matter for individual councils, he was willing to speak to the Local Government Association and the Opposition about the issue.
"I do sympathise with Heidi but at the moment I can't change the law," he said.
"Councils are elected by the people, they should be accountable to the people and be accessible to the people so that's one of my great philosophies."
