The 2026 Ministers\u2019 Awards for Women in Local Government will recognise outstanding women and councils driving leadership, gender equity and positive change across the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nominations have opened for the 2026 Ministers\u2019 Awards for Women in Local Government, recognising the outstanding women whose leadership, service and commitment are strengthening communities across New South Wales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now in their 19th year, the Awards recognise women working and serving in councils whose enduring contributions have helped build stronger communities across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Awards will be presented by Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig and Minister for Women Jodie Harrison at Parliament House on 22 October 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year, two new award categories have been introduced \u2013 Excellence in Mentoring and Sponsorship and Emerging Councillor Leadership. Together with the existing awards, they recognise women whose leadership, innovation and service are helping shape the future of local government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nominations are open in the following categories for both metropolitan and rural\/regional councils:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Rising Star Award<\/strong> \u2013 recognises an outstanding female employee aged 25 or under (including apprentices, trainees and cadets) who demonstrates strong performance and initiative early in her career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Champion of Change Award<\/strong> \u2013 recognises a general manager or senior leader who has driven meaningful cultural or structural change to advance gender equity in local government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Breaking Barriers Award<\/strong> \u2013 recognises a woman in local government who has challenged traditional career pathways and helped break down gender barriers and stereotypes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Excellence in Gender Equity Award<\/strong> \u2013 recognises a council that is creating inclusive workplaces and supporting women\u2019s participation, progression and leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Woman of Distinction Award<\/strong> \u2013 recognises a woman who has demonstrated excellence, integrity and leadership, and who is a positive role model within her organisation, community or the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Excellence in Councillor Leadership Award <\/strong>\u2013 recognises a female councillor who has strengthened the presence, voice and impact of elected women in local government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. Excellence in Mentoring and Sponsorship Award<\/strong> \u2013 recognises a woman who has supported, mentored, sponsored or championed the development and progression of women in local government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. Emerging Councillor Leadership Award<\/strong> \u2013 recognises a first-term female councillor who has demonstrated strong early leadership, commitment to public service and contribution to her council or community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nominations for the 2026 Ministers\u2019 Awards for Women in Local Government close on 28 August 2026 and can be made via the Office of Local Government website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThroughout my years in local government, I\u2019ve worked with many outstanding women who have given an enormous amount to their communities. They\u2019ve served as councillors, managers, engineers, planners, community workers and across every part of local government. Their contribution deserves to be recognised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese awards acknowledge women whose leadership, judgement and commitment have made a real difference in their councils and in the communities they serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s encouraging to see more women stepping forward to serve their communities, with women now making up 40 per cent of elected councillors in New South Wales following the last local government elections. That\u2019s significant progress, but we should continue working towards councils that reflect the diversity of the communities they represent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know there are remarkable women making a difference in councils across New South Wales every day. I encourage councils, colleagues and community members to nominate someone whose contribution deserves to be recognised.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minister for Women Jodie Harrison said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe dedication and leadership I\u2019ve witnessed from women in local government over the years has been truly inspiring, and these Awards continue to be a wonderful celebration of their achievements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhether they\u2019re serving as mayors, councillors, executives or staff, women are making a lasting difference in all of our councils \u2013 championing better services and local priorities, and creating opportunities for new generations to follow in their footsteps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese Awards recognise not only individual excellence, but the powerful impact that women in local government have on the decisions and actions that shape our communities.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The 2026 Ministers\u2019 Awards for Women in Local Government will recognise outstanding women and councils driving leadership, gender equity and positive change across the sector. Nominations have opened for the 2026 Ministers\u2019 Awards for Women in Local Government, recognising the outstanding women whose leadership, service and commitment are strengthening communities across New South Wales. Now … Continue reading “Nominations open to recognise outstanding women in local government”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40218"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40219,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40218\/revisions\/40219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}