North Sydney councill0r Shannon Welch strives for gender parity on councils
North Sydney councillor Shannon Welch has always been a strong advocate for women. As the newly elected president of the NSW Local Government Women’s Association (LGWA) in March, she aims to make local government even on the gender playing field.
“I’m hoping to improve things in the governance area,” Shannon tells NL. “One of the main things that LGWA does is advocate for women’s election to local government because right now we are at about 42% women. My goal is that we hit gender parity by 2028.”
North Sydney Council is comprised of six women, four men, a female mayor, and a female CEO, but Shannon says that some other councils – like Tamworth – have no female councillors.
“The metros are pretty good, but we’ve got work to do in the regions,” Shannon says. “Also, a lot of women (in council) get bullied. Last weekend, a member of our executive, the Cumberland mayor Ola Hamed, had her car firebombed. This bullying and abuse of women just can’t be tolerated. It’s not for the faint hearted,” she says. “And women are more likely to say, ‘I’m just not up for this.’”
Originally Canadian, Shannon left Vancouver after a particularly harrowing time as an ICU nurse in the late 1980s.
“The AIDS epidemic hit and we didn’t know how to treat it,” she says. “All these young men were coming in dying horrible, horrible deaths. In retrospect, I probably developed PTSD.”
Shannon met her English husband while travelling and they arrived in Sydney in 1994 which she said was ‘like coming home.’ They raised a son and daughter in Neutral Bay.
Shannon worked as an ICU nurse in Manly Hospital for 18 years. As a union delegate for the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, she helped lead the campaign against the public-private partnership for Northern Beaches Hospital.
She’s always strived for justice. “I’ve always been that way inclined,” Shannon says. “Canadians tend to be for social justice. It’s the way we’re made.”
Shannon and her daughter, Charlotte
It was playing tennis at Primrose Park Tennis Courts that put Shannon on the path to politics.
“The courts were falling apart but nobody was fixing them,” she recalls. “So, I started a public campaign and had to deal with council. I thought, ‘Local government can get things done and make my community a better place.’”
Shannon joined the Labor Party and was elected to North Sydney Council in 2021. “I just love it,” says Shannon. “There’s so much you can do. Every time I turn around, I’ll see something and think, ‘Oh, that’d be a good idea.’ And then you can do it, you know? Although, right now, council is very restrained because we don’t have any money. But I’ve still been able to bring a lot of things in.”
North Sydney Council’s Notable Women of North Sydney project is Shannon’s initiative, which invites people to share stories of local women making a positive impact. It will also mean an annual art installation for women in North Sydney.
Shannon also successfully advocated for AEDs (defibrillators) in conjunction with the Heart Foundation and free CPR training for the community.
She’s chair of the Sydney Coastal Council Group, which is working on safety around sharks without the use of nets, microplastics in the harbour – particularly the run-off from synthetic turf, and tidal mapping on how climate change will affect the coasts. For the last four years, Shannon has joined Bushcare volunteers and planted trees in Boorowa, revegetating degraded farmland.
During her free time, you’ll find her either playing tennis or kayaking at Hayes Beach. You might even spot her on an e-bike. “When I first got onto council, I was allocated a role around sustainable transport,” says Shannon. “I thought, ‘I’m going to ride a bike and be a model for my community.’ I’m an old lady and hadn’t ridden a bike for years.”
Shannon bought an e-bike to get around Neutral Bay’s hills. “It’s terrific,” she says. “And if I can do it, anybody can.”