More than 90 per cent of Launceston councillors have been male

There have been a total of 198 councillors since the council's inception 168 years ago, with 185 male councillors and 13 female councillors elected.

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The breakdown of gender equates to 93.43 per cent identifying as male councillors and 6.57 per cent identifying as female.

Councillor Nick Daking asked how many councillors had served the council since 1853 and what the gender breakdown was.

It took almost 100 years before the first female councillor was elected in 1949.

Cr Daking said he asked the question to start the conversation, after the conversation began last month about federal politics representation.

"I think I already knew what the answer was going to be, but I wanted to point out we have had hardly any representation at all in the last 100 years," he said.

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"The number has been completely disproportionate to what the community is. I don't like that number and I don't think a lot of people like that number.

"We know we can't change the past, we know that is what it is, but highlighting the fact moving forward, I think we all, well I certainly want to see more, much more balanced council."

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The council has three female councillors, including Andrea Dawkins, Janie Finlay and Karina Stojansek, out of 12 elected members at present.

Cr Daking said he did not know how a gender balance could be achieved by the council, but it was about starting the conversation.

He said personally, he would like to see a 50/50 split in the council in future to bring different perspectives to local government.

"Moving forward, how do we attract or create an environment where more women and not just women but gender neutral and across the spectrum, what do we need to do," he said.

"I don't think we could manufacture it by having quotas and saying 'right we need to have 50/50 or 60/40 or something, but I think we need to create an environment where people feel comfortable to put their hand up.

The council has never had an openly transgender individual or a nonbinary identifying person as a councillor.

Similarly, the overwhelming majority of councillors have been white, with no Indigenous representation or people of colour in recent years.

The 2016 Census data shows more than 2500 people identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Launceston.

There have been 76 mayors and one acting mayor since 1853, with four of the elected mayors being female.

The first female mayor elected was Dorothy Edna Annie Edwards in 1956. It equates to 5.26 per cent of mayors being female and 94.74 per cent of mayors being male.

Cr Daking said in the next 100 years the council could not have the same answer, and he hoped down the road the question would be revisited and there would be a better representation of the community.

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