Obviously it's not a new problem but it's a problem Central Western Daily readers have been keen to share their frustrations about.

Kath Logan's letter earlier this year certainly struck a cord with many others in the community who talked not only about their disappointment at Joanne McRae missing out on a second term as deputy mayor but more importantly perhaps the lack of women on council.

As Ms Logan said the fact that the majority of Orange councillors are men means they don't represent our city's demographic. In fact she went so far as to say "male, pale and stale is no cliche in Orange".

Of course she's right when she points out that just over half of Orange voters are women, yet only one has been elected to council. This lack of female representation is not new as many of our city's councils have been entirely male.

Reader Nella Powell also lamented Cr McRae not being re-elected as deputy mayor considering she is the only person on council who is representative of 50 per cent of the community's demographic.

On the same topic Julie Proctor said "diversity must have been too much to bear" after councillors did not vote Cr McRae back in as deputy mayor but rather preferred to return the council to the status quo or the Boys' Club as she labelled it.

Of course councillors are entitled to elect the deputy mayor of their choice and this is not a point of contention, however Cr McRea's defeat did place the issue of female representation on council firmly back on the agenda.

We all know you can't be it, if you don't see.

It's so important for young women to feel they too can play an important role in local politics.

For a women to win a place on council she needs the community's support and most importantly the support of her fellow would-be councillors who need to place her at the top of their ticket.

A report by the 50/50 by 2030 Foundation found women accounted for just 32 per cent of all candidates in local government elections. The first step in achieving the equal representation of women on council is to increase the number of female candidates.

Proving you like what they stand for, the next step is to vote them in.