Wagga community leaders say there are many barriers to breakdown to bring more diversity to the council table.
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Wagga's Jacob O'Hare, who is 23 years old, said the stigma attached to being young was a barrier many people of his generation had to overcome because often they feel like their ideas will not be taken seriously.
"For a lot of young people - like myself - before taking the step to enroll and run for council is moving past the stigma of I'm young and my ideas don't matter," he said.
While Wagga council has made strong strides to encourage young people to be active members of the community, moving forward, Mr O'Hare said they need to promote its youth council more and involve them with the council meetings and actual decisions of the town.
Wagga's Jenny Rolfe said the lack of diversity in Wagga City Council did not necessarily come down to encouraging more people to come to the table, but enabling them to run in winnable positions.
At the last election, Ms Rolfe said there were more female candidates standing than men, yet only two women were elected for the nine spots.
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There are a number of problems at work, she said, including the ticket system, finances required for campaigns and juggling time commitments.
"If you want to maximise your chance at being elected you really need to be on a ticket and the number one candidate on that list," she said.
"You can have all the diversity in the world, but if candidates - women, candidates from a culturally or linguistically diverse background or first nations - are running at the bottom of a ticket they won't get elected."
Wagga councillor Tim Koschel said the current duties expected of councillors are not set up to cater for those who fall outside the traditional mould of an elected official.
Last week, he successfully moved a notice of motion, looking to audit committee meetings in the hopes of broadening inclusion and identifying potential barriers to diversity.
"Our council meetings and workshops are all done after hours, which is perfect - the way it should be done - but our role isn't just council meetings though," he said. Cr Koschel said the right set-up has the ability to entice people from all walks of life to vie for a spot at the table.
"It's not a diverse council and we need to talk about how we are going to attract others of all different ages - younger and older," he said.
Wagga councillor Vanessa Keenan said in order to attract councillors from a range of backgrounds, there are many barriers to address from adequate allowance to the council environment itself.
Although people should not be driven by money in this position, Cr Keenan said the role of a councillor does have long-term financial impacts.
It was only last month when the city's councillors were made eligible for a higher pay packet, which sparked debate on whether it has a role in attracting people to the table. There is also a statewide discussion on whether councillors should receive superannuation payments.
"No one goes into council to make money, but you don't go in to lose money either so it certainly plays a role," Cr Keenan said. "If it's a barrier that stops you from putting your hand up that needs to be addressed."
Cr Keenan said the traditionally male dominated environment can be difficult for people to recognise they have a valuable voice to contribute. She said councillors with different life experiences have an important role to help shape the organisation and what it delivers for the community.