Lesley Clark discusses her time as a local councillor on the Mulgrave Shire Council. She talks about the connection to the community she developed during her time in local government. She also highlights the importance of causes as an avenue for women to become involved in politics. She argues that in this period it was easier for women to get elected to state parliament if the candidate already had a profile from a period in local government. She then discusses her transition to state politics after having joined the Labor Party in 1987.