AWE Newsletter - December 2022

Promote Support Recognise

Welcome to the final edition of the AWE Newsletter for 2022

AWE News

AWE’s Year in review

AWE has had another AWEsome year promoting, supporting and recognising women in emergencies and disaster resilience. Here are just some of our highlights which were shared at the AGM held on 6 December:

Grew our membership to almost 1700 people across Australasia
Provided a range of events for more than 800 members including:
- Almost 20 networking events
- International Women’s Day Forum
- Australasian Women in Emergencies Day Forum
- Nine Open Discussions
- Networking breakfast for more than 50 women at the UNDDR Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference in Brisbane
- AWE Women in Emergencies for Climate Action COP27 Briefing
- A range of other events including chapter events across states and territories
Awarded two Philippa Woolf Scholarships from a pool of 40 applications
Convened the second Australasian Women in Emergencies Day to recognise and celebrate women in emergencies and disaster resilience
Supported over 50 people in the Mentoring Program, facilitating mentoring relationships to support members’ personal and professional development
Established the AWE Women in Emergencies for Climate Action chapter
Published monthly newsletters featuring a range of news, resources, opportunities and links
Established new partnerships with the Australian Gender Equity Council, the Australasian Institute of Emergency Services and the International Association of Emergency Managers and explored other professional and research parternships
AWE Women Practitioners in Emergencies session accepted for the International Sociology Association (ISA) World Congress of Sociology to be held in Melbourne in June 2023
Supported the UNDRR WIN at the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference including contributing to the Conference Statement on Women in DRR and also volunteering to host the pledge wall and support that initiative of the WIN
Raised more than $2000 to support AWE’s activities and member benefits

What a year! It’s a great privilege for AWE to be working with and for so many skilled, passionate and inspiring women. We can’t wait to continue to promote, support and recognise our members and all women in emergencies in 2023.

New AWE Committee

AWE is thrilled to announce its new Committee as elected at the AGM on 6 December:

Bridget Tehan – President
Amanda Lamont – Vice President
Carla Bailey – Secretary
Helen Giggins – Treasurer
Ashliegh Brady – Member
Kath Cooney – Member
Lisa Jackon – Member
Haylee Lawrence – Member
Jaimee Morgenbesser – Member
Jennifer Rizzi – Member
Bec Southwell – Member

2023 promises to be another exciting year for AWE, and we are so excited about the incredible skills, experiences and ideas that our new Committee members will bring with them. You can read more about our new Committee members in the Member Profile section below.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to previous Committee members Jeanene Howard and Zoe D’Arcy, both of whom made significant contributions to AWE as Treasurer and Events Lead respectfully. We also thank Alicia Palmer for her important contribution this year – while Alicia has stepped down as Committee Member she remains the AWE QLD Chapter Lead.

Scholarship update

We are thrilled to announce that the Philippa Woolf Scholarships will be made available to AWE members again in 2023. Keep an eye out in future newsletters for more information.

Donna Brown, one of the two recipients of the 2022 Philippa Woolf Scholarship says:

I was nominated as one of two AWE members to receive this year’s Philippa Woolf Scholarship. I have completed five of the 10 modules for my Diploma of Public Safety and Emergency Management. The material and sessions I have attended have been great and I have learned new techniques and skills to manage and coordinator disasters. I work for South Burnett Regional Council in a disaster management role, and these skills have already assisted with our five flood events this year. I look forward to continuing to complete my last five modules in 2023. I am very grateful for the Scholarship and highly recommend anyone interested in studying with ACIM.

AWE Women in Emergencies for Climate Action

In the lead up to COP27, AWE Women in Emergencies for Climate Action chapter hosted a lunchtime briefing for members on COP27 along with an outline of the positions and statements being tabled by various organisations. There was a great discussion about what outcomes we would like to see come out of the session. Quote of the day “If women were at COP27, we’d be getting sh*t done”. You can view the recording here.

A follow up lunchtime session providing a COP27 debrief will be held at 12pm on Thursday 15 December (AEDT) via Zoom.

If you would like a copy of the presentation, to join the Climate chapter or would like to know about the debrief session, please contact Amanda Lamont at [email protected].

AWE Events

AWE is hosting a range of end of year get-togethers to help celebrate 2022. We’re also hosting a COP27 debrief and are even planning a tropical retreat in 2023!

End of year events

South Australia
AWE SA invites you to join us for end of year drinks to celebrate the year that was!
5pm Monday 12 December
Venue to be advised
Contact Anastasia for details at [email protected].
Email with details will also be sent to all SA members.

Victoria
Join AWE members and friends at our end of year drinks
5pm Wednesday 21 December
Rooftop at QT, 133 Russell Street, Melbourne
See you there!

Victoria
AWE Vic invites you to join us for an end of year breakfast to mark the end of 2022
8am Wednesday 14 December
Hutch & Co, Main Street, Lilydale
Contact Amanda Lamont ([email protected]) for further information, or see you there.

Queensland
Members and friends of AWE QLD are welcome to join us for an end of year breakfast in Townsville. Celebrate and toast (pun intended) to the year that was 2022.
7am Tuesday 20 December
Grandma’s, 45 Eyre Street, Townsville
RSVP [email protected] by 14 December (for reservation purposes)

AWE Women in Emergencies for Climate Action COP27 Debrief
Come along to hear a debrief on COP27 and meet members of the Women in Emergencies for Climate Action chapter
12pm Thursday 15 December
Via Zoom
Contact Amanda Lamont ([email protected]) for further information

AWE Retreat – Save the Date

18 – 19 February 2023
Magnetic Island, Queensland

Need a break? Fancy a weekend away with your AWE friends on beautiful Magnetic Island? Keen to make new connections in the disaster and emergency sector?

Save the date, and express your interest to get updates. More information will be available in the January newsletter.

Express your interest to [email protected]

AWE events are a great way to learn about and get to know other women in the emergency management and disaster resilience sectors. Keep an eye on our calendar of events, Missed an AWE event? Many of our past events are available for viewing on our YouTube page.

AWE Member Profile

Introducing our newest Committee members!

Carla Bailey (Qld)

Ashleigh Brady (NSW)

Helen Giggins (NSW)

Haylee Lawrence (NSW)

Jennifer Rizzi (Aotearoa/NZ)

Bec Southwell (NSW)

Carla Bailey
Carla is Director at C3 Resilience and A/Principal Project Officer in the Qld Department of Health’s Disaster Management Branch. Carla joined the State Emergency Service as a volunteer in 2012 and has worked across various roles in the sector since, including working as a consultant. Carla says she would like to give back to the AWE community and use her time and expertise to support women in the emergency and disaster management sector

Ashleigh Brady
Ashleigh is a Senior Project Officer at Resilience NSW. Ashleigh works to ensure diversity and inclusion is at the core of collaborative development and implementation of programs and works to integrate intersectional approaches to gender perspectives on disaster resilience and risk reduction. Ashleigh says she wants to ensure AWE is relevant for young women newly entering or emergingin the disaster resilience sector and hopes to contribute to the amazing progress of the network.

Dr Helen Giggins
Helen has been an academic for over 20 years, and currently coordinates The University of Newcastle’s postgraduate disaster degrees. Helen strongly believes that social capital created before disasters results in improved outcomes post-disaster, and that organisations like AWE play a vital role in this. Helen says she has a diverse set of skills to bring to the Committee and can’t wait to see AWE go from strength to strength.

Haylee Lawrence
Haylee is Senior Business Manager for the Asset Management Branch of Transport for NSW. Haylee has also been a volunteer with her local RFS Brigade since 2013 with roles including Treasurer, Secretary, Deputy Captain, Community Engagement Officer, Fundraising Officer and Publicity Coordinator. Haylee says she has a lot to share around persevering in male-dominated industries, and that she loves the work AWE is doing and can’t wait to contribute in way she can.

Jennifer Rizzi
Jennifer is a Team Leader at the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office in New Zealand, heading up a dynamic group of technical, communications, strategy and planning and administrative professionals. Jennifer also leads planning for and response to formal assistance for the Wellington Region’s communities in an emergency. Jennifer says she has a keen interest in supporting women across the emergency management sector and would be honoured to support the AWE network.

Bec Southwell
Bec works in emergency management and recovery at the Blue Mountains City Council. She has also been a member of the NSW Rural Fire Service for 17 years, and recently joined the Red Cross Emergency Services volunteer team to provide psychosocial support to communities in recovery. Bec says she loves to share and mentor others in the ever-evolving space of disaster recovery, resilience, preparedness and emergency response and has lots to offer AWE.

AWE Member Profiles showcase the diversity, skills, and experience of our AWEsome members. They also highlight the vast range of roles, both paid and volunteer, that make up the emergency and disaster resilience sector. You can nominate yourself or another AWE member to be profiled in the AWE Newsletter. Please email us for more information.

AWE Q&A

The AWE Q&A answers your questions by calling on the experience and expertise of our AWEsome membership. Email us your questions and we’ll work with our members to have them answered.

News, events, and resources

Respect at work: The new Respect@Work portal brings together a comprehensive set of resources for employers and workers to help create safe, inclusive and respectful workplaces. It includes best-practice guides, training programs, workplace-assessment tools, information, videos and advice.

Disaster preparedness and resilience for small businesses: A new report from the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Small Business Natural Disaster Preparedness and Resilience Inquiry, makes a series of recommendations to build the resilience of small business across Australia.

Call for abstracts: The Women and Firefighting Australasia Conference 2023 will be held in Brisbane in August 2023 in conjunction with AFAC23. The theme is Sustaining Diversity and we will explore diverse workforces, diverse careers, career planning and health and wellbeing. The call for abstracts is now open.

Participate in research about experiences of menstruation while deployed operationally: The University of New England invites you to participate in a research survey to investigate how women (and people who menstruate) manage and experience menstruation while deployed operationally. If you have an operational role but are not currently menstruating (for example you are pregnant or menopausal) you are still welcome to participate in the research. You can complete the survey here. For further information please contact Associate Professor Melissa Parsons

Indigenous-informed disaster recovery: A new article, Indigenous-informed disaster recovery: Addressing collective trauma using a healing framework, seeks to inform much-needed efforts to enhance culturally responsive practices in working with Indigenous peoples affected by disasters.

UNITED to End Violence Against Women: Gender and Disaster Australia and Northern Rivers Women and Children’s Services are pleased to mark this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence with an exciting, co-hosted event in Lismore, NSW (and live-streamed), on Thursday 8 December 2022. Find out more here.

Women’s networks in Queensland: This new webpage profiles the wide array of industry networks available for women in Queensland, including AWE. In line with the direction set by the Queensland Women’s Strategy 2022-27, the Office for Women and Violence Prevention are committed to exploring opportunities available to support the work of networks and hope to expand on this directory over the life of the Strategy.

Climate justice collaborative action plan: The Centre for Just Places’ new Collaborative Action Plan reflects and builds on the diverse contributions of individuals and organisations working at the interface of climate change, health and social justice in Melbourne’s west.

Children and disasters: A special issue of the Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies brings together accounts of current research and practice initiatives inspired by, building upon, and directly influenced by Professor Kevin Ronan

Call for abstracts: The Australian Disaster Resilience Conference 2023 call for abstracts is now open. Conference Program Committee invites abstracts that share leading practice, creative approaches, diverse knowledges, meaningful stories, case studies, applied research, and impactful collaborations. You are invited to submit an abstract of no more than 300 words via the abstract portal.

Job opportunities

ACT
Emergency Management Officer, Government – Local (Government & Defence)

NSW
Humanitarian Emergencies Lead, Caritas Australia
Emergency Management Lead, NSW Government

QLD
Local Disaster Recovery & Resilience Officer, City of Gold Coast
Predictive Services Intelligence Coordinator – Predictive Services, QFES

SA
Wellbeing Hub Project Officer, Murray Bridge Community Centre Inc.

TAS
Information Officer, Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management
Fire Operations Officer, Tasmanian Government

VIC
Senior/ Associate –Climate Change and Resilience, WSP in Australia
Senior Sustainability Officer, Moonee Valley City Council

NZ
Emergency Management Advisor, St John
Manager, Partnerships, Earthquake Commission

Other events

If you are attending any of the events below in 2023 and would like to meet up with other AWE members, please email us at [email protected] and we will make sure you connect.

24 March The Police, Defence and Emergency Services Women’s Leadership Summit

23-26 May 2023 Floodplain Management Conference

20-22 June          2023 Lessons Management Forum

4-5 July                EMC 2023 Melbourne

11-12 July            Disaster and Emergency Management Conference

22-25 August   AFAC23

10 October Australasian Women in Emergencies Day

Newsletter contributions

The AWE Newsletter is published monthly and is distributed to more than 1600 AWE members across Australasia. For contributions, queries or to let us know what you would like to see in the newsletter, please email us at [email protected].

About AWE

The Australasian Women in Emergencies Network (AWE) promotes, supports and recognises the contributions of women in emergency management and disaster resilience across Australasia.

www.awenetwork.org.au

[email protected]

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AWE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work, and pays our respect to Elders, past, present and emerging.