In this issue:

W elcome to the July 2020 Newsletter
AWE News
Other News
AWE Events
Other Events
Chapter Updates
AWE Mentoring Program
Job Opportunities
Professional Development and Resources
Social Media News
About AWE

You can download the full newsletter in PDF here.
Current and previous editions of the AWE newsletter on our website – coming soon!

Welcome to the July 2020 AWE Newsletter

“Bringing communities together after a disaster is at the core of recovering resilience. How do we build and repair social connection in a time of physical isolation?”

This month, AWE Co-founder and Vice President, Amanda Lamont, reflects on her last six months involved in bushfire response and recovery in NSW and Victoria, including recovery during a pandemic, and gives an update on all the activities the AWE Network has been beavering away at to keep our members connected and informed.

If you would like to share your story or thoughts, we really want to hear from you through this newsletter or our social media platforms on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Email us at [email protected].

AWE in the News

NZ Give away – Five Little Packs of Calm

Hummingly are giving away five Little Packs of Calm to members of AWE to recognise their efforts of the recent challenging months. The Little Pack of Calm includes New Zealand made products from New Zealand businesses – all designed to uplift and delight in these tough times. Please nominate someone you think would enjoy receiving a Little Pack of Calm and why you thought to nominate them (in a couple of sentences) by email to [email protected]. We will draw names from a hat and announce the winners in the next newsletter along with why the person was nominated.

What a decade of disasters has taught me about personal resilience

AWE Queensland Chapter Lead, Alicia Palmer has condensed 10 years of disaster management experience and her master’s research into a short article on resilience.

Alicia would love to know what you think! Please feel welcome to share your experience and tips for building personal resilience in the comments on the LinkedIn post here

New AWE Tasmania Chapter Lead

Welcome to our new Chapter Lead in Tasmania, Sue Gordon. Sue is a Service Delivery Manager for Telstra and one of her key portfolios is Emergency Management (Tasmania). Sue brings a wealth of experience, motivation and ideas to AWE and I am excited to have someone join our team from a different emergency role than we have on our AWE Chapter Lead team and Committee. I am sure there is a lot we can all learn from each other. Sue says this role is what originally sparked her interest in AWE. Outside of work, she enjoys the outdoors, keeps fit and is a keen hockey player.

Recruiting Chapter Leads for Victoria, ACT and Northern Territory

We are on the lookout for women to step into the roles of chapter leads in ACT, Northern Territory and Victoria. If you want to contribute to the AWE Network and provide your leadership, organisation skills, ideas and networking skills we would like to hear from you. This is a great opportunity to join our other chapter leads in networking and supporting other women in emergencies. If you are interested, please contact Amanda Lamont at [email protected] for more information.

Recovery Leadership
AWE NZ Chapter Leads, Elizabeth McNaughton and Jolie Wills presented a Recovery Leadership webinar hosted by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience in which they gave insights and practical advice, case studies, guidance and tools for recovery leadership and supporting people working in recovery. To check it out please follow this link.

AWE/IAP2 Virtual Lunch Online Series
AWE is delighted to have partnered with the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) in May and June for a series of lunchtime seminars with speakers from our network in Australian and New Zealand showcased and speaking on aspects of community engagement. Five online sessions were held with almost 90 attendees from across both networks. Thanks to our fabulous and interesting members who spoke at these sessions including Sioux Campbell – Disaster Management Resilience Officer for Cairns Regional Council, Jolie Wills – Co-founder & Director of Hummingly, Associate Professor Michelle Villeneuve – The University of Sydney, Michelle Dunscombe – Community Development Practitioner, Jeder Institute, Tracy Grime – Community Engagement and Programs Coordinator, SA CFS.
Read more …

Phillipa Woolf Scholarship winners get underway
Our AWE Network 2020 Philippa Woolf Scholarship winners have commenced their studies. Well done Christine Hanger and Alicia Whiley!!

Other News

Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements

The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements was established on 20 February 2020 in response to the extreme bushfire season of 2019-20 which resulted in loss of life, property and wildlife and environmental destruction. Read more…

Watch the live webcast of proceedings
Read public submissions received by the Royal Commission
You can catch up on the recorded proceedings and witness statements here https://webstreaming.lawinorder.com.au/rcnda

Who’s been calling for action on climate change?
There have been calls for action on climate change for decades. Every day, more and more people and organisations are demanding a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and better protection of our precious environments. In recent years a range of groups have demanded more efforts to combat climate change, including:
●Australian Climate Roundtable
●Business groups
●Church leaders
●Community and social service sector
●Emergency Management Chiefs
●Environmental groups
●Farming organisations
●Health experts
●Humanitarian and aid organisations
●Insurers
●Medical professionals
●Unions
●Veterinarians
●Wildlife groups

National Bushfire and Climate Summit 2020

Emergency Leaders for Climate Action (ELCA) are hosting a series of virtual events as part of the national summit series on bushfires and climate change. The 2020 National Bushfire and Climate Summit is Australia’s first virtual bushfire and climate change summit, bringing together representatives from fire and emergency services, the military and home affairs, industry, economists, farmers, the health sector, veterinarians, scientists and local governments. Read more …

Across June and July, private National Bushfire and Climate Summit 2020 roundtable discussions will be held where experts will consider and make recommendations to put before Australia’s decision makers.

AWE supports all calls for action on climate change to help minimise the risks of extreme weather and natural hazards. Our sector does not want to see a repeat of the devastating, long-term bushfires that took place across Australia this summer. AWE was represented in the expert roundtable discussions by AWE co-founder Amanda Lamont.

There is a wrap-up event on Wednesday, 29 July @ 6pm AEST. Registration is essential – click here to register.

2019-20 Bushfire History Project

The 2019-20 Bushfire History Project is an initiative of the Royal Commission into the National Natural Disaster Arrangements. It is an opportunity for people to record their personal experience and share photos and videos taken during the 2019-20 bushfires or the ongoing recovery. The material received by the Royal Commission will form part of the official records of the Royal Commission.
Contribute your photos and videos

Creative Recovery Network: Creative Responders: In Conversation

Each month the Creative Recovery Network is featuring an in-depth conversation on monthly interview podcasts, Creative Responders: In Conversation with one guest – artists, emergency management experts, creative leaders and members of impacted communities sharing their personal experience.

In the latest Creative Recovery Network: Creative Responders In Conversation With Series, Scotia Monkivith, CEO Creative Recovery and Amanda Lamont, AWE Network, unpack some timely questions around Australia’s approach to disaster management and how we can build a better future to manage the complexity of multiple intersecting disasters. LISTEN NOW.

CRN is also busy preparing the second season of the Creative Responders documentary series which will be released later in the year. Read more …

ESF explores what women want
WPI student researchers Manon, Elizabeth, Krystina and Alexis.
The Emergency Services Foundation (ESF) partnered with Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Interactive Qualifying Project to investigate women’s perspectives on mental health and wellbeing in Victoria’s emergency management sector. This work was inspired by a general lack of qualitative information from women as a cohort group and a study by Movember which recommended that a gender lens be applied to look at support offered to women in the sector. Read more https://esf.com.au/about-us/projects/

“Many of the research findings probably reinforced things we know anecdotally. Of note was how it affirmed the important role managers and leaders play to support, demonstrate and lead on wellbeing culture and literacy. Recruiting and building capability in our leaders and managers to understand and prioritise wellbeing conversations for the women in our sector is so important.”
Australasian Women in Emergencies Network.

Female world leaders excelling in response to pandemic
Female world leaders are excelling in their responses to COVID-19 according to a number of sources, including a US national security and political science expert. Countries led by women are managing the pandemic more effectively because the election of women is a reflection of societies where there is a greater presence of women in many positions of power other analysis suggests.

Women are suffering more severe rates of job loss in COVID-19
ABS data confirms women are the most severely affected by COVID-19 job losses. The long-term implications include slowing women’s financial progress and lengthening the timeframe for financial equality in Australia., Lyn Craig says, “COVID-19 has laid bare how much we value women’s work, and how little we pay for it…The coronavirus crisis has made it brutally clear that care work, both paid and unpaid, is fundamental to our economic and social survival.”

Advancing gender equity in fire and emergencies
The Male Champions of Change Fire and Emergency works toward gender equality, advancing more women into leadership and building professional, respectful and inclusive environments for all in the fire and emergencies sector. Convened by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner Kristen Hilton, Male Champions of Change Fire and Emergency includes Chief Executives, Commissioners and Chief Fire Officers from 29 agencies responsible for fire, emergency and land management services across Australia and New Zealand. You can read more about their work in their 2019 progress report.

New Zealand: New Million-Dollar Fund for Women Announced
On 31 May, the Minister for Women, Hon Julie Anne Genter, announced a $1 million fund for organisations that support women and girls in Aotearoa New Zealand as part of the Government’s COVID-19 response. The Fund is for organisations that provide services or support to women and girls, and are experiencing an increased demand for services or a shortfall of funding due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information and a LINK TO APPLY CLICK HERE

AWE Events

AWE Conversation Series
AWE is excited to be hosting a new Conversation Series. With over 1300 members, we have a broad and inspiring range of skills and experiences, across a variety of roles in the emergency management and disaster resilience sector. Some of our members have decades of experience in roles as diverse as emergency response, emergency management, humanitarian support, community engagement, government policy and program, research and academia, consultancy, and volunteering.

The Conversation Series enables all of us to listen to and engage in conversation with our women leaders. We hold monthly conversations on the third Thursday of each month from 5-6pm (AEST).

This means that depending on where we are, we can enjoy
· An afternoon coffee/tea break (in WA)
· A late afternoon glass of wine or beer (in the central and eastern states) or
· An evening drink (in NZ).

The series is a great way to meet other members and enjoy sharing experiences and learning from one another. If you know a woman you’d love us to invite to the series, let us know at [email protected].

We are working behind the scenes to put links on the AWE website so members can enjoy the AWE/IAP2 series and the AWE Conversation series, at their leisure.

The first of our new AWE Conversations took place in June. Members enjoyed a conversation with Ruth Wraith – child psychologist, and emergency / trauma specialist, hosted by Margaret Moreton. Many turned up with a glass of wine or a cup of tea. Ruth shared stories of the roles she has enjoyed, lessons she has learned, and reflections of how much has changed in the workplace and in the emergency and disaster sector since she first began her career. Each month a member of the Executive Committee will host a conversation.

The second conversation will be with Georgie Cornish, Director, State Recovery, South Australia on Thursday 23 July at 5pm – 6pm (AEST).

Fellow South Australian, Amanda Lamont will be having a conversation with Georgie about her experience and reflections after the Black Summer in South Australia and share an update on recovery operations 6 months on from the bushfires.

Join us for afternoon tea in WA (3pm), last coffee run in SA and NT (4.30pm) after work spritzer in the eastern states (5pm) and an evening cocktail in NZ (7pm).

To join our conversation click this link

We look forward to seeing you on the 23rd!

NSW to host national AWE online event
As we are no longer restricted by travel and state boundaries (in our virtual world at least), the AWE Chapter Leads recently agreed that their upcoming online network events would be open to all members, irrespective of which chapter they are from. This will give us an opportunity to find out what is going on in other jurisdictions.

The AWE NSW Chapter has invited all members to join their next online meeting. Details will be emailed to members soon and we plan for this to be some time at the end of July.

Other Events

2020 Conferences
Australia New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management Conference (ANZDMC)
Brisbane, 1 – 2 October 2020
Leadership, Communication and Community Engagement
A Panel of AWE members will be presenting at the ANZDMC Conference on Women in Emergencies – Leading the change and facing the challenge

Emergency Management Conference
6 – 7 October – Melbourne
Evolution or Revolution?
Over the last 20 years, the Emergency Management sector has evolved in many ways. Are we satisfied with our progress or are we going around in circles? EMC 2020 will question how we have adapted and innovated over this period.

Postponed!
AFAC 20 and Australian Disaster Resilience Conference 2020
Following consultation with our key stakeholders it is with deep regret that we announce that AFAC20 powered by INTERSCHUTZ will be postponed. AFAC21 powered by INTERSCHUTZ which will run over the 17 – 20 August 2021 at the ICC Sydney.

Women In Public Sector Leadership Summit 2020 [Livestream + Physical Event]
25 – 28 August, 2020

Women In Leadership Summit 2020 [Livestream + Physical Event]
20 – 23 October, 2020 Sydney

Resilience at Risk: Cities, Crises and Confronting a Changed World Urban Webinar Series
via FB Live
Corruption & Crises – August 6 – Read More & RSVP
Disaster Interventions, Development Innovations – September 3
Prof. Meg Keen interviewed by Dr. Ronak P – Read More & RSVP
View all events on Facebook

Devex Series – COVID19 and Gender Related Issues

If there are other events you are attending, please let us know so we can let other members know about them. It would be great to have an AWE presence at these events, including side events, members wearing their AWE badges, poster displays, presentations, displays. Please get in touch with the AWE Committee at [email protected] if you would like further information on how to get involved.

AWE Chapter Update

New Zealand
Acknowledging the efforts of AWE NZ members

The last months have challenged us in so many ways. In recognition of this Hummingly would like to give away five Little Packs of Calm to members of AWE. The Little Pack of Calm includes New Zealand made products from New Zealand businesses – all designed to uplift and delight in these tough times. Please nominate someone you think would enjoy receiving a Little Pack of Calm and why you thought to nominate them (in a couple of sentences) by email to [email protected]. We will draw names from a hat and announce the winners in the next newsletter along with why the person was nominated.

IAP2 AWE Collaboration
The first in a series of webinars kicked off last month as a collaboration between IAP2 and the AWE Network. The New Zealand event saw Jolie Wills from Hummingly presenting to community engagement and emergency management professionals about leading yourself and others through the stress and uncertainty of COVID. Great to see the collaboration of two fantastic organisations in action.

AWE Mentoring Program

The AWE Mentoring Program is underway!

7 registered Mentees
15 registered Mentors, and
2 registered Mentor relationships.

AWE is proud to have a Mentoring Program available to members. The early feedback is very positive with both Mentors and Mentees reporting that they are enjoying and learning from the experience.

Log onto the AWE website and view the registered Mentors. (The password is AWENetwork). If you are a member of AWE and you have not yet registered to join the program, why don’t you take a look. You will see fabulous women ready to establish a Mentor/Mentee relationship.

This is a great opportunity to get involved with the AWE Network and support and learn from one another.

“We hit it off straight away and she gave me some valuable career advice on our first walk & coffee together! We’ve already made plans to meet up again, and I feel that this will be an enduring mentorship and professional friendship. So thank you to you and the AWE Team for making it all possible!”
AWE Mentee

“We have started our relationship with an online meeting but as soon as we are able we plan to meet in person as we live close by each other. We have already identified some key areas on which we will focus for our 12 month mentoring program and whilst we agree we want a relatively informal structure to our discussions, we have got specific themes planned for each of our monthly catch ups. I am looking forward to learning from my Mentee as much as I am looking forward to sharing information and insights.” AWE Mentor

For any questions that are not answered on the website, please contact Margaret Moreton, AWE Mentoring Coordinator at [email protected].

Job Opportunities

Keep your eye on the AWE Social Media pages for more job opportunities and application closing dates as some are closing outside the monthly newsletter cycle.

Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority – Executive Position
Applications close Tuesday 14 July
The Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) provides the critical link between the community and emergency services for all “000” calls. It partners with Victoria’s Police, Ambulance, Fire and SES agencies to facilitate community driven outcomes every day of the year.

The role of Executive Director, Emergency Communications Services is a newly defined position reporting directly to the CEO and is part of the executive leadership team. It is responsible for delivering state-wide emergency communications for Victoria by providing strategic leadership of 800 people in the provision of improved, innovative and future focused emergency communications services to the community.

Leading a high performing team, you will be responsible for

implementing ESTA’s strategic plan and vision with a strong focus on delivering community safety and health outcomes.
partnering with emergency service organisations’ to establish and strengthen the current emergency communications model and lead change and innovation for the future.
driving the new organisational strategy, cultural change and new ways of working
the development and facilitation of relationships and promote engagement amongst community groups, emergency service organisations’ and emergency management bodies.

ESTA is focused on building an inclusive culture that will contribute to our ongoing sustainability and success.

We are accelerating our commitment to action in achieving equitable employment opportunities and outcomes for women in leadership and women aspiring to leadership. ESTA aims to provide work conditions that are safe, flexible, accessible, equitable and inclusive, where diversity is valued and you can realise your potential.

Please apply here https://www.davidsonwp.com/job/executive-director-emergency-communications-services/

Bushfire Recovery Victoria
Applications close 9^th July
Bushfire Recovery Victoria is looking for a Business and Economy Recovery Coordinator in the North East. It is a key strategic, commissioning and problem-solving role that will build genuine partnerships and collaborate across all levels of government, businesses and not-for-profit organisations to support community-led recovery.
https://careers.vic.gov.au/job/recovery-coordinator-business-amp-economy-north-east-474002?returnurl=https%3A//careers.vic.gov.au/jobs/premier-and-cabinet/department-of-premier-and-cabinet

Community Security and Emergency Management Branch
Applications close 13^th July
2 Senior Policy Adviser roles in our emergency management and security policy teams. It’s a collaborative high-performing branch, where you can make an impact with your policy advice
https://careers.vic.gov.au/job/senior-policy-adviser-477609

Bureau of Meteorology
Applications close 23^rd July
Interested in a career in meteorology? Applications for our Graduate Meteorology Program are open now and close 23 July. Visit our Graduate Careers Page to find out more: http://ow.ly/xfx850AoAba

Scenic Rim Regional Council, Qld
Applications close up to 13^th July
Looking for your next exciting opportunity in the wonderful Scenic Rim region? We have a number of interesting roles that have opened up at Scenic Rim Regional Council! Check out the list below:

– Learning and Development Officer – applications to be received by 12 noon Friday 3 July
– Human Resources Officer – applications to be received by 12 noon Monday 6 July
– Horticultural Ganger (four positions available) – applications to be received by 12 noon Wednesday 15 July
– Ranger – applications to be received by 12 noon Thursday 9 July 2020
– Resilience Project Officer – applications to be received by 12 noon Monday 13 July 2020

You can find out more about how to apply for any of these positions on our website: https://lnkd.in/ghgQUzS

Organisational Development Consultant – Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority – Applications close up to 9^th July
The Organisational Development (OD) Consultant is a key part of the People, Culture & Reputation team supporting management to build core knowledge and skills needed to be a successful leader.
The role will initially focus on designing and delivering new Management Induction initiatives, that assist in building capability and driving people engagement.
https://www.seek.com.au/job/50138949?type=standard#searchRequestToken=9e18d252-9e5d-4944-88cf-d0e146518566

Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO)
Applications close 17^th July
Are you passionate about people? Are you an innovative and a lateral thinker who can work under pressure? This is the rare job that allows you to make a real difference by increasing emergency operational capability across our region. Click on the link below for more details.
https://careers.gw.govt.nz/jobs/GW-1467707

Research Associate position in urban resilience/disaster risk reduction and response at UNSW (Sydney)
We’re hiring! This is a genuinely exciting job opportunity for an ambitious individual working in disaster recovery, disaster risk reduction, urban resilience and/or humanitarian action to establish or consolidate their academic career in one or more of these areas.

Join UNSW Built Environment ( one of the largest built environment faculties in Australia) and have an impact on research and education relevant to the design, delivery and management of the 21st century city and the elements.

As a Research Associate, you will work closely with the Inaugural Judith Neilson Chair in Architecture, Professor David Sanderson, to develop research, build partnerships and produce publications in Australia and abroad concerning disaster risk reduction, disaster recovery, urban vulnerability, humanitarian action and resilience.

This job would suit an ambitious individual looking to establish or consolidate their academic career in one or more of the above areas.

https://www.devex.com/jobs/research-associate-754459?utm_source=devex&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=job_posting_confirmation_mail
https://external-careers.jobs.unsw.edu.au/ci/en/job/499624/research-associate

University of Sydney
Come study with our team. We have two PhD Scholarship opportunities for qualified candidates interested in making a difference in disaster risk management practices in Australian communities!

ARC Postgraduate Research Scholarship in Disaster Risk Management Practice: https://lnkd.in/g8WJBtw
Postgraduate Research Scholarship in Disaster Risk Management Practices: https://lnkd.in/gDT97VH
https://www.sydney.edu.au/scholarships/c/arc-research-scholarship-disaster-risk-management-practice.html

Professional Development and Resources

Emergency Services Foundations (ESF) – Mental Health Knowledge Hub
The Emergency Services Foundation (ESF) has developed a new online Knowledge Hub to bring together, in one place, a curated and independent selection of mental health and wellbeing information and resources relevant for individuals and organisations across the sector. Read more …

The Knowledge Hub homepage sits on the ESF website and further information can be found here

Previous ESF IMPACT eNews are available here.

Australian Red Cross – Anne Leadbeater: Local government and community-led recovery
Jul 9, 2020 09:30 AM in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Please join Australian Red Cross as we host Anne Leadbeater to talk about local government and community-led recovery.

National Guide: Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness COVID-19 Planning Guide – for people with disability is now available in Easy Read here https://collaborating4inclusion.org/covid-19-person-centred-emergency-preparedness/.
Congratulations to AWE Member Michelle Villeneuve and team on this great publication.

Social Media Update

AWE has a new organisation page on LinkedIn – you can follow us here https://lnkd.in/fUV7YFe

In case you missed it on social media this month:

Our AWE Network 2020 Philippa Woolf Scholarship winners have commenced their studies. Well done Christine Hanger and Alicia Whiley!!

Students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) (USA) have assisted the Emergency Services Foundation to understand what women from across Victoria’s emergency management sector feel will best support their mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. https://esf.com.au/about-us/projects/

DEVEX and UN Women – Focus On: Gender Data
To improve disaster risk reduction, aid and tech experts look to women
Several groups with a focus on risk reduction are pushing to increase women’s involvement — a key priority of the United Nations’ Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction — and to close the gender data gap to better inform efforts moving forward.

Household Resilience Program
The Queensland government has recently launched the Household Resilience Program, which provides funding to help eligible home owners in coastal parts of Queensland improve the resilience of their homes against cyclones:

COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting women
Dr. Rosemary Morgan of John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, US on the ways the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting women:

The Mary Fran Myers Gender and Disaster Award recognizes disaster professionals who continue Mary Fran Myers’ goal of promoting research on gender issues in disasters and emergency management.

Crisis Appeal: Support our Schools

The road back from Australia’s black summer – Amanda Lamont

Newsletter contributions

The AWE Newsletter is published monthly on the first Friday of the month. Please send submissions Submissions are due one week before. For queries or to change your subscription, or to let us know what you would like to see in the newsletter email us at [email protected].

We would love to hear from more of our members, there are many great successes we would love to hear about.

About AWE

The Australasian Women in Emergencies Network (AWE) promotes, supports and develops the contributions of women in emergency management and disaster resilience to help build stronger individuals, communities and organisations.

Visit our website to find out more and join at www.awenetwork.org.au

Our mailing address is: [email protected]

To become an AWE member, please click here.

AWE badges are available from our shop.

Donate to our fundraiser here https://www.gofundme.com/f/australasian-women-in-emergencies-awe-network