AWE Newsletter - March 2023

Promote Support Recognise

Welcome to the March 2023 edition of the AWE Newsletter

AWE News

International Women’s Day
Wednesday 8 March is International Women’s Day! We encourage you to attend one of the events AWE has planned including our online Innovation Cafe and Pool Party, social media blitz and events in local areas. See below for details of how you can get involved and celebrate International Women’s Day 2023 with AWE, or check out our webpage.

Lessons Management Forum tickets
AWE, proudly sponsored by C3 Resilience, is providing members the opportunity to win one of four in-person attendance registrations to the 2023 Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR) Lessons Management Forum, 27-29 June in Canberra. See below for full details, including how to apply.

Philippa Woolf Scholarship
The 2023 Philippa Woolf Scholarships, generously sponsored by ACIM Solutions, open on 22 March. Two full scholarships are available to AWE members to study the Diploma of Public Safety (Emergency Management) at ACIM Solutions. We’ll be hosting a Q&A on Friday 21 April and full details will be available in the next newsletter. In the meantime, check out our webpage for more information.

Research participants wanted
AWE and the University of Sydney are calling on AWE members to volunteer to participate in new research. The aim of the Diversity & Inclusion in Resilience Building Projects research is to understand the challenges that women in emergency management face in their workplace, specifically those who are involved in resilience building or disaster related projects. The results of the research will be made available to AWE and its members, enabling AWE to better understand the sector and ensuring we can provide relevant support and assistance to our members.

Interviews of between 45-60 minutes will be conducted during March either face-to-face or online. To find out more, please contact Susan Claire Alvarez, Dr Nader Naderpajouh or Dr Marzena Baker at the University of Sydney, or Amanda Lamont at AWE.

AWE Retreat Magentic Island
In February, we hosted the very first AWE Retreat! Staying on beautiful Magnetic Island, attendees were treated to a weekend of great company, excellent food, and some wonderful experiences.

Thank you to Julie Carmody, and the Horseshoe Bay Rural Fire Brigade for supporting us, and hosting us at the Station. Thanks also to Margaret Lessells, Kate Austin, Energy Queensland, QPS and the Monsoons and Mojitos Book Club for our goodie bags!

The event fostered new friendships, deeper connections, and relaxation in a stunning environment.

Huge thanks to AWE QLD Chapter Lead Alicia Palmer for organising this fantastic opportunity for AWE members.

AWE International Women’s Day

Check out the range of activities we’ve got lined up to celebrate International Women’s Day here!

AWE IWD Innovation Cafe and Pool Party

Wednesday 8 March, 7pm-8.30pm

To help celebrate International Women’s Day 2023 theme of Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future we’re hosting an online I nnovation Café and Pool Party!

Members are invited to come along and share short stories of ideas and innovations which are transforming gender equity in the emergency management and disaster resilience sector. The Innovation Cafe will be followed by a fun online Pool Party networking event where members will get to
mingle and meet others.

AWE IWD Events in Victoria

AWE Yarra Ranges Breakfast
Come along and join us to celebrate IWD over breakfast at 8am on
Wednesday 8 March at Hutch & Co, Lilydale.
RSVP here

AWE Melbourne Lunch
Join your Melbourne AWE colleagues for lunch to celebrate IWD at 12.30pm on Wednedsay 8 March at Vapiano, 344 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.
RSVP here.

AWE IWD social media blitz

We’d love you to support AWE and women in emergencies by sharing your own messages of support, recognition and celebration, or re-sharing AWE messages on social media. Promotion and recognition of the important role that women play in all aspects of emergencies is a key foundational principle of the AWE Network. Help share our story!

Tag AWE on Facebook @AWENETWORK on LinkedIn @AWE_NETWORK and Twitter @NETWORK_AWE

Other IWD events

If you are attending other IWD events such as ESF’s International Women’s Day 2023 Embrace Equity forum, or NHRA’s International Women’s Day: Women in natural hazards research panel discussion, make sure you wear your AWE badge and let others know about the AWE network and how they can find out more about us. You can also share any events of interest on social media and please tag AWE so others can see them.

Lessons Management Forum free tickets

AWE, proudly sponsored by C3 Resilience, is providing members the opportunity to win one of four in-person attendance registrations to the 2023 Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR) Lessons Management Forum in Canberra, 27-29 June in Canberra.

To enter tell us in 25-50 words why you’d like to attend the 2023 AIDR Lessons Management Forum and what you hope to take away from it.

Enter now!

Entries close 5pm AEST Monday 10 April 2023

Successful applicants will be announced on Wednesday 12 April 2023

Members might also be interested in attending the AWE Open Discussion – Lessons Management coming up in March – see below for details

AWE Events

AWE Open Discussion – Lessons Management

Wednesday 22 March 7pm AEDT

With an increase in emergencies and disasters there is an increase in the number of reviews, inquiries and Royal Commissions. How do we prioritise learning from the lessons identified, while also balancing the implementation and monitoring of recommendations? What are some of the challenges we are facing in our organisations?

Join AWE Committee members Carla Bailey and Lisa Jackson, and other AWE members, at the AWE Open DIscussion – Lessons Management to reflect on your experiences and insights into how lessons are managed.

Book now

AWE Overnight Hike – Victoria 11 – 12 March

We still have two places available for the AWE Overnight Hike to beautiful
Baw Baw National Park on 11-12 March

For more information head to the AWE website here, or contact Amanda Lamont.

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 Women in Emergencies for Climate Action

In our February Women in Emergencies for Climate Action meeting, we were joined by two guest speakers:

Victoria McKenzie-McHarg shared information about Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia and invited AWE members to contact her for further information about their program and opportunities available for our organisations. I know a couple of people have already reached out to Victoria and we will follow up with further opportunities for AWE.
Janet Salisbury also shared insights and information about the Women’s Climate Congress and ways to get involved. We will be running a joint networking event in ACT soon.

The Q&A session following the presentations demonstrated the synergies and opportunities across our three organisations, identifying common areas of interest as well as challenges. We will continue to explore how we can support each and find points of impact and change.

If you would like to know more about these parterships and opportunties for you and your organisation, contact Amanda Lamont or have a look at the above websites.

If you would like to subscribe to the AWE Women in Emergencies for Climate Action email list to get updates, resources and information and notification of events, please subscribe here and you will be added to our mailing list.

AWE Member Profile

Proud AWE member and
Founder and Managing Director,
Resilient Ready
Renae Hanvin

Coming from a corporate background, I started in emergency management and disaster resilience as a bit of an outsider, but more and more I feel I belong.

In 2014 I was working at Australia Post and led their disaster responses for a couple of years, including the response to the Brisbane floods. I became very interested in the sector and discovered my passion, but I often found myself as the ‘only corporate’ in the room.

After I left Australia Post I started consulting and set up a social enterprise called corporate2community, which helps build everyday resilience capabilities in organisations of any size, industry and structure. Last year we rebranded to Resilient Ready and expanded our offerings.

For the past 10 years of consulting in the disaster resiience space, I’ve become possibly the most knowledgeable person in business community resilience in Australia. It’s where my passion lies and where I’m trying to drive positive change. You might be think business means the big end of town but in fact 98 per cent of businesses are small ones like your local hairdresser, GP, chemist, mechanic or farmer. They’re the ones I’m wanting to build resilience in – to keep them in business.

I provided some strategic advice to AWE in its early days. I love how AWE has evolved into this wonderful network of amazing women who help each other. I’m no longer the only corporate in the room at sector events, and I really value the support and connections AWE brings.

You can find out more about Renae’s work at Resilient Ready or contact Renae directly at [email protected]

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

Q: I want to be more involved in my community’s flood recovery by volunteering but my circumstances right now mean that I can’t commit regularly. What are my options?

A: It’s great that you want to give your time to your local community! Don’t forget that while volunteers are always welcome, many communities are overwhelmed post-disaster and don’t have the capacity to manage volunteers, so waiting a few months before you volunteer can be a good idea. You can also consider joining a volunteering organisation at any time so that if an emergency or disaster does hit, you’re already on board and able to help. Check in with organisations that play a role in disaster relief and recovery such as Red Cross, Blaze Aid or Disaster Relief Australia.

Australia’s volunteering peak body Volunteering Australia has a wealth of information on volunteering and volunteering opportunities. Each state and territory also have its own volunteering peak body, which can be accessed through Volunteering Australia. Another place to hunt for your next opportunity is Seek Volunteer. You can also try your local council for more opportunities. However you choose to engage, you should be able to find something to match your interest, availability and skillset.

If you’re working in the recovery space you may come across volunteers who emerge wanting to assist community members or community organisations, typically after a large-scale disaster, known as spontaneous volunteers. You can find out more about managing spontaneous volunteers through AIDR’s knowledge hub including the Spontaneous Volunteers Handbook and National Strategy.

The emergency and disaster resilience sector is dependent on the time, skills and contributions of a huge number of volunteers across the planning, preparedness, response, relief and recovery phases of emergencies and disasters. While volunteering for emergency services requires training and commitment, there is an increasing number of flexible volunteering opportunities across these areas – there’s bound to be one that suits you. And whether you already volunteer or might volunteer in the future, our communities say thank you!

The AWE Q&A provides answers your questions by calling on the experience and expertise of our AWEsome membership. Email us your questions today.

News, events and resources

Gender and disaster training: Gender and Disaster Australia’s Lessons in Disaster training aims to strengthen the capacity of health, community and emergency sectors to challenge gender stereotypes and inequalities, and to understand the relevance of family violence to disaster. A range of dates are available throughout 2023.

Preventing sex discrimination and harassment at work: The Anti-Discrimination and Human Rights Legislation Amendment (Respect at Work) Act 2022 commenced on 13 December 2022, and is a milestone in addressing workplace sexual harassment in Australia. The Act introduces a positive duty requiring employers to take reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate sex discrimination, sexual and sex-based harassment, hostile work environments and victimisation. Find out more here.

Donate for a gender equal Australia: The Australian Gender Equality Council (AGEC), of which AWE is a member, advocates to prevent harm and improve the safety, respect, health, representation and economic security of all Australian women. AGEC is a volunteer organisation that receives no government funding, and can only do its important work through member and community donations. If you’d like to support AGEC’s fundraising campaign It’s Time. For a Gender Equal Australia, please click here.

Recovery Exercise Toolkit: A Recovery Exercising Toolkit has been developed by the National Emergency Management Agency and the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR) and is published on the AIDR Knowledge Hub. The Toolkit has been designed to be user-friendly and is applicable across all state and territories.

Disaster recovery short course: The University of Melbourne short course Foundations in Disaster Recovery: Understanding Impacts to People and Communities, will run from May 8 – June 9 2023. It provides a foundation for disaster recovery practitioners, volunteers and community leaders who want to deepen their understanding of disaster recovery, how to consider disaster related impacts and how to access evidence-based materials to support practice.

Multiculturalism, language and disaster: A new blog from Griffith University Language matters in crises and disasters, explores the multilingual practices of governments communicating about significant health matters including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Black Summer research report: A new report, Understanding the Black Summer bushfires through research, has been published by Natural Hazards Research Australia (the Centre) that summarises the key research findings from the wide-ranging Black Summer research program, undertaken by the Centre and the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC in the years since the 2019-20 fire season.

Black Summer and biodiversity: A new book – The Burning of Australia’s Nature with contributions from more than 200 scientists and managers – examines the extent of biodiversity loss caused by Australia’s Black Summer wildfires and what lessons our country must learn.

Climate change, disasters and mental health: A landmark study into the mental health toll of compounding and worsening climate change has uncovered widespread distress as Australians grapple with more destructive and deadly disasters and rising insurance premiums. Read more in The Climate Council’s Climate Trauma: the growing toll of climate change on the mental health of Australians report.

Job Opportunities

ACT
Sustainability & Climate Change – 2024 Graduate Program – Deloitte

NSW
Senior Specialist Advisor – Department of Regional NSW
Senior Regional Disaster Welfare Officer – NSW Department of Communities and Justice

QLD
Regional Community Engagement Coordinator – Maryborough – QLD Fire &Emergency Services
Disaster Resilience and Recovery Support Officer – Moreton Bay Regional Council

SA
Operations Coordinator – Royal Flying Doctor Service SA/NT

TAS
Regional Recovery Officer – Department of Premier and Cabinet
Emergency and Fire Safety Coordinator – Department of Health

VIC
Emergency Management Coordinator – Kingston City Council
Emergency Planning Coordin ator – RMIT University

WA
Disaster Management Co-ordinator – Joondalup Health Campus Ramsay Health
Emergency Services Officer – Royal Flying Doctor Service

NZ
Senior Communications Advisor and Communications Advisor – Fire and Emergency NZ
Reporting and Insights Analyst – Earthquake Commission

Key sector 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’ll help you to connect.

8 March I nternational Women’s Day

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

1-3 May Natural Hazards Research Forum 2023

23-26 May 2023 Floodplain Management Conference

27-29 June 2023 Lessons Management Forum

4-5 July Emergency Management Conference 2023 Melbourne

11-12 July Disaster and Emergency Management Conference

22-25 August AFAC23 & Australian Disaster Resilience Conference 2023 & WAFA23

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]

To become an AWE member, please click here.

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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.