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Welcome to the November 2022 edition of the AWE Newsletter

 

 
 

 

 
 

AWE News

 

 
 

Australasian Women in Emergencies Day 2022

‘So many inspiring and supportive women working, volunteering, studying and
leading before during and after disasters for enduring and inclusive resilience
outcomes for our communities’
Resilience NSW 

In our second year celebrating Australasian Women in Emergencies Day, we were joined by emergency management and emergency services organisations around Australia and New Zealand. There was a yellow explosion on social media and at events in board rooms, coffee shops and bars as people came together to recognise and celebrate the important role women play in emergencies and disasters.

‘I am so grateful for the opportunities to learn from wāhine so far this year – whether from brilliantly resilient women leading their own local communitues, or strong knowledgable women guiding work in the field internationally – you are all inspiring!
It is great to be able to continue to connect with wāhine who are part of  the
Australasian Women in Emergencies Network’
Mirren A, New Zealand

The highlight of the day was our lunchtime forum where over 130 people joined in to hear from women leaders in the emergency management sector as we recognised and embraced the changes we are seeing in the emergency sector and shared ideas about how we can ensure a future with meaningful and recognised contributions from women.

         

           

                 

‘A huge thank you to the incredible women who have been working hard for decades
to get us where we are today. We are standing on your shoulders and are here
because of your hard work paving the path’
Lily Brown, Forest Firefighter

Check out the messages and photos on our webpage, and
if you missed the Forum you can watch it here.

            

If you would like to get involved in organising future AWE events, and the AWE Day next year, please contact [email protected]

Australasian Women in Emergencies Day Forum review

Change is the new normal was the topic of the 2022 Australasian Women in Emergencies Day Forum. Listening to Margaret Moreton, Anne Pickles and Bronnie Mackintosh talk about change in the emergency management sector gave me great hope for the future.

People’s experiences of change hinge on the degree of control they have, and what trade-offs are made and by whom in the event of change occurring. For instance, your experience of moving to a new country is going to be vastly different depending on the circumstances of that move, and how much control you have over them. Moving for a new job is vastly different experience to moving because international conflict makes your very existence untenable.

The emergency sector is hugely dynamic and is both facing and driving change on many fronts. Margaret, Anne, and Bronnie all took turns discussing the complexities of the sector, and why driving change from within is so necessary to bring about a better future for the sector, and therefore more broadly for Australian and New Zealand communities. Between them, they pointing to a whole range of examples of programs and initiatives that have already achieved great change. These programs provide blueprints and inspiration for similar change in the future. The speakers discussed positive social change with programs such as Girls on Fire; positive policy changes from within the fire sector; and even positive technological changes that are being funded and developed.

The message from the forum was that we as a sector and as a society are facing some difficult changes that are currently beyond our individual control. However, by working collectively we are more than capable of meeting those challenges by designing and implementing some changes of our own.

You can view the Forum here. 


AWE AGM and Call for nominations

The 2022 AWE AGM will be held on Tuesday 6 December at 5pm.

Join the AWE Committee, AWE members and friends to hear about our activities over the past year, learn what’s in store for 2023, and find out who’s been elected to the AWE Committee. 

Book now

We are calling for nominations for the AWE Committee. Committee member Zoe D’Arcy says,

“Go on, nominate yourself for the AWE Committee. I’m just so impressed with what a difference to the world this committee makes. Working and volunteering in the emergency sector – in all its aspects – is tough and rewarding in equal measure. The AWE committee is right there on the coal face, working out how best it can support its members. I encourage you to get involved and make a difference – to your own career, to AWE members, and to the Emergency Management sector.”

Nominations close 1 December.

Please email us to find out more and how you can nominate.

AWE Women in Emergencies for Climate Action
COP 27 – Lunchtime Forum – 12pm Monday 7 November
Next week the world’s attention will be on Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt as people and governments from around the world meet to discuss action and make pledges on global climate change agreements: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, or the Paris Agreement. This will be the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

AWE’s Women in Emergencies for Climate Action Group Chair, Amanda Lamont will host a special lunchtime discussion on Monday 7 November where members can discuss what COP27 means for them or their organisation, and share information about how COP27 is highlighting impacts of climate change on women and disasters.

You can join the meeting here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88007862846?pwd=RlY5R2pSTmgrM3pvU3UvVkdIS0h2dz09
Topic: AWE Women in Emergencies for Climate Action – COP 27
Time: 12pm AEDT Monday 7 November 2022  

 

 
 

AWE Events

 

 
 

AWE Open Discussion: Engaging with multicultural communities in emergencies

12pm Wednesday 16 November                                                                            

We live in an increasingly diverse society, but COVID-19 has highlighted how migrant and refugee communities continue to be disproportionately affected by emergencies and disasters. Join other AWE members and special guests  Hayat Doughan and Deepa Gupta from the Victorian Multicultural Emergency Management Partnership to explore how we can best engage with multicultural communities before, during and after emergencies and disasters.

The AWE Open Discussion: Engaging with multicultural communities in emergencies will be led by AWE President Bridget Tehan.

Book now

AWE Breakfast Sydney
Wednesday 9 November
8am
Details to follow
RSVP Amanda

AWE Networking Drinks Townsville 
Wednesday 16 November
5pm onwards
Longboards
The Strand, Townsville
RSVP Alicia 

AWE Breakfast Brisbane
Wednesday 23 November
8am
Details to follow
RSVP Amanda

AWE Networking Drinks Brisbane
Wednesday 23 November
5pm onwards
Frogs Hollow Saloon
26 Charlotte St, Brisbane City
RSVP Alicia 
 

AWE AGM

5pm Tuesday 6 December

Join the AWE Committee, AWE members and friends to hear about our activities over the past year, our financial performance, and learn what’s in store for 2023.

Book now.

 

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

 

 
 

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 have recently been working in flood affected areas of Victoria. I have had several discussions with my colleagues about how gender impacts the way a person experiences a disaster. Is there anywhere I can learn more about this?

A: Research has found that gender can influence how people perceive what is risky, who makes decisions and how people get or seek help or support during or following an emergency. Gender issues are known to compound the damaging effects of disaster on survivors. Increasing understanding of the relationship between gender and disaster will improve the health and wellbeing of both women and men affected by disaster across Australia.

Australian and international research shows that issues relating to gender are known to compound the already damaging effects of disasters:

  • Violence against women and family violence increase at times of disaster. This can include an increase in severity for women already experiencing violence or first-time occurrences. Women with disabilities are particularly vulnerable.
  • Communities and support workers are more likely to make excuses for family violence during and after a disaster, justifying it as emerging from ‘stress’, ‘frustration’ or ‘trauma’.
  • Gender inequalities are heightened. Emergency management services and Emergency Management Planning Committees are usually male dominated, both in numbers and within their culture. Given this, it is largely men who decide how a community mitigates, responds to or recovers from disaster. The gender balance is becoming less of an issue as more women enter and work in the sector, but it still exists
  • Traditional gender roles and stereotypes are reinforced. For example, expectations that so-called ‘real men’ act as heroes, avoid showing emotion or don’t seek help – all of which can deeply impact men’s mental health.
  • Risk of discrimination, harassment or abuse increases for LGBTIQ people. This can result in LGBTIQ people being reluctant to access support services, particularly if they are faith-based.

There are many resources available that explore this topic and provide knowledge and reference frameworks. Here are just a few:

Speaking with your fellow colleagues in Emergency Management about their experiences with gender diversity can help to increase your understanding and knowledge outside of research. Keep having conversations with your network to deepen your knowledge. 

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

 

 
 

 

 
 

Children and bushfire recovery: Bushfire Recovery – The Children’s Voices, produced by charities Royal Far West and UNICEF Australia, finds that elevating the specific needs and voices of Australian children in disaster recovery responses will help build their resilience in the long-term.

Community broadcasting in emergencies: Community media is essential in getting local, timely news out to those who need it most. A key insight from the new report Beyond Broadcasting is that community media organisations are unique in their ability to use local knowledge and connections to consult with local communities, and can work closely with government bodies to enhance its emergency broadcast and support services.

Children’s book: Emergency Emergency – Vehicles to the Rescue is a new children’s picture book about the people who keep us safe and the vehicles getting them where they need to be. You can contact the author here.

Volunteers wanted for wellbeing study: Phoenix Australia has recently developed a mobile app, Well-Ahead SOLAR, to improve mental health and wellbeing for female ex-serving military and former emergency service members. The Well-Ahead SOLAR app teaches evidence-based ways of improving sleep, managing strong emotions, enhancing wellbeing, and coming to terms with difficult experiences. Phoenix Australia is seeking volunteers who are experiencing challenges with mental well-being to participate in the Well-Ahead Study and trial the app.  More information can be found here.

Independent COVID review: The key finding in Fault Lines: An independent review into Australia’s response to COVID-19, is that policies were too often designed and implemented without proper regard for the inequalities in our society and the vulnerabilities of key communities. Recommendations include better harnessing the frontline experience of business, unions, the community sector and local government in crisis planning and response.

Climate justice and gender: A new study from Scotland, International climate justice, conflict and gender, identifies a range of priorities and entry points to ensure development strategy more systematically and meaningfully engages with the relationships between climate change, conflict and gender inequality.

An age of crises: The article Fires, floods, pandemic: The age of overlapping crises states that with climate change we’re seeing more crises, more often – and as the gap between crises narrows, we are less able to recover from one to the next.

About WIN DRR: The Women’s International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) is a professional network to support women working in disaster risk reduction, in all their diversity. The overall goal of WIN DRR is to empower women to attain leadership and enhance their role in decision-making in disaster risk reduction in Asia-Pacific. This booklet aims to provide an introduction to the WIN DRR programme and its four components.

 

 

 
 

Job opportunities

 

 
 

ACT
WHS and Emergency Coordinator and Advisor, Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development

QLD
Manager Disaster Management, Queensland Health
Principal Community Recovery Officer, Queensland Government

NSW
Senior Policy and Project Officer, Preparedness, Ministry of Health
Senior Resilience Project Officer, Bayside Council

SA
Regional Commanders (x3) – South Australian Country Fire Service
Resilience Manager, SA Water

TAS
Fire, Safety and Security Coordinator, Department of Communities
SMR – Emergency Response Officer, MSS Strategic Medical and Rescue

VIC
Emergency Management Engagement Officer, Manningham Council
Advisor, Emergency Management, Yarra Trams

WA
Director Community Engagement,  Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale

NZ
Senior Programme Coordinator – Climate Emergency Response, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
Senior Sustainability & Resilience Consultant, AECOM

 

 
 

 

 

 
 

Other events

 

 
 

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

7-9 November      ISCRAM Asia Pacific regional conference – ISCRAM

 

 
 

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.
 

 

 

 
 

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