Communities affected by bushfire and its aftermath have unique and specific needs when it comes to the prevention of violence against women and gender responsive recovery.
WHGNE provided support and guidance around gender equity and bystander action to regional councils responsible for bushfire affected communities. Project funding support came from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing Primary Prevention of Violence Against Women in Bushfire Affected Communities fund (2021-22). Due to the funding period being extended, WHGNE continues to support four regional councils through the delivery of gender equity and bystander action training into 2022-23.
Deliverables for this project included:
- the planning, coordination and delivery of a Community of Practice for local governments in partnership with Gippsland Women’s Health;
- the planning, coordination and delivery of an online marketing campaign for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, based on the gendered drivers of family violence and linked to disaster impacts; and
- the provision of tailored support to four regional councils: Alpine Shire, Mansfield Shire, Rural City of Wangaratta and Towong Shire, encompassing the delivery and support of 12 primary prevention activities.
Our impact: Being responsive to our partners needs in real-time
One key activity under the Primary Prevention of Violence Against Women in Bushfire Affected Communities program was the Community of Practice for local governments, in partnership with Gippsland Women’s Health. Key Council staff responsible for the delivery of their own individual projects have been invited to participate in regular online meetings to support ongoing gender equality work.
The first Community of Practice session was held on Thursday 26th May with representation from four of the five partner councils to discuss a reflection on where people are on their gender equality journey and how they are navigating their Gender Equality Action Plans (GEAP). The outcome of this session was for the next session (scheduled for July 2022) to provide concrete and practical steps in the development and implementation of Gender Impact Assessments in the context of bushfire and other disaster recovery. Due to the broad focus of the topic having relevance to other regional councils undertaking the Gender Equality Act obligations, there has also been a real willingness from participants to open up invitations to other councils in Goulburn, Ovens Murray, and Gippsland areas to be able to further connect and share with peers.
The adaptability demonstrated in this partnership project with Gippsland Women’s Health has been further utilised and adopted in other partnership approaches in WHGNE health promotion work and has helped shape what co-design and community engagement look like in listening to communities and being able to advocate on the ground experiences and needs.