WHGNE joins other Victorian Women’s Health Services and Gender Equity Victoria members to call for a gender equal recovery for Victoria.

After a tumultuous year for Victorian women, where they lost jobs at a greater rate than men, reduced their super balances and carried the burden of essential care work and home schooling, the Gender Equity Victoria submission sets out six priorities for government spending:

• Gender equal job creation;
• Boosting women’s health services;
• Gender responsive budgeting architecture;
• Imagining a care economy;
• Creating a gender and disaster workforce; and
• Strengthening gender equal communities.

The report was developed after months of consultation with member organisations, including the 12 Victorian Women’s Health Services.

Victorian Women’s Health Services identified six key priorities that will support women to thrive as we move towards a gender equal recovery:

• Increase investment in the Women’s Health Program;
• Support gender equity in Victorian women’s health and wellbeing outcomes;
• Implementation of a Victorian Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy;
• Recognise the importance of gendered violence prevention;
• Mental health and wellbeing for women; and
• Research and action on women in a changing society – climate change and pandemic recovery.

Women’s Health Goulburn North East is calling for the implementation of these six priority areas, and in particular those that will directly benefit our region.

“Women lost 109,000 jobs last year across Victoria. That’s why we have prioritised creating jobs for women to get them back to work. For example, we want government to triple the gendered violence prevention workforce. This would create 500 jobs needed to address a shadow pandemic and fulfil recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Family Violence.” 

 

“Despite being in the middle of a global health emergency, Women’s Health Services have not had an increase to core funding since their inception in the 1980s. If we want women to take up vaccines without fear of impact on pregnancies, to return to cancer screening services and access mental health support, we need women’s health services to be resourced for today – not a Victoria forty years ago.” 

“The initiatives recommended here will mean millions of dollars to our members and the communities they serve. If we want to see improvements in gender equity, women’s health outcomes and gendered violence rates we need to lift investment over multiple budget cycles.”