Women’s Health Loddon Mallee was proud to host our annual International Women’s Day Breakfast in early March, bringing community together to reflect on the urgent need to balance the scales on gender equality in a changing climate.
As climate‑related disasters increase, this year’s International Women’s Day event highlighted the importance of asking critical questions: who is most affected, whose voices are included in disaster planning and decision‑making, and whose needs are too often overlooked. These questions are especially relevant for regional and rural communities like those in the Loddon Mallee, where the impacts of bushfires, floods and extreme heat are deeply felt, but not experienced equally.
Our speakers, Dr Margaret Moreton, CEO of Gender and Disaster Australia, Dr Bronwyn Lay, Program Manager at Disaster Legal Help Victoria, and Dr Karen Anderson and Dr Nicole Johnson from Women’s Health Loddon Mallee, explored how women, girls and gender diverse people are more likely to face economic insecurity, increased caring responsibilities, and heightened risks to safety during and after disasters. These impacts are often compounded by rural isolation, disability, age, cultural background and financial disadvantage, reinforcing the need for fairer, more inclusive systems.
Guided by this year’s United Nations International Women’s Day theme, Balance the Scales, the conversation emphasised that gender equality must be embedded in the systems that shape access to power, resources and decision‑making. As climate impacts intensify, gender‑responsive planning, response and recovery are essential to ensure communities can respond and recover together.
The insights shared by our guest speakers will stay with us at Women’s Health Loddon Mallee as we continue to explore the links between gender and climate justice. We remain committed to advancing gender‑responsive planning, response and recovery as our region faces the growing impacts of climate change.
Keep Learning:
Interested in learning more about gender and climate justice? Find the resources discussed by our International Women’s Day speakers, and more, on our website: International Women’s Day Recommended Resources 2026
Tell us what you think:
We’d really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete a short evaluation survey if you were part of this year’s event. Your feedback and suggestions help us improve future events and ensure we remain responsive to the communities we serve.
Image Gallery
Thank you to photographer Diana Domonkos for capturing the event so beautifully.
