We work in partnership with community and key stakeholders, including local governments and organisations, to apply an intersectional gender lens to their planning, response, and recovery efforts to ensure that no one is left behind.
Some of Women’s Health Loddon Mallee’s past and present leaders reflect on our Women in a Changing Society portfolio.
A Blueprint for Gender Equity in Climate Planning and Response
Women’s Health Loddon Mallee (WHLM) is leading efforts to create gender-equitable responses to climate change and disasters. We are proud this year to have launched Weathering the Change: Climate Change, Emergencies and Disasters, and Gendered Health Equity in the Loddon Mallee. This comprehensive Theory of Change outlines strategies to address the unequal health and wellbeing outcomes of women, girls, and gender diverse people in the Loddon Mallee, promoting a gender-transformative approach to climate change, emergency, and disaster planning.
Climate change, emergency, and disaster situations present an immediate and escalating risk to public health. As we face more frequent and severe disasters, existing health inequities are compounded, disproportionately impacting women, girls, gender diverse people, and other marginalised communities.
Weathering the Change emphasises the importance of capturing and including diverse community voices in guiding disaster and emergency mitigation, preparation, response and recovery efforts. It also highlights the necessity of building workforce capacity and cross sectoral understanding of gendered health impacts, advocating for gender-transformative approaches to climate change planning, dedicated resourcing, leadership, collective action and reform ensuring more effective and equitable outcomes for all.
WHLM delivered two Lessons in Disaster training sessions this year – in Greater Bendigo and Macedon Ranges Shires, each attended by 12 participants. The sessions were well received, with the 24 participants noting that the content was informative and valuable, with plenty of practical insights to apply to their communities.
Disaster Context Sheets
WHLM has developed disaster context sheets for the Greater Bendigo and Campaspe Shires in partnership with Gender and Disaster Australia. These will be published in late 2025.
Women’s Health Loddon Mallee’s Women Rising project and research continue to gain recognition for its leadership in applying a gendered health promotion lens to climate change and disaster resilience. The initiative was featured in a media release by Women’s Health Services Network (WHSN), highlighting Victoria’s pioneering approach to gendered health promotion.
The project was also spotlighted in an interview with La Trobe University, contributing to their new Bachelor of Health Science subject, Challenging Contexts and Health Promotion Action. WHLM further amplified the project’s reach through a Croakey Health Media article and webinar, both of which have been shared with global health students at the University of Sydney.
Women Rising has been presented at several key events, including:
The project’s impact was formally recognised with two awards:
Women Rising continues to inspire action and collaboration across sectors, driving forward equitable and community-led responses to climate and disaster challenges.
Intersectional factors, including cultural and linguistic diversity, socio-economic status, and health and disability amplify the vulnerability of women and gender diverse people to environmental change.
Applying an intersectional gender lens to extreme weather events allows us to gain an understanding that experiences of these events are not universal. Therefore, how we work to prevent and respond to these challenges needs to reflect this. A one size fits all approach does not reflect the needs of the diverse communities that we work with.
The newly developed resource has been shared widely throughout the region.
