Over 200 women in Gippsland, Victoria had an opportunity to tackle some of the hot issues in their communities and provide local, on the ground views to government in an event that the Regional Women’s Advisory Council is hoping to repeat in other regions throughout 2004. Women on the Move, jointly hosted by the Regional Women’s Advisory Council and the Gippsland Women’s Network, was a very successful one-day conference, held in Sale, Victoria in November 2003.
It was the culmination of a collaborative effort between the local Councils, the Gippsland Area Consultative Committee and the Victorian and Australian Governments working with local community networks. The groundwork of a local steering committee, tapping into local knowledge and with a strong understanding of local issues was a major factor in the conference’s success.
A session dedicated to water issues was a particular highlight, with speakers including a water rights solicitor, environmental journalist, academics and Local and State Government representatives providing new insights and understanding into a major emerging issue in the region.
A women and small business workshop explored the experiences of local women establishing and running small businesses, with stories of successes and failures providing good learning. Opportunities to establish good networking and mentoring contacts were also realised.
A session focusing on changes occurring in rural communities offered a good beginning discussion of a topic made difficult by the breadth of the issues involved.
The idea for the Women on the Move conference came from the second AustralianWomenSpeak Conference in Canberra staged in March last year and hosted by the Office of Status of Women. It was felt that women in the regions should have similar opportunities to get together, share stories, form networks to build their communities and celebrate their achievements.
Specific objectives for the Gippsland conference were to:
- provide feedback to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services, John Anderson, on current issues for the region;
- support, inspire and empower local women;
- promote women’s participation in local issues through community networks.
The success of the conference and the enthusiasm shown by Gippsland women participating on the day have encouraged the Regional Women’s Advisory Council to try to repeat the experience in other regions.
Local Councils and rural women’s groups interested in the possibility of working together to host a similar event should contact Fiona McDonald from the Regional Women’s Advisory Council secretariat on (02) 6274 7857.
Information about the Regional Women’s Advisory Council is also available from the website at www.dotars.gov.au/regional/rwac/index.htm or email rwac@dotars.gov.au.
