Leadership and action needed to resolve gender inequality issues

HEY Legends,
I hope you are all doing well. A week ago, I was complaining about my poor blistered hands, damaged from gardening and drumming and this week, I feel quite silly given recent horrific news in the Ukraine that snaps us back to a grim reality that we are living, amidst some truly once-in-a-lifetime events.

For many, this must feel like overwhelm on top of extant stressors, just when we were getting back into the swing of things and no doubt tired of proving our collective resilience in the face of adversity.

If you need help, please reach out or visit geelong.link/0888b0 for available support services.

March4Justice and International Women’s Day

Around this time in 2021, I made a speech at the March4Justice Rally protesting an end to gendered issues such as family violence, the gender pay gap and sexual abuse to a crowd of thousands of folks holding placards.

This year’s crowd was vastly smaller, perhaps shrunken by the myriad of events peppering our social calendar, or the shift to a Sunday.

Marching along, I noted absence of many community leaders and men in general, which begged the question Lara Bingle touted for Aussie tourism: “Where the bloody hell are ya?”.

In the lead up to International Women’s Day each year, it saddens me to think for all those busily advocating for women, promulgating the need for equality or nurturing the arduous leadership journey, there are many folks that think inequality is a ‘women’s problem’ and thus an issue resolved by women solely.

This couldn’t be further from the truth and I would encourage readers to open up a new dialogue about equality, in your home, workplace or sporting club.

True leadership and commitment to resolving gendered violence issues involves engagement and action.

Several important statistics have recently come to light regarding the further inequity caused throughout the pandemic, reiterated in the Gender COVID-19 Impact Analysis Research Report conducted by the council, which highlights statistics cited in an important document currently out for consultation (see below).

Social Equity Framework

They say you learn something new every day, however after a quick glance at the city’s Draft Social Equity Framework, you’ll find an incredible swathe of information including a stack of community data in Appendix 3 and intriguing case studies in Appendix 5.

Did you know that across our Greater Geelong region, 122 per 10,000 women are victims of family violence incidents? Did you know that the number of people aged 15-24 years is expected to increase by 56.6 per cent by 2041? Did you know that council’s MyStory project engaged over 1,000 people?

This framework highlights the complex nature of disadvantage and inequity, serving as a stark reminder of the hefty gruntwork required to ensure our community has the least possible exposure to socio-economic factors and environmental risks that stymie the health and wellbeing of our community. Since council is steadily preparing its budget, it is crucial that our social equity priorities are aligned to spending and Our Community Plan 2021-2025.

This framework aims to guide the implementation of action plans to address inequality, informing how we design council services and programs whilst intersecting with huge bodies of work such as our Sustainability Framework, Ba-gurrk Gender Equity Framework, Social Housing Plan, Access and Inclusion Action Plan and more.

In addition to our advisory committee workshops, the current framework draft is available for public comment and feedback, so please ‘Have Your Say’ and visit: yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au/SEF.

Given the broad range of social equity issues presented in this framework, it is essential that we get this framework right, and your help and commentary would be massively appreciated.

Women in Community Life Awards 2022

Pulling events together amidst the pandemic has had many folks pivoting like expert netballers and the curation of the Women in Community Life Awards has been no exception, with the city team maneuvering an accessible online format for the awards ceremony, similar to last year’s virtual event.

These awards form part of the city’s International Women’s Day celebrations, with this year’s theme being ‘Changing Climates: Equality today for a sustainable tomorrow’ citing the urgency required to examine our resilience against a changing environment and climate.

The awards will be presented across seven categories including climate action, disability and human rights, so please tune in on Thursday, March 10, and enjoy a special Q&A session with political journalist Annabel Crabb.

For more information and attendance registration, please visit geelongaustralia.com.au/wiclawards.

Love, peace and mungbeans,
Cr Belinda Moloney