CFA'S North West Region is taking the lead on gender equity and the prevention of violence against women.
At last week’s Regional Leadership Team meeting, the North West Region Gender Equity and Violence Prevention Action Plan was unanimously endorsed, bolstering the Region’s commitment to taking well-planned, affirmative action.
"Supporting CFA’s role in advocacy, action and strategy in this space is not new to the north-west," says Gavin Thompson, Assistant Chief Officer North West Region. "We’ve been on this journey since White Ribbon Day in 2014 and we now have a legitimate, tactical framework to help us achieve our aims".
The plan maps out a range of realistic and effective actions to be implemented over the next four years. It was developed by key CFA staff and volunteers in partnership with Women’s Health Loddon Mallee, using assessment tools developed by Women’s Health in the North. Both organisations were key partners on the initial Advisory Group established in 2014.
The core focus of the plan is to resource and strengthen the capabilities of our leaders to actively promote positive cultures and prepare the organisation for change. This is in line with government legislation and the shift in the broader community sector.
"Our regional leaders are fully supportive and already taking action on gender equity and inclusion more broadly," Gavin says. "By sharing best practice and by developing workforce training opportunities and partnerships with key agencies, we’ll contribute to positive cultural change within the region.
"I’d like to thank and acknowledge the great innovation and foresight shown by our former ACO Mike Wassing and my team for championing such an important piece of work."
Achieving gender equity and decreasing violence against women are critical to improving the health and wellbeing of individuals, families and communities. It’s also critical to making fairer, safer and more inclusive communities.
CFA is ‘from the community, for the community and by the community’; an inspiring message about our roots. The statement also indicates how we’ve generated respect as leaders in our communities over generations.
By striving for greater gender equity and violence prevention, our proud traditions will be strengthened and our leadership enhanced to make us a more contemporary organisation, truly representative of the communities we serve.
Congratulations to North West Region for their outstanding leadership.
For more on gender equity and workplace diversity see: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/10/gender-diversity-at-work-using-education-to-tackle-the-backlash
Author: Debra Salvagno