Women Leading Climate Change Action on Wiradjuri Country
Wagga Wagga, NSW | Wednesday, 26 April 2023

WCC founding members, Barbara Baikie OAM and Lyn Stephens, were delighted to take the WCC’s Charter for Change Roadshow to Wagga Wagga to meet women engaged in local issues and discover the ways in which we can support each other and bring the Charter Actions to life.

Participants engaged with the Charter actions through working with the Charter cards. The following issues and ideas for actions in Wagga were discussed. Here’s a harvest of the ideas and issues raised on the night:

City Council

• Set up a Women’s Reference Group for Council.

• Encourage Council to take a future generations lens on its decisions and a women’s lens.

• Find out more about the Welsh Future Generations Commissioner.

• Wagga could be a model for other LGAs.

A project to map social capacity in Wagga

• This could strengthen local connections and capacity for collaboration even further. 

Local business

• Decorporatise local government procurement. Support local ownership.

• Promote the Charter as a useful document for business – how to do this?  

Diverse outreach

• Women in the group wanted to engage with more diversity - particularly younger people, Indigenous people, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

• The mapping project could provide useful direction here

• Meet people where they are at – go to them, don’t expect them to come to you.

• Have another go at setting up a women’s Group in West Wyalong.

Explore new economic values

• For example:

  • Valuing the economic contribution of women’s work.

  • The Doughnut economy.

The critical importance of education 

• Young people are exposed to a range of toxic influences which were not there for previous generations.

• We need to nurture and support young people in the face of the existential threat of climate change.

• Consider meeting with the School Leaders program.

• We need to let young people know that older generations do care and that we are trying to do something about the mess we have created. 

Where is anger in all this?

• This was raised but not discussed on the night. WCC will put this topic up on its intranet forum for further discussion.

The role of older women

• Bring back the sense of sisterhood that was such a powerful support in the ‘70s.

• The role of the crone is powerful and can be embraced. 

Becoming a member of the WCC

• Membership is free and carries no obligations but is a way to stay in touch.

• If we got enough members maybe we could set up a Wagga chapter of the WCC.

Thanks

Many thanks to Deputy Mayor Jenny McKinnon for her support of the whole event and to Chrissy Bolton of Civic Library for help in setting up.

And thanks so much to everyone who came. Lyn and Barbara left inspired and invigorated by the conversation and the wonderful woman energy in the room!