Lessons in Disaster, Adelaide, October 2025

Gender and Disaster Australia is bringing our award winning Lessons in Disaster training to your community.

Tickets are free thanks to federal funding from the Commonwealth Government, through the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032.

Do you work with communities affected by disasters? Don't miss out on our valuable Lessons in Disaster training.

With the heightened probability of more intense and frequent disasters due to climate change, coupled with social fragmentation and mounting pressure on emergency services, communities face growing challenges in recovery. Extended recovery periods will have an adverse effect on families, partners, and specific vulnerable groups. Research has demonstrated an upsurge in domestic and family violence following such disasters.

Our Lessons in Disaster training will help you understand:

• The distinct experiences of women, men, and LGBTIQA+ people during disasters.
• How gender roles often expect men to protect and provide while women are expected to prioritise nurturing others at the expense of their own safety.
• That LGBTIQA+ people's needs are frequently overlooked in disaster situations.
• That applying a gendered lens at every stage of disaster leads to stronger and more inclusive communities in recovery.

The program for the day is as follows.

9.30am to 11.30am Session 1: Gender and Disaster – the evidence

11.30am to 11.45am Morning Break

11.45am to 1.15pm Session 2: The Drivers of Family Violence in Disasters

1.15pm to 1.45pm Lunch (light lunch provided)

1.45pm to 3.15pm Session 3: Disaster, Gender and Diversity

3.15pm - 3.30pm Afternoon Break

3.30pm - 5.00pm Session 4: Working Towards Change

THIS TRAINING PROVIDES PARTICIPANTS WITH:

• Knowledge of the concept of the social construction of gender and the impact on men and women’s experience of disaster

• Knowledge to identify the implicit and explicit behaviours of individuals, and the organisational practices that support rigid gender roles

• Strategies and actions to facilitate constructive responses by men in and after disaster and to ensure the safety needs of women and children are met

• Strategies to address gender inequalities

• Knowledge of how to refer appropriately when family violence is indicated

• Increased awareness of the value of building a gender-responsive organisation

For more information about Gender and Disaster Australia, our resources and other training opportunities visit: genderanddisaster.com.au

EVIDENCE

Gender and Disaster Australia has been awarded at state, federal and international levels.

2019 - The 2019 Resilience Australian National Significance Award for ‘Addressing domestic violence in disasters through implementing National GEM Guidelines’

2019 - The Victorian Resilient Australia Community Award 2019 for the ‘Long-term Disaster Resilience’ research report.

2017 - The Mary Fran Myers Award 2017 was awarded to Dr Deb Parkinson by the Natural Hazards Centre in Boulder, Colorado, and the Gender and Disaster Network.

2014 - Resilient Australia Award, sponsored by the Attorney-General’s Department, for ‘Gender & Disaster: Leading the Change’, in the category of ‘Projects of National Significance’.

2013 - Victorian Health Promotion Foundation Award for ‘Family violence after natural disaster research: Breaking new ground’, in the category of ‘Knowledge and Understanding’.

Host or Publisher Gender and Disaster Australia