NRWC to Host National Drought Forum

15th July 2003

The National Rural Women’s Coalition (NRWC) will host a national forum to look at managing the fall-out from the drought and planning for similar events in the future.

The forum “Managing Drought –Finding Solutions”. will be held at the Dubbo RSL Club on 8 – 9 September 2003.

Drought Convenor, Jan Fitzgerald, said the forum will address the social, economic, cultural and environmental issues surrounding climatic extremes and economic hardship in rural, regional and remote Australia.

“This drought will shape the future of rural Australia in years to come – in fact the real social and economic impacts are yet to flow through many communities,” Mrs Fitzgerald said.

“Our aim is to develop a roadmap of solutions from rural women, to be presented to government, industry organisations and other groups as a basis for rural policy development.”

It is anticipated that the forum will assess current Government policies and education on drought, including the impact on Indigenous communities.

Mrs Fitzgerald said the NRWC recognises that the drought has not broken for many people, yet risks slipping off the national agenda as people perceive it has been ‘addressed’ through welfare payments and good rainfalls in areas on the East coast.

Invitations to the forum will be sent to people and organisations involved in drought policy and relief efforts and to the wide network of groups who attended the inaugural NRWC Roundtable in June. The forum is also open to interested people to attend, however numbers will be capped at 150.

About the NRWC

The NRWC is a coalition of six national and rural women’s organisations (Country Women’s Association of Australia, Australian Local Government Women’s Association, Australian Women in Agriculture, Foundation for Australian Agricultural Women, National Rural Health Alliance, Women’s Industry Network Seafood Community) and a rural Indigenous woman.

It established the Commonwealth funded National Rural Women’s Secretariat in 2002 to support input from rural women into Federal Government policy. A key objective is to ensure better social and economic outcomes for women living in our rural townships and on farms.