News
2024
MEDIA RELEASE
5 March 2024
The Women’s Climate Congress applauds cross-party solidarity shown by Victorian women MPs
Read our media release about the criticism levelled at Victorian MP Zoe McKenzie (Liberal Member for Flinders) after she congratulated Jodie Belyea (ALP) for her recent win in the Dunkley byelection.
See also this article from Women’s Agenda about this incident.
Women’s agency in leadership is key to unlocking climate gridlock
Responding to much media reporting about women’s leadership for action on climage change during and after COP28 in Dubai (December 2023), and the response of the international women’s movement to the news that Azerbaijan had appointed 28 men and no women to the organising committee for COP29 in 2024 , Janet Salisbury wrote an op-ed peice for Women’s Agenda which was published on 29 Jan 2024:
https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/womens-agency-in-leadership-is-key-to-unlocking-climate-gridlock/
2023
‘The role of compassion in the climate crisis’, featuring WCC’s Dr Lynne Reeder
MOVE to “Other events’
On 22 November, Global Compassion Coalition hosted an enlightening online discussion on the role of compassion in the climate crisis. Panelists included WCC's Dr Lynne Reeder as well as an international cast of eminent thinkers in this field.
Panelists explored the pivotal role of compassion in addressing the global climate crisis, and how fostering compassionate mindsets can be a catalyst for change. They also discussed the essential outcomes and achievements required at COP28 to support and accelerate these compassionate efforts. Lynne Reeder talked about the WCC Charter for Change (at 19:45 in video linked below) - exciting for us to see this collaboration taking the Charter out to the world!
WCC supports member Angelica Mantikas to attend COP28
WCC is supporting our member, Angelica Mantikas, to attend the upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), COP28 international climate change conference to be held in the UAE in December.
About Angelica and her purpose for attending COP28
Hailing from the island of Chios, Greece, but having grown up in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, as a first-generation Greek-Australian, Angelica's island roots have garnered her a close connection to the natural world and the complex web of life it supports. Her strong connection to her island, culture, and family traditions have led to a passion to fight for the natural world and the stable climate on which it relies to thrive.
Angelica is a board member and project lead for Australian Youth For International Climate Engagement Incorporated (AYFICE). As part of her role, she has founded the inaugural Oceania Climate Stories project - a publication compiling the perspectives, stories, experiences, and voices of youth from across the continent.
The Oceania Climate Stories project seeks to bridge the gap between local realities and high-level decision-making spaces, particularly ensuring that the voices of youth who cannot attend COP are still heard. As part of this project, coordinated by Angelica and her colleagues, AYFICE is sending four youth delegates to share their stories in person via the AYFICE COP28 Youth Climate Delegate Program.
Angelica will coordinate a number of events at COP28, notably the launch of the Oceania Climate Stories publication, which will occur in the Australia Pavilion alongside youth delegates who will be sharing how climate change has impacted their communities as well as their unique solutions. She will also coordinate a Youth Stakeholder Roundtable series at the Monash Pavilion, aiming to bring together youth from across Oceania throughout COP to plan a way forward in pushing for stronger climate action, particularly in the lead-up to COP31.
Why WCC is supporting Angelica to attend COP28
Angelica joined the WCC earlier this year and has brought a valuable youth perspective. She has already attended a number of WCC online events and is keen to work with us to disseminate the Charter to younger women and increase membership and engagement among that age group.
In Australia, the WCC Advocacy Circle has built a relationship with the Australian Government negotiating team at the Department of Climate Change, Energy and Water. Having a WCC member attend COP28 as part of the Australian delegation, further strengthens this relationship.
Internationally, women are increasingly mobilising around action on climate change and WCC is excited to be a part of this movement. Angelica's attendance at COP28 will help develop our existing networks and open up new ones. This is particularly important as we move towards COP31 which Australia is bidding to co-host with other Pacific Island countries.
The Oceania Climate Stories project that Angelica is taking to COP28 (see below) is an exciting initiative that aligns with many WCC values, including our WCC Charter for Change; and the importance of storytelling and the arts at the core of public discourse and in promoting social change (WCC Charter Action 7: Support artistic imagination and creative thinking at the centre of society).
Angelica previously attended COP27 as a youth representative pushing for stronger youth representation in national delegations and negotiations and has taken lead roles in other international youth leadership campaigns. She does all this whilst studying full-time for a Bachelor of International Relations at the Australian National University!
Remembering Glenda Cloughley
January 1952 - Sept 2023
It is with great sadness that we report the death of a WCC founding member, Dr Glenda Cloughley.
As a Jungian analyst, cultural psychologist and singer-composer, Glenda has brought a unique creative and prophetic spirit to the peace, justice and environmental movements. Her passing leaves a deep sense of loss.
Glenda was one of the core group of women from Canberra's A Chorus of Women who inspired Janet Salisbury to gather a group of Canberra women togther in January 2020 around women's leadership on climate change - which led to the formation of the Women's Climate Congress.
After the formation of the WCC, Glenda joined our ‘Reintegrating the Arts Cirlce’ and made a major contribution to the artistic development of our National Congress of Women events held from 2021-2022.
Many of you will remember Glenda as the narrator and composer of the music for the beautiful video ‘The Singing Hill', which was premiered at the opening of ‘Women Rising’ - our first 1-day online NCW event held in Nov 2021. She also spoke more about the story behind the video and ‘The Singing Hill’ poem at ‘Renewal’ - our 2-day in person NCW event in September 2022.
In November 2022, when we presented the WCC Charrter for Change to women parliamentarians in the Member’s Hall at Parliament House, Glenda read ‘The Singing Hill’ poem for the women assembled while other members of A Chorus of Women sang the refrain.
Condolences, memories, reflections
If you would like to leave a message of condolence and/or a memory of Glenda, you can do so via the form here: Vale Glenda Cloughley
We will collate your messages for her family and for publication on the Chorus of Women website in due course.
Remembering Glenda
There will be a public event to celebrate Glenda’s life and work:
The Chapel, Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (and livestream)
Cnr of Blackall Street and Kings Avenue, Barton, ACT
See www.chorusofwomen.org for further information and a link for the livestream.
Vale Will Steffen
Along with many others in the climate change movement, WCC was deeply saddened to hear the news today of the death of Emeritus Professor Will Steffen.
Will was internationally renowned scientists and science communicator who has been described as a ‘brilliant thinker, Earth system scientist, climate change expert, co-creator of the Planetary Boundaries concept and all-round awesome human being’ (Michele Maloney, LinkedIn 30/1/2023)
WCC Founder Janet Salisbury had a long association with Will in their home town of Canberra – from many initiatives with A Chorus of Women and more recently in assocation with the WCC.
Read Janet’s reflection on these experiences and other WCC member comments
In recognition of the pivotal role Will’s climate science evidence statement played in the Qld Land Court Case against Clive Palmer’s Waratah Coal Mine. we have dedicated our February Women’s Climate Conversation online event about this historic Land Court ruling to him.
Will Steffen speaking at ‘Mission Climate’ - a fundraiser for the Climate Council hosted by A Chorus of Women, 2016
2022
The Singing Hill revisited: Parliamentary launch of the WCC Charter for Change
On 29 November 2022, in the last sitting week of the Australian Parliament, we presented the WCC Charter for Change to women MPs and senators at the Pool of Reflection in the Members’ Hall of Parliament House.
After an acknowledgement of country and welcome by Janet Salisbury, the event started with a recital by Glenda Cloughley of the prophetic ‘Singing Hill’ poem written by Dorothy Cameron in 1991 when a group of Canberra women regularly met at the Pool of Reflection in support of then WA senator Jo Vallentine who was one of only a few women in the parliament at that time.
Glenda was accompanied with chanting and humming by members of A Chorus of Women.
See further details of this presentation and the inspiring words of the poem
This was followed by presentation of the Charter to the women MPs and senator from across parties and independents. We were delighted to be joined by Alicia Payne (Member for Canberra), Sentar Janet Rice (Vic), Helen Haines (Member for Indi), Zali Steggall (Member for Warringah), Allegra Spender (Member for Wentworth), Bridget Archer (Member for Bass), Louise Miller-Frost (Member for Boothby) and Senator Dorinda Cox (WA).
Read a news article about this event:
How women collaborated to bring a ‘Charter for Change’ to Parliament House
by Janet Salisbury, Women’s Agenda, 6 Decembr 2022
WCC gets a shout out in Parliament
In the first sitting week of the 47th Parliament in July 2022, the Member for Canberra, Alicia Payne MP, tabled the #EverydayClimateCrisis Visual Petition that WCC has been supporting, and featuring in our National Congress of Women initiative. This visual petition is a collection of more than 1200 images from women and nonbinary photographers around Australia. Alicia Payne said: “It is very clear from the incredibly powerful images and statements in this visual petition that the unbridled exploitation of our natural world by humans is nothing short of a violence against our Earth that gives us life and sustains us, much like a mother.”
In delivering this speech, Alicia also delivered a powerful statement about ‘ecofeminism’, a concept which draws parallels between the oppression of women and the oppression of nature. It was heartening to hear such a statement in the Parliament and alomgside the powerful first speeches of the many new women MPs, bodes well for a new culture in this 47th Parliament.
At the endof her speech, Alicia also gave shout outs to the work of women in the ACT who are giving voice to the need for action on climate change, and member Toni Hassan for her arts project ‘Conversation pieces: Remembering Australia’s Black Summer’.