Evidence, advocacy & leadership

How do we develop and use a local evidence base to support sector advocacy?

“Going forward, the series of cascading events may mean that service networks get a lot smaller … that there’s not as many resources when an event happens.”

Acting in this space will harness our significant local knowledge and skills to advocate collectively for our community and community service organisations. We want to maximise the funding and policy opportunities that arise and reduce organisational vulnerability to ‘funding whims’ that lead to building and then losing capability.

The back of a man writing on Post-it notes on a table

Key action ideas

Strengthening our evidence base

  • Build and share data about local impacts (health and otherwise) to inform advocacy.
  • Join the new Community of Practice, being developed by Women’s Health Loddon Mallee, which will assist the translation of evidence into practice.
  • Investigate opportunities to implement some of the relevant recommendations from the Victorian Government’s Inquiry into the 2022 Flood Event in Victoria.
  • Hold Campaspe-specific forums that focus on emergency management systems and responses to develop a shared understanding and approach.
  • Develop a plan to hold multiple inter-organisational networking events to build and maintain relationships across the sector. Include both formal and informal events.
  • Host peer events - some specifically for CEOs and senior managers and others for program and project staff.
Lots of notes written on butchers paper stuck to the wall

Collective advocacy

  • Build a local coalition of agencies to support grant writing activities – including data identification and use, development of program logic and outcome measures.
  • Formalise advocacy priorities for the Campaspe community in collaboration with stakeholders (organisations and community groups).
  • Advocate to policy-makers for a re-direction of investment toward risk reduction, preparedness programs and community-led mitigation.

Find out how you can support these ideas and get involved.

Resources & further reading

Campaspe Shire Council’s Public Health and Wellbeing Plan is integrated into its Council and Wellbeing Plan 2025-2029. They include tackling climate change and its impacts on health as one of their four wellbeing priorities.

Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit provides Community Data Profiles with demographic and health data that will support local action.

Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit’s Population Health Plan 2025-2029 has climate change and health as one of its priority areas. Their approach is place-based with a focus on equity and systems strengthening.

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