“We are Women. We have a voice. We are change-makers.”
Proud to be invited to talk gender and climate change with my Greek friends at Food for Thought on Sunday 22nd May regarding the agency of CALD women and how we can influence our communities to advocate for renewable energy and the health of the planet. Founder of Food For Thought (FFT), a Greek Australian Women’s Group, Varvara Athanasiou-Ioannou and FFT patron Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos (above photo) and I have enjoyed sharing our ideas on a variety of issues.
Earlier this year I invited Varvara to attend our UN CSW66 panel event , to gain some insight into the issues around climate change, women’s health and the work women are doing in this space. She was inspired and agreed that this should form the basis of a series of talks.
Together we hope to effect changes in our local communities by leveraging the power of women in particular. Our gendered role as home makers and carers is one of these avenues – how we spend what we purchase and the conversations we have with others around this. One simple approach I suggested was taken directly from a presentation I attended with the great Jane Goodall, who emphasises that reducing the amount of red meat we eat as a family, can have a significant effect on green house gas emissions from farming live cattle.
The women who attended are passionate and intentional about this issue as we shared ideas on how we can influence our own industries, work environments and local environments. We shared ideas, took notes and had a great meal together finishing up on the promise of more similar sessions with even a broader audience. As you all know, I am passionate about climate change, its effects on health and its gendered effects also. I openly state how this affects women more than men in the OPED published in MJA-Insight in 2021.
My final statement captured the sentiments shared that afternoon – We are Women. We have a Voice. We are change-makers. In unison with good friends, all work is made easier and outcomes are more effective. I encourage each of you to reach out to your spheres of influence to engage in similar conversations.
Magdalena Simonis
Chair, Climate Health Action Group (CHAG)
President AFMW
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis AM is a Past President of the AFMW (2020-2023), former President of VMWS (2013 & 2017-2020) and current AFMW National Coordinator (2024-2026). She is a full time clinician who also holds positions on several not for profit organisations, driven by her passion for bridging gaps across the health sector. She is a leading women’s health expert, keynote speaker, climate change and gender equity advocate and government advisor. Magda is member of The Australian Health Team contributing monthly articles.
Magdalena was awarded a lifetime membership of the RACGP for her contributions which include past chair of Women in General Practice, longstanding contribution to the RACGP Expert Committee Quality Care, the RACGP eHealth Expert Committee. She is regularly invited to comment on primary care research though mainstream and medical media and contributes articles on various health issues through newsGP and other publications.
Magdalena has represented the RACGP at senate enquiries and has worked on several National Health Framework reviews. She is author of the RACGP Guide on Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery and co-reviewer of the RACGP Red Book Women’s Health Chapter, and reviewer of the RACGP White book
Both an RACGP examiner and University examiner, she undertakes general practice research and is a GP Educator with the Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence, which develops education tools to assist the primary care sector identify, respond to and manage family violence . Roles outside of RACGP include the Strategy and Policy Committee for Breast Cancer Network Australia, Board Director of the Melbourne University Teaching Health Clinics and the elected GP representative to the AMA Federal Council. In 2022. she was award the AMA (Vic) Patrick Pritzwald-Steggman Award 2022, which celebrates a doctor who has made an exceptional contribution to the wellbeing of their colleagues and the community and was listed as Women’s Agenda 2022 finalist for Emerging Leader in Health.
Magdalena has presented at the United Nations as part of the Australian Assembly and was appointed the Australian representative to the World Health Organisation, World Assembly on COVID 19, by the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) in 2021. In 2023, A/Professor Simonis was included on the King’s COVID-19 Champion’s list and was also awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to medicine through a range of roles and to women’s health.
