Elsie Conference – Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District

The Elsie Conference marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Elsie Women’s Refuge in the inner Sydney suburb of Glebe, and the start of the women’s refuge movement in Australia. On 15-16 March 2024, the Elsie Conference will delve into the history of refuges and look to the future challenges faced by anyone working in or making policy for the sector.

Hosted by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), the Elsie Conference will bring together refuge and shelter workers, advocates and organisations, researchers and public policymakers and anyone interested in reducing domestic violence. The conference aims to provide a national platform for attendees to celebrate the past and discuss emerging challenges.

Together we will:

Celebrate the history and achievements of the women’s refuge/shelter movement.
Shine a light on domestic violence and discuss how it’s changing.
Explore how we need to respond and reset to meet new challenges.
Recognise the special issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, multicultural women and other high-risk groups.
Honour the work of the thousands of women who have worked in women’s refuges and shelters for the past half-century with our Elsie Awards.

This historic event we hope, will bring together 300+ refuge and shelter workers, advocates and organisations, researchers and public policymakers and anyone interested in reducing domestic violence. The conference aims to provide a national platform to discuss emerging challenges and the changing face of domestic violence and to relect on how far the movement has come since its humble beginnings 50 years ago.

More information on the conference, including details of our amazing panelists, can be found at https://www.elsieconference.com.au/

The Elsie Conference Organisers are particularly keen to have attendees from regional areas given the significance (and settlement) of regional refuges. Your local contacts will be crucial in communicating to the refuge sector. We are also offering a limited number of travel sponsorships and fee waivers, to help increase the accessibility of this conference for those living in regional areas.

Elsie Awards

We will also be presenting 50 ‘Elsies’ at the Conference, which will be awarded to the unsung heroines of the refuge movement—the women who have worked, often in the background, to keep shelters running and save lives. These will be awarded based on nominations and we want to ensure that there is a large number of nominations for women in regional areas. Nominations are currently open at https://elsieconference.com.au/awards

Elsie Conference

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	The Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District acknowledges the Yorta Yorta People of the land which comprises the Goulburn Valley. We pay respect to tribal Elders, past, present and emerging and we celebrate their continuing culture and acknowledge the memory of their ancestors.
	The Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District is a peak body whose mission is to promote and represent the social, cultural and economic well-being of ethnic communities in the Goulburn Valley Region through the provision of quality and innovative settlement, refugee support, community development, and information and advocacy services.