This research stream was conducted by Federation University Australia in collaboration with researchers from the Monash School of Rural Health, University of Newcastle and the James Cook University.
The following video clip is an excerpt from the 2023 Annual Community Briefing presented to the public.
You can also view previous research updates from the Community Wellbeing Stream here:
2022 Community Wellbeing Stream - Update
2021 Community Wellbeing Stream - Update
The research team
Dr Susan Yell (Federation University) (Stream Lead)
Dr Larissa Walker (Federation University)
Assoc Prof Michelle Duffy (University of Newcastle)
Assoc Prof Matthew Carroll (Monash Rural Health)
Prof Damian Morgan (James Cook University)
What is community wellbeing?
Community wellbeing is a concept that describes the way a community functions, sees itself and talks about itself. It is influenced by multiple things, such as access to education, affordable housing, employment, health services and social opportunities, the look and feel of a place, and whether you know and trust people in the community.
What we did
We researched various aspects of community wellbeing in the Latrobe Valley. Our initial focus was on the impact of the Hazelwood mine fire on community wellbeing.
In Phase 1 of the study (2015-2019), we researched the community perceptions of the fire and smoke event’s impact on community wellbeing, the effectiveness of community rebuilding activities and the elements needed for effective communication during and after an event such as the mine fire.
In Phase 2 of the study (2020-2024) we continued to look at recovery from the mine fire and expanded our focus to look at how events and initiatives since the mine fire have impacted on the Latrobe Valley’s sense of wellbeing.
As part of this work, we collaborated with researchers from other Hazelwood Health Study research streams. One of the first outcomes of the study was a review of the impacts on older people. This work adopted a similar approach to ours and identified similar concerns within the community. Because of this commonality, the Older People and Community Wellbeing streams were merged.
In addition, we recognised that the wellbeing of a community is due, in part, to the wellbeing of the individuals that make up that community. Accordingly, we worked with the Psychological Impacts stream of the study to explore these connections.
Aims
Our research aims in Phase 1 (2015-2019) were to investigate community perceptions on:
- the impact of the smoke event on community wellbeing;
- effective communication during and after the smoke event; and
- the effectiveness of community rebuilding activities.
Our research aims in Phase 2 (2020-2024) were to:
- Continue to assess perceptions of the community’s wellbeing and recovery after the mine fire, taking into account subsequent events and initiatives;
- Develop a community wellbeing barometer to identify factors indicative of community wellbeing relevant to this community at a particular point in time;
- Examine the relationship between individual wellbeing and community wellbeing (in conjunction with the Psychological Impacts Stream).
Study Findings
Local News
March 2024 | Our Hopes for the Future of Morwell exhibition finds a new home at the Latrobe Health Assembly (Latrobe Valley Express) |
| ABC Gippsland: Dr Matthew Carroll interviewed following the release of new findings regarding Community Wellbeing within the Latrobe Valley. (Interview with Dr Carroll commences at 37:18 into the ABC Gippsland presentation). | |
| 28 June 2023 | Community flyer released highlighting key findings from the early years of the Study (Flyer distributed with the Latrobe Valley Express) |
Events and activities
Photographic exhibition ‘Our hopes for the future of Morwell’
See a slideshow of the photos here.
In 2016 we started working with community organisations on a project to foster community recovery and wellbeing. The project investigated what people like about living in Morwell, what needs to change and their hopes for the future of the Morwell community and the town.
In 2017, in collaboration with Morwell Neighbourhood House and Gippsland Centre for Art and Design (Federation University), we invited community organisations to be part of a photographic exhibition: ‘Our hopes for the future of Morwell’.
See a link to a news story about this here. This story featured on Nine News Gippsland and WIN News Gippsland on Friday, 18 August.
The ‘Our hopes for the future of Morwell’ photographic exhibition was officially launched at Switchback Gallery, Churchill on Monday, 13 November.
See a news story about this event here. This story featured on Nine News Gippsland and WIN News Gippsland on Monday, 13 November.
The exhibition travelled to the Victorian State Parliament and was exhibited there in May 2018. For more information and images, click this link. From October to December the photographs were on show at Mid-Valley Shopping Centre in Morwell. In August 2019 the exhibition was shown at the Ballarat International Foto Biennale.
The 28-piece exhibition is now on display at the offices of the Latrobe Health Assembly, which invites members of the public to drop in to view the photos. The unveiling of the new home for the exhibition was reported on in the Latrobe Valley Express on 13 March 2024.
