More than 1000 people gathered in Rosalind Park on Monday for the Bendigo March 4 Justice, part of a broader national movement sparked by recent sexual assault allegations linked to Australian politics.

The Loddon Consortium for Gender Equality and Violence Prevention held an online panel discussion on Wednesday to discuss what needed to happen next to achieve the movement's aims.

Related: 'Enough is enough': Bendigo's March 4 Justice

Leaders from each of the member agencies - including Annie North Women's Refuge, the Centre for Non-Violence, the Centre Against Sexual Assault Central Victoria, Women's Health Loddon Mallee, and Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health - believed further action was needed to maintain the momentum for change.

"I immediately wanted to organise another march... after comments about how good it is we can march here without getting shot," Annie North chief executive Julie Oberin said.

During Question Time on Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, "not far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets, but not here in this country."

He went on to say peaceful protests, like the ones thousands of Australians had attended earlier in the day, were a "triumph of democracy".

CASA CV chief executive Kate Wright said she would support another march.

"I think we have to repeat activities to have impact, because memories fade," Ms Wright said.

She also suggested "feminism in the pub" - conversations with and about feminists and feminism in a casual environment - could be a way to keep the dialogue going.

Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health chief executive Phillip Ripper highlighted the importance of listening to women's experiences, especially for men.

"Men don't have the same lived experience," Mr Ripper said.

"Until they are shared those stories in a personal way, they don't get it."

He provided the example of a post in a group on social media, which sparked a conversation about women's experiences of harassment, low-level predation and safety concerns in a shared residential environment.

"It is clearly a time of hearing from women and children with lived experience and supporting those voices to be the loudest voices and tell the stories," Yvette Jaczina, of the Centre for Non-Violence, said.

Ms Jaczina suggested people contact their political leaders and share their views of their leaders' responses to gendered and sexual violence.

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Politics was also on Ms Oberin's mind as she reflected on ways to maintain the momentum for change.

"One thing we can do is vote - there is an election coming up," she said.

Women's Health Loddon Mallee chief executive Tricia Currie expressed her appreciation at being able to gather and keep the energy shown during the March 4 Justice.

But she believed a focus on hope would be essential to maintaining the momentum.

"You can only sustain rage for so long before it depletes you, so we really need to tune into hope," Ms Currie said.

She believed hope could be found in knowing you were not alone, knowing you were believed, and knowing you were making a change.

Several of the panellists remarked on how much rage had flowed from the high-profile sexual assault allegations and the responses from those in power.

"I don't think I've seen such rage as I've seen this time - it's different," Ms Oberin said.

She believed the responses of those in power to the rape allegation former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins had raised, as well as the historical sexual assault allegations Attorney-General Christian Porter had strenuously denied, were a significant factor.

"There has been so much lip service," Ms Oberin said.

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While she said there had been policy changes towards gender equality and reducing violence against women and children in recent years, the events of recent weeks had shown there were different standards when those policies were tested.

"We can't let them get away with this," Ms Oberin said.

She said women and their allies wanted to see genuine structural change that promoted gender equality and prevented violence against women and children.

Consortium leaders had mixed feelings after the March 4 Justice - both overwhelmed by the support, and despairing at the need for the movement.

"It is extraordinary, isn't it, that we can be so aware and yet have not been able to effect the change that needs to happen," Ms Currie said.

The panellists mused on how different the reaction to the high-profile sexual assault allegations would have been if the nation's leaders had responded differently.

They hoped the events of recent weeks marked a tipping point.

"It should not have had to get to this point where we have again had to rally across the nation," Ms Wright said.

To effect genuine structural change, Ms Currie said people needed to take action in their lives like calling out sexist behaviour and challenging gender stereotypes.

Stereotyped constructions of masculinity and femininity are among the gendered drivers of violence against women.

Other drivers include disrespect towards women, men's control of decision-making and limits to women's independence.

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