Feminism and the Making of a Child Rights Revolution 1969-1979: Book Review
With a title like this, of course I was going to dive into Feminism and the Making of a Child Rights Revolution 1969-1979, devouring it in a few sittings. A women’s rights revolution, sure. We’re still battling that one. But a children’s revolution? I was a child during this period. Did I miss something? Barrett […]
Here’s what you need to know about Mahsa Amini and the protests in Iran and around the world
If you can’t hear the echo of women’s anger leaking out of Iran right now, or feel the rumble of feet taking to the streets in protest, then you need to listen harder and pay attention. This is a moment in which we all need to put our ear to the ground, because with an […]
As Afghan mothers sell their daughters, Australia stands limply by
What is a 13-year-old daughter worth? For Khorsheed, a desperate Afghan mother, the meagre sum of $US670 seemed sadly acceptable. She has six kids to feed and a missing husband, so when an older man wanted the teenager as his new “bride”, the maths seemed to make sense. She’s now reluctantly thinking of selling her […]
Changemakers: who gets a seat at the table?
On 21 June, 2022, Dame Quentin Bryce launched the Australian Women Changemakers exhibition, at the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD), Old Parliament House, Canberra. Since the exhibition opened I’ve often been asked, as Guest Curator, why I chose to highlight the women featured in Changemakers and why this exhibition is so important right now. In […]
‘Violence begets violence’: The brewing rage stirring in women gathers force
What does a woman do with a mallet? A friend of mine has just made one. It’s large, wooden and looking for trouble. She crafted it at a tin-shed session and posted a photo on Facebook, holding it aloft, looking damn pleased with herself. Someone asked what it’s for. And … we are off! You […]
Changemakers: an exhibition for our times
On 21 June, 2022, Dame Quentin Bryce launched the Australian Women Changemakers exhibition, at the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD), Old Parliament House, Canberra. Since the exhibition opened I’ve often been asked, as Guest Curator, why I chose to highlight the women featured in Changemakers and why this exhibition is so important right now. In […]
So… what makes a ‘Changemaker’?
When I was asked by the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD), back in 2021, to work with them on their upcoming exhibition celebrating Australian Women Changemakers, naturally I was thrilled. And honoured! What a fabulous invitation. Who wouldn’t want to dive into the lives of some of our most stunningly successful women and poke around […]
The women reshaping our nation: Australian Women Changemakers
“It’s important to remember that this happened by accident”. Chanel Contos stares into space, as she tries to explain what thrust her into the national spotlight last year, and led to the most profound change in Australian schools’ sex education program imaginable. In spearheading the ‘Teach Us Consent’ campaign, 24 year old Contos has not […]
Election 2022: A campaign adventure story, ‘democracy of the boys, by the boys, for the boys’
In the first week, it was odd. By the second week, irritating. But by the third week of this uninspiring election campaign, the absence of focus on the single biggest demographic in play — 8.8 million women voters — was downright infuriating. Initially, the lack of headline-worthy reference to any of the major issues that […]
Afghanistan’s people can’t be forgotten
Around the time Fred Smith took a selfie standing at the “arse end of a C-130” bound for Kabul, just two days after the city fell to the Taliban, I received a message from his wife. She was distressed over the apocalyptic images out of Afghanistan, as desperate souls clung to the wings of departing […]
