BroadTalk

What do you do when you see gender injustice …and then can’t make yourself ‘unsee’ it? 

Well, if you are a leading feminist lawyer such as Jocelynne Scutt you dedicate your life to fighting it.

Jocelynne Scutt AO first grabbed media attention in her 30’s when she became one of Australia’s most prominent female barristers in the 1980’s.

In addition to her relentless push for legal reforms to end discrimination against women, she also wrote countless books on feminist themes: including the ‘splendours’ of a free and autonomous life as a ‘Singular Women’; and the taboo subject of fertility pressures in her ground-breaking book, ‘The Baby Machine’. 

Throughout her long career Jocelyne has continued to write with great conviction and authority about women, power and sexual politics, and most recently about laws around women’s bodies and cosmetic surgery.

She served as Sex Discrimination Commissioner in Tasmania, then later as a judge on the high court in Fiji. Jocelynne now lives in Cambridge in the UK, where she is a Member of the English Bar, an elected Counsellor on the Cambridgeshire County Council, and a member of the British Labour Party. 

In her 70’s and just as energetic as ever, Jocelynne is still teaching law, these days at Buckingham University. 

BroadTalk is hosted by Virginia Haussegger and produced by Martyn Pearce. Join the conversation on the BroadTalk facebook page and on twitter @TalkBroad. 

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What do those ageing Women’s Libbers make of the March4Justice movement? And how does Australia’s current explosion of feminist activity connect to our past?

Writer and activist, Biff Ward is one of the original, so called ‘Brazen Hussies’, those fiery feminist activists of the 1960’s and ‘70’s who defied the status quo, demanding gender equality and profound social change.  

She featured in the recent documentary film, Brazen Hussies, that celebrates the social activism and grass-roots nature of the Women’s Liberation movement. 

In March this year, Biff was one of the speakers on stage at the Canberra rally outside parliament house. In a beautifully moving speech, she brought women to tears as spoke of her joy, at the age of 78, in finally seeing women rally in huge numbers to protest against harassment, violence and inequality. 

A long time campaigner for a woman’s right to be heard, Biff told the crowd she never thought she’d live to witness such a collective show of women’s strength.

Biff’s book, Father-Daughter Rape, published in 1984 was ground-breaking, and one of the first books to publicly tackle the taboo subject of incest and rape within families. Her memoir, In My Mother’s Hands, about her mother’s traumatic battle with depression, was long-listed for the 2015 Stella Prize.

We sat down together in Biff’s kitchen to talk about the recent rally and the power of breaking long held and secret silences. 

BroadTalk is hosted by journalist Virginia Haussegger and produced by Martyn Pearce. Join the BroadTalk Roundtable group on facebook, or connect with us on twitter @Virignia_Hauss and @TalkBroad #BroadTalk

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How does a woman, single-handedly, start a social movement in 2 weeks that brings over 100,000 people onto the streets to rally?

And has Australia’s March4Justice unleashed a public roar against gender inequity that will echo around the globe? 

Janine Hendry is an academic with a love of visual art and a flair for business. She’s never been an activist nor revolutionary, but what she staged in 47 locations around Australia, on 15 March 2021, could well go down in history as the birth of a new gender revolution. 

It all began with a simple tweet, in which Hendry pondered how many ‘disgruntled women’ might join her to circle federal Parliament House in protest against the government’s dismissive treatment of young women, who had alleged rape and sexual harassment by political colleagues. 

Within weeks a fully blown campaign erupted that has blown open Australia’s sordid culture of toxic masculinity in parliament, sexism, harassment and sexual violence. 

So, who is Janine Hendry and how did she do it? Perhaps most importantly, why did she do it? 

Well, it may surprise many to learn that for Janine it all began with a mother’s concern not just for girls… but boys. The son she lost, and the one she is now preparing to launch into the world. A world she wants to make a better place. 

BroadTalk is hosted by journalist Virginia Haussegger and produced by Martyn Pearce. Join the discussion on facebook, BroadTalk, or twitter @TalkBroad,

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How does a young woman who is subjected to brutal sexual slavery in Sierra Leone, escape a civil war, land in Australia and rebuild her life? And why does motherhood send her back to the land that terrorised her, as she tries to empower some of the most disempowered women & girls on earth.

Aminata Conteh-Biger is no ordinary woman. In March 2021 she spoke at the March4Justice rally in Canberra, where she posed a powerful question to the Australian Prime Minister and all members of parliament, when she asked, “If you have so much trouble believing the stories of (sexual abuse and rape from) white women, what hope is there for black women?”

Aminata’s own story is a powerful tale of female resilience. It’s also a story about choice. Her choice to rise above the horrific experiences she endured in order to live a life focused on love, family, forgiveness and supporting other women, is nothing short of inspirational. 

Her own story has been captured in film in the excellent SBS documentary, ‘Daughters of Sierra Leone’; detailed in her moving book ‘Rising Heart’; and powerfully celebrated in the hit play and now film, ‘The Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupe’.

Please note the following podcast includes reference to disturbing experiences. If this should raise concerns for you, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800Respect on 1800 737 732.

BroadTalk is hosted by Virginia Haussegger and produced by Martyn Pearce.

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Is Australia on the brink of a powerful, new women’s movement? Could this be the change we’ve been waiting for? And what happens after so much venting of such raw anger?

This week has seen a public show of force unlike anything we’ve witnessed in decades, with over 100,000 people chanting ‘Enough is Enough!’, in over 40 locations around Australia.

The hastily organised ‘March 4 Justice’ was fuelled by recent high-profile allegations of rape and sexual abuse in parliament. But it quickly snowballed into a public outcry, as thousands of women and girls began sharing their own stories of abuse and harassment.

But where to now? What has the march achieved and what do we do with all this energy, rage and passion for change?

Helen Dalley-Fisher heads the Equality Rights Alliance, and is a seasoned feminist activist. Called upon by the campaign’s organisers to help steer the politics around some of the March 4 Justice policy ‘demands’, Helen sat down with BroadTalk just two days after the March to take a deep breath and reflect on … what the hell just happened!

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How do two 17-year-old school girls, with a passion for a global social enterprise, turn their dream into reality and a thriving business? And why focus on period poverty and menstruation products?

The 2021 Young Australian of the Year, Isobel Marshall, and her ‘bestie’, Eloise Hall, are using the power of their Australian privilege to do something super practical, and push back against a pervasive gender inequity.

In 2017 these extraordinarily enterprising women founded Taboo, a bold new player in the menstrual hygiene market. But it’s no ordinary company. Not only do they pour 100 per cent of their sales profit into global community programs that empower girls through sanitary care and education, but none of their own staff take a wage. As for sustainability, well, they’ve thought that through too! In fact, for newbies in the world of business and funds raising, they’re surprisingly sassy.

Now aged 21, Isobel is studying medicine and Eloise is full throttle into business and international studies. With some fascinating insights, our discussion on BroadTalk dives into the myriad gender issues that have grabbed media headlines in early 2021, particularly around the hyper sexualisation of school girls, and the growing movement to end rape culture and deep-rooted sexism within the Australian parliament.

In this series of BroadTalk, journalist Virginia Haussegger tackles both policy and the personal issues around gender equality, as she asks are we there yet? And if not, why not.

BroadTalk is produced by Martyn Pearce. You can find more BroadTalk discussion on our Facebook group, the BroadTalk RoundTable. Or on Twitter @Virginia_Hauss #BroadTalk

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Have you ever arrived at work, taken a good look around and felt your heart sink?

Perhaps in one of those moments you’ve realised your personal values, just don’t fit the corporate lingo or company goals.

Financial advisor Licia Heath was on a yacht, on Sydney Harbour, sipping champagne with clients when that penny dropped. But it wasn’t just her job that was the problem, it was government policy and the lack of women in politics shaping that policy, that began to eat away at her.

With only 31 per cent of federal MP’s female, Australia ranks a poor 50th in the world for women in parliament. In 120 years, Australia has had just one female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. But while the impact of women’s absence from political leadership has become a common theme in media and public discussion, the actual representation of women has been slow to shift. Licia decided someone had to garner the passion and energy in all our talk, and turn it into action. And that someone was her!

Not only did she step up for one of the toughest by-elections in the nation, but when she failed to win, Licia turned her efforts to teaching other women how they too could and should have a go. She is now CEO of the not-for-profit group Women For Election Australia, and has trained hundreds of women how to rattle and shake their inner political clout!

In this 2021 series of BroadTalk, journalist Virginia Haussegger tackles the policy and the personal issues around gender equality, as she asks are we there yet? And if not, why not.

BroadTalk is produced by Martyn Pearce. You can find more BroadTalk discussion on our Facebook group, the BroadTalk RoundTable.

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How can ambitious young women forge forward in a world not shaped for them? Or by them? When gender inequality snaps at their heels, no matter where they look … at work, at play, and in those bastions of male power – politics and parliament. What can the future look like, when the ‘now’ is riddled with news about sexual harassment and patriarchy?

Ashleigh Streeter-Jones is a 26-year-old, global award-winning feminist advocate, named by Forbes as one of Asia’s ’30 Under 30’ “youthful visionaries”. Her early introduction to entrenched poverty and inequality left Ash mired in a severe, ‘reverse culture shock’ during her teens. But the jolt fired a determination to drive change, and set her off on a path of youth leadership. Audacious and energetic, she has already inspired many young girls to get politically active.

In this new 2021 series of BroadTalk, journalist Virginia Haussegger tackles both the policy and the personal issues around gender equality, as she asks ‘are we there yet? And if not, why not?’

In this raw and delicate discussion about what it’s like to push back against the rolling tide of inequality, Ash explains how at times young women feel simply overwhelmed. And how maintaining her energy, whilst also honouring her passion, has come at a considerable cost.

BroadTalk is hosted by Virginia Haussegger and produced by Martyn Pearce.

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What is it about Julia Gillard? As Australia’s first female Prime Minister she was both loved and loathed. Once the nation’s most taunted political figure, she also captured more hearts and shaped more female ambition than possibly any other woman in Australian history.

So, what has her rollercoaster ride taught us about how turbulent the world really is for women?

In this special episode of BroadTalk, Virginia Haussegger sits down to a big, bold, broad ranging discussion with Julia as they unpack myth from reality around gender equality and women’s progress. In a reflective mood, Julia muses over age and feminism and the power of hindsight.

Ever the optimist, this former Prime Minister remains sanguine about a post-COVID world for women. She believes we are having a much more lively conversation now about gender and politics than we did when she was Prime Minister (2010 – 2013), and that 2020 has provided a valuable space to take stock, despite the unprecedented disruption, loss and painful demands.

As for where this exceptionally energetic and prolific leader might head next? Well, Julia seems to think she’s got her obituary all sorted! She doesn’t have what she calls “further ambitions for self”… but as she tells Virginia, you’d be wrong to think she’s ready to slap on the sunscreen and lie by the pool!

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What does it take to be a leader in the face of enormous flux, where disruptive change is not an endpoint, but the new daily norm? And what drives leadership ambition in some women and not others? Well, if you’re Trish Bergin, a talented economist and seasoned leader in both the public and private sectors, it’s all about strategic power. Not a quest to own it, but to understand how best to use it in order to shift attitudes, behaviours and ultimately reshape public policy.

Trish is co-Director of the 50/50 by 2030 Foundation, at the Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of Canberra. As a passionate gender equality and diversity advocate Trish faced perhaps her toughest assignment ever back in 2018, when as Head of the Office for Women, at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, she was required to defend the Australian government’s failure to meet its gender equity obligations under CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women. With her heart pulling in one direction and her head in another, Trish endured a six-hour public UN Committee interrogation in Geneva.

In this 6th episode of BroadTalk, with its focus on ‘new leadership’ and an emerging feminised style of leadership that is proving more effective in times of crisis, such as the current global pandemic, we unpack leadership traits and styles. And in a surprisingly personal account Trish also shares her own backstory of hardship, poverty and the lessons learned from adversity.

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