Senator Fatima Payman is not only one of the most productive members of parliament, but also courageous.

As such, this conversation is all about how to be brave and courageous, even in the quieter moments and when the fear is present and inescapable.

Born in Afghanistan, Senator Payman migrated to Perth with her family in 2003, studied pharmacy, and became president of Young Labor WA. In 2022, at just 27, she was elected as a Western Australian Senator for Labor, becoming one of the youngest senators in history and the first member of parliament to wear a hijab. 

Senator Payman crossed the floor in June 2024 over the Albanese Government’s Gaza response, seeing her indefinitely suspended from the Labor caucus. She quit the Labor party to sit as an independent. 

In January this year, Senator Payman announced she is expecting her first child in May. She will become the first Western Australian Senator to have a baby in office. 

This conversation was recorded in Januaray and some things may have changed. It also follows a piece Senator Fatima Payman penned as part of a collection of essays called A Time for Bravery: What Happens When Australia Chooses Courage? published by Australia Institute Press.

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Australia has a new case of the glass cliff, with the (now former) Opposition leader being the latest high-profile woman to fall. We share how the events unfolded and why. Plus, we examine male confidence by exploring new research on how emotional openness changes across different ages for men.

Finally, why does motherhood feel so lonely? We share the power of parent groups and why we're spending the next couple of months exploring how mothers connect.

Topics discussed this week include:

1. Bad bunny’s superbowl show was an alternative joyful vision for America

2. Angus Taylor is our new opposition leader. So, will there be a plan behind the man?

3. From emotional openness to strength, this Male Confidence Index hopes to drive new conversations on men

4. Why can motherhood feel lonely? Help us find out and change the experience

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This week, we talk about the language, the theories and the networking in the Epstein files.

From influential doctors with big social followings to royals, presidents and former prime ministers.

Plus, a couple of wins, including why thousands of women will soon be arriving in Melbourne to talk about gender equity.

Stories discussed this week include:

Minnesota woman dragged from car by ICE agents gives testimony in DC

Why thousands of feminist leaders will soon arrive in Melbourne

The powerful men named in the latest Epstein files release

The influential doctor mentioned 1737 times in the Epstein files 

Trump lashes out at yet another female journalist who presses him on Epstein

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Wrapping up some of the top stories of the week we head to Davos, Canberra, Minnesota and back home again. On the agenda is extreme wealth, the lack of women at the World Economic Forum, the self-indulgence of some in politics and how "Wine Moms" became a thing and we also look at an excellent idea for addressing Jan 26.

Key stories discussed this week include:

Davos remains a festival of men despite (mostly) man-made risks we all face

Sussan Ley “disrespected” us claim Nationals who have managed to make another week about them

Conservative media blame ‘wine moms’ as protests over ICE violence grow

Why January 26 is not a date to celebrate and staying silent is not enough

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Hello 2026! And it's been a chaotic start already. Is the answer to start drinking, as one female EU leader suggested this week? We have a better idea instead.

Also, Elon Musk’s Grok starts making thousands of sexualised deepfake images. Did we expect anything less?

And why setting a health and wellness goal or intention for 2026 is a good idea.

Plus, much more!

This is our wrap of some of our biggest stories of the week.

Stories discussed this week include:

We don’t need a drink. We need more women in charge 

Grok, and how the algorithms aren’t psychologically safe for any of us

Women founders on their top health or wellness focus in 2026 — and why

The Women's Agenda Podcast is produced by Agenda Media, publisher of Women's Agenda. Sign up for our free daily newsletter here and support our work by becoming a member here.

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Australia is coming to terms with the horrific attack on the Jewish community in Bondi on Sunday night.

Tarla Lambert-Patel and journalist Dinushi Dias sit down to unpack what happened, what it means and where we go next.

They also break down some of the biggest stories on Women's Agenda this week.

And find some hope in what has been a horrible week we will never forget.

The Women's Agenda Podcast is published by Agenda Media, publisher of Women's Agenda. You can subscribe to our free daily lunchtime update and support our work.

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Pauline Hanson gets Barnaby Joyce into the party, as well as a substantial pay rise as leader. Is that actually... a win?

Also, the US co-founder calling for public hangings and for the world to get more "masculine energy".

Plus, the social media ban is officially here, and everyone from teenagers to parents, politicians and media barons have something to say about it.

And what's with the outrage over Anika Wells' travel expenses? We dive in.

Stories discussed this week include:

A rare case of a man’s move resulting in a woman getting a 100k pay bump

Another billionaire tech bro declares world needs more ‘masculine energy’

A social media ban won’t save us from harms online. Educating us will

The outrage over Anika Wells says more about us than it does about her

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Tech-facilitated abuse continues to grow as a dangerous part of gender based violence. This includes everyday financial products and services being weaponised by perpetrators to inflict harassment, terror and surveillance on their victims. 

One person who has been instrumental in examining the extent of the issue and how common services and products can do more to address this type of abuse, is Catherine Fitzpatrick 

She is a leading expert on disrupting financial abuse and gender biases through more innovative product and service design. 

And she joins the podcast for a fascinating but at times disturbing discussion on how this type of abuse is occurring, its prevalence, but then optimistically, the empowering actions both consumers and businesses can deploy to help stop it.

Catherine has been leading industry-wide reforms. She’s advised the government on financial abuse policy and pioneered the financial safety by design framework, which is helping leading brands protect customers, manage risk and strengthen trust. 

She uncovered widespread abuse in online banking transactions while working as a banking executive in 2019, which led to her spearheading whole industry reforms to crack down on the practice. 

Catherine recorded this conversation with Women's Agenda on the 3rd December. And there’s much to learn, not just about how businesses and consumers can respond to the weaponisation of products and services, but also how she channelled a significant career curveball into a clear mission that is having real results. 

You can learn more about Catherine here.

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Wrapping up another week on Women's Agenda, we explore the parliamentary stunt from a certain politician claiming she was supporting women’s rights. Plus, the wild rant from a billionaire claiming taxes almost "ruined" his life, and the reminder offered again this week that a woman celebrating epic success online can still trigger misogyny.

Plus, we find the wins in the latest national snapshot from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency scorecard for Australia, where there has been an uptick in the share of paid parental leave being taken by men.

The Women's Agenda Podcast is published by Agenda Media, the 100% all female owned and run media business. You can check out all the latest stories and discussed on our webste here.

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We wrap up the top stories of the week! Including the latest big party appointments and firsts for women, the cracking glass cliffs and why a billionaire thought it was a good idea to share his dating advice.

Stories discussed this week include:

NSW Liberals elect Kellie Sloane unanimously as leader

‘May I meet you’? How a billionaire’s pickup line went viral

Look away. Sussan Ley’s glass cliff is definitely starting to crack

Even more ways police failed Hannah Clarke and her children revealed

Women's Agenda is published by the 100% women-owned and run Agenda Media.

Check out more on the stories discussed today at Women's Agenda, where you can also sign up for our free daily newsletter. Keen to support our work? Become a Women's Agenda Member.

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