Women's Agenda

19/06/2024

A magistrate’s court in Western Australia is proceeding with a trial for a woman charged with stealing $10 worth of period products earlier in the year. The trial has outraged period poverty advocates, including Share the Dignity's Rochelle Courtenay, who told Olivia Cleal the prosecution of the 31-year-old woman is “disgusting”.

“What is less dignified? Stealing them, or going without?” Courtenay said. “And while I don’t condone stealing them, I also wonder what most of us would do if we were faced with not having access to period products.

A magistrate’s court in Western Australia is proceeding with a trial for a woman charged with stealing $10 worth of period products earlier in the year.

19/06/2024

Right now, there is an important national conversation about social media’s role in shaping young minds. What’s missing from the discussion is how we protect children and young people from harmful online product marketing.

Children can’t legally buy alcohole but despite this, alcohol companies and digital platforms can aggressively target them with marketing.

18/06/2024

A new report examining intimate femicide cases in Australia indicates that very few occur without prior interaction with the justice system.

18/06/2024

More than 3,000 new homes that are to be built by the NSW government will be prioritised for victims of family and domestic violence, the state budget has revealed. Here's everything else you need to know.

More than 3,000 new homes that are to be built by the NSW government will be prioritised for victims of family and domestic violence.

18/06/2024

Gen Z mechatronics engineer and entrepreneur Grace Brown has closed a $3 million seed round for her robotics and AI startup, Andromeda. The 24-year-old secured the deal last Friday, which will help her scale the nation-wide rollout of a humanoid companion robot, Abi.

Andromeda aims to provide better patient outcomes in Australia’s healthcare sector through Abi, a robot designed to bring joy and companionship. Abi has already been successfully piloted in aged care facilities and in children’s hospitals.

Founder of Andromeda Grace Brown has closed a $3 million seed round for her robotics and AI startup to develop their humanoid robot, Abi.

18/06/2024

Australian canoeist Jessica Fox has won three gold medals at the Canoe Slalom World Cup, making her the first person to achieve such a feat. Ahead of next month’s Olympic Games, the string of victories brings her World Cup medal tally to 51. 👏 👏

Australian canoeist Jessica Fox has won three gold medals at the Canoe Slalom World Cup, making her the first ever to achieve such a feat.

18/06/2024

Dame Jacinda Ardern has announced a new initiative for global political leaders on leading with kindness and empathy, with the 12-month program designed to “rehumanise leadership” in politics.

“Field is hosted by Global Progress, and will create a network of like minded political leaders who use pragmatic idealism, speak to people with hope and optimism rather than fear or blame, and want to unite, rather than divide as we look to solve the challenges ahead," Ardern said.

Dame Jacinda Ardern has announced her latest project, heading up a new program for emerging leaders designed to “rehumanise leadership."

18/06/2024

Players from Denmark’s men’s national soccer team have refused a pay raise and accepted a 15 per cent pay cut in their insurance coverage to allow their female counterparts in the women’s national team to receive equal pay and a 50 per cent raise in their insurance coverage.

Michael Sahl Hansen, director of Denmark’s players’ union, Spillerforeningen, described the new deal as “an extraordinary step to help improve the conditions of the women’s national teams.”

Male players from Denmark’s national soccer team have refused raise and accepted a deal that ensures women players get equal pay.

17/06/2024

Chinese embassy officials allegedly blocked the view of Australian journalist Cheng Lei while she was reporting on a document signing ceremony between the Prime Minister and Chinese Premier Li Qiang earlier today.

Chinese embassy officials allegedly blocked the view of Australian journalist Cheng Lei while she was reporting a document signing ceremony.

17/06/2024

Does focusing on a moment like the one between Lachie Neale and Abbey Holmes risk us missing the bigger picture on sexual harassment?

The words “post-match kiss” spark memories of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final, when ex Spanish football president Luis Rubiales kissed footballer Jenni Hermoso without her consent.

17/06/2024

This is the first time Lehrmann has appeared in person at the court in Toowoomba– his former hometown. The hearing will determine if there is enough evidence to take the case to trial.

Bruce Lehrmann arrived at a Toowoomba court Monday morning for a committal hearing into allegations he r**ed a woman in 2021.

17/06/2024

The Queen of Pop praised the efforts of world leaders attending the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland over the weekend, who gathered to forge a plan to end the war in Ukraine and return the Ukrainian children who were torn from their families and deported to Russia.

Madonna has taken to Instagram to show her support for the children suffering amid the wars in Ukraine other places.

17/06/2024

Engaging children in discussions about gender norms and enabling men to play a bigger role at home are just some of the key actions we can take to eliminate harmful gender norms and gender inequities in Australia, according to a new report by Deloitte Access Economics.

“As important as it is to raise awareness through work such as International Women’s Day events, real change is driven when backed up by informed actions,” Deloitte Access Economics Partner Sruthi Srikanthan said.

Enabling men to play a bigger role at home is one way we can take to eliminate harmful gender norms and gender inequities.

14/06/2024

“She wasn’t meant to live, let alone walk or talk, ” Alexa Leary’s mother, Belinda said as she choked back tears in the stands after her daughter’s race.

A former triathlete, Alex Leary nearly died after a catastrophic bike accident in 2021. This week, she qualified to swim at the Paralympics.

14/06/2024

The proposal from the Australian Electoral Commission, released on Friday afternoon, would mean that North Sydney’s independent MP Kylea Tink would no longer have a seat in parliament. It would also mean that thousands of North Sydney voters would be distributed to surrounding electorates.

The federal seat of North Sydney could be abolished under a proposed plan to redraw the boundaries of electorates in New South Wales.

14/06/2024

Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been denied membership to Sydney’s exclusive all-male Australian Club. He joins women across Australia in rejection from the club that voted against allowing women to join.

Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been denied membership to Sydney's exclusive all-male Australia Club.

14/06/2024

Canadian writer and activist Naomi Klein has won the inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction for her book Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World.

“The book shines a light on the shadow world of social media – where facts are malleable, disinformation is prevalent and conspiracy theories abound – Klein captures the absurdities and dangers of the modern age, on a personal, social and political level,” writes the Women’s Prize judges.

Canadian writer and activist Naomi Klein has won the inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction for her book 'Doppelganger'.

14/06/2024

Australian teenager Catherine Laga’aia has been cast in the lead role of Disney’s upcoming live-action Moana movie. Production of Disney’s remake will begin this summer, with the film set to hit Australian cinemas July 9, 2026. Laga’aia will join Dwayne Johnson, who’ll reprise the role of Maui.

Australian teenager Catherine Laga’aia has been cast in the lead role of Disney’s upcoming live-action Moana movie.

13/06/2024

Access to reproductive leave is a robust answer to the problem of insecure work. It will allow women to vary their hours and days of work to accommodate their symptoms without sacrificing their careers, while also balancing the operational needs of their employer.

The Labor Party's recent rejection of both introducing reproductive leave and providing access to flexible work arrangements for reproductive health reasons is disheartening.

13/06/2024

Research overwhelmingly confirms that crises trigger gender-based violence. This occurs during health-related crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, where there was an explosion of violence when lockdowns confined women to their homes. Environmental crises also lead to rising violence.

Few of us are aware of the well-established links between external crises and the violence that occurs within the intimate partnerships.

13/06/2024

Managers are reportedly spending more than five hours a week providing emotional support to their team members who are struggling with personal issues, a survey by Circle In has found. Due to the growing pressures to provide non-work related support to their team members, 75 per cent of managers said they were experiencing stress and burnout.

Managers are reportedly spending more than five hours a week providing emotional support to their team members going through personal issues.

13/06/2024

Women’s Agenda is hosting the 2024 Women’s Health and Wellbeing Summit, an essential one-day event on Wednesday, September 4, in Sydney. The summit will bring together experts and thought leaders to support the health and well-being of Australian women at home and at work.

Supported by headline sponsor Nurofen and hosted by Walkley award-winning journalist, presenter and social commentator Jan Fran, the event will feature a variety of sessions ranging from mental and physical wellbeing to topics such as menopause, burnout, neurodiversity, endometriosis, fertility, sleep, migraines, and more.

Find out more and get tickets here.

Women’s Agenda is hosting the 2024 Women’s Health and Wellbeing Summit, an essential one-day event on Wednesday September 4 in Sydney.

13/06/2024

I’m certainly not the first person to experience brain fog, anxiety and depression as a result of perimenopause, in addition to the sleep disruption and sweats, writes Senator Larissa Waters. So why isn’t our Parliament already dealing with these issues?

Senator Larissa Waters share more on the push in parliament to expand support for women experiencing menopause and perimenopause.

13/06/2024

A race for the history books! Ariarne Titmus has smashed the 200m freestyle world record by 0.86 seconds in one of the most thrilling races in Australian swimming history.

Ariarne Titmus has smashed the 200m freestyle world record by 0.86 seconds in one of the most thrilling races in Australian swimming history.

12/06/2024

“(The female students) should be able to learn and go about their business without this kind of nonsense,” Bacchus Marsh Grammar's principal Andrew Neal said. “These things are not funny… they are basically vicious and therefore they should be dealt with appropriately."

Victorian police have arrested a teenage boy from elite private school Bacchus Marsh Grammar, after deepfake sexually explicit images of about 50 female classmates were produced and circulated online.

12/06/2024

Women leaders and peace activists around the country are united in their call for immediate action to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and ensure accountability for grave human rights violations.

Women leaders around the country are united in their call for immediate action to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

12/06/2024

Base salaries for CEOs and managing directors in Australia have risen by double digits in the last year. In comparison, general staff saw their pay lift by an average of 5 per cent over the same time.

Base salaries for CEOs and managing directors in Australia have risen by double digits in the last year, according to annual survey data.

12/06/2024

Kara Swisher is somehow regarded as both Silicon Valley’s “most feared” and “well-liked” journalist. Burn Book is that rare thing: a book about tech that can be enjoyed by readers who are not that into tech.

Kara Swisher's Burn Book is a witty and engaging account of the rise of internet companies and the often dysfunctional talents behind them.

12/06/2024

It’s unlikely we’ll see a “rodent women” craze any time soon.

Isn’t it insane how straight white men get away with literally anything? We love them — no matter what they do or how they look. The 'hot rodent men' trend is the latest example.

12/06/2024

Every child should be guaranteed at least three days per week of early childhood education for free, or at a low-cost fee of around $10 a day for households with a combined income of $80,000 or more.

Universal early childhood education and care, similar to how we think about schooling or Medicare, is possible. With serious upsides.