Paid parental leave for women (of calibre) Tony Abbott’s choice of phrasing got him in a little strife in the battle between paid parental leave schemes when he told a press conference his model would actively encourage ‘women of calibre’ to procreate. The Coalition’s model would see women be paid for leave at the level…
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For the majority of Australians in support of marriage equality, it kinda feels like everyone keeps. Beating. Us. And while many sit in wait for moments like this to become a part of Aussie history, it’s worth taking a look at where the major parties stand on the issue. Marriage equality is a two-pronged issue…
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Year first woman was elected to Australian Parliament? 1943. Year first female became leader of a state parliament? 1990. Year of first female Prime Minister? 2010. Mind blowing politics facts comin’ at ya! Yep, for most of you reading this, female political leadership is a thing that was only realised in your lifetime. It might…
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Ladies’ Night, Qanda style. The ABC loves a good ol’ fashioned theme. The national broadcaster’s ladies’ edition of panel program Q and A began as news of Margaret Thatcher’s death rolled in on Twitter on Monday evening. The panel featured indigenous opera singer Deborah Cheetham, author/research scientist Brooke Magnanti, Germaine Greer, Mia Freedman and The…
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An alleged rape victim from the remote Feydhoo Island in the Maldives has been sentenced to 100 lashes for engaging in pre-marital sex. It is alleged that the 15 year old was subjected to repeated rape by her stepfather, and that she gave birth to his child, whose death in 2012 is currently under investigation….
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Pregnant asylum seekers moved from Manus Island Six pregnant asylum seekers held in detention on Manus Island have been relocated to the mainland this week. The women’s partners and dependents reportedly accompanied them to Australia for medical care. The move has provided the standard shock and outrage that comes with Australian coverage of asylum seeker…
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The Oscars, Seth and all in between The Oscars happened, and so did Family Guy creator Seth Macfarlane, as Lip has covered here and here. Macfarlane took to the stage to host the three hour show on Monday, managing to offend Jews, women and family audiences with humour that included barbed insults aimed at a…
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50 years of Friedan Betty Friedan’s seminal text The Feminine Mystique turns 50 this coming week. The text was credited with fueling much of the 60s American feminist movement (not to mention appearing as a cultural reference in every snappy teen film since – 10 Things I hate About You?) The anniversary prompted reflections on…
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Leigh Sales farewells Hillary Clinton The outgoing US Secretary of State has chatted with ABC journalist Leigh Sales about ending gender discrimination during a final interview in Washington DC. Sales was invited to moderate the ‘townterview’ event after leading a similar forum with Clinton in Melbourne. The event saw questions asked from participants around the…
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2012 was a bit of a feminist themed vocab lesson. From misogyny to discharge, Australians were schooled in words you just don’t say on telly. You may remember this Carefree campaign that Lip gave the thumbs up to last year for daring to discuss vaginal discharge and the normalcy of it in a TV commercial….
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Anti-Discrimination laws support churches The Federal Government’s draft Human Rights and Anti Discrimination Bill sees Australian religious institutions retain the right to discriminate against those they deem out of line with their values. This may include the right to refuse employment to gay and lesbians, single mothers, and those living out of wedlock. The bill…
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Fifty shades most loved book of 2012 The Fifty Shades trilogy has claimed the top three spots on the list of bestsellers in Australia for 2012. The first in the series, Fifty Shades of Grey, sold a reported 1.3 million copies on our shores in the last year, a definitive success for the series despite…
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Every morning, I get up at 4am to host a breakfast radio show. When I say I volunteer for such a thing, people recoil and repeat: ‘4am? The morningversion of four?’ on loop. But for all the early bedtimes, what I get in return is pretty swell: the chance to work with a group of…
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australia has a new favourite word Julia Gillard’s headline-grabbing speech this month has led to bickering over the definition of misogyny. Susan Butler, editor of the Australian Macquarie Dictionary, last week explained a decision to widen the official meaning of misogyny from ‘a hatred of women’ to include ‘an entrenched prejudice against women’. In the Federal…
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