Kevin Rudd has defeated Julia Gillard 57-45 in a dramatic Labor leadership ballot overnight. Rudd was sworn in as the 28th Prime Minister of Australia this morning. The result comes nearly three years exactly since Gillard replaced Rudd as PM in a leadership spill. Gillard has vowed to retire from politics and will not re-contest…
Read more
A number of Australian retailers are being accused of sourcing garments from unsafe factories in Bangladesh. An ABC Four Corners report has revealed that workers are being threatened, and in some cases, physically abused, in factories used by brands such as Coles, Target, and Kmart. The report showed that Australian brands ordered clothes from sweatshops…
Read more
A World Health Organisation study has shown that thirty percent of women worldwide are victims of domestic violence. The report also found that forty percent of women killed worldwide were slain by an intimate partner. The head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, called it ‘a global health problem of epidemic proportions.’…
Read more
Adrian Bayley, the man who raped and murdered Melbourne woman Jill Meagher has today been sentenced to serve at least 35 years in jail. Justice Geoffrey Nettle sentenced the 41-year-old to life for the murder, and 15 years for what he described as ‘a savage violent rape of the worst kind’. Bayley would be eligible…
Read more
More than 140 Bangladeshi workers, mostly women, fell ill on Sunday after drinking contaminated drinking water. The women were employed at two clothing factories near the capital Dhaka. While their condition is not considered life-threatening, they are reportedly suffering vomiting and stomach pain. Humayun Kabir, a police inspector, told the AFP news agency that the…
Read more
14 women students were killed in a terrorist attack in southwest Pakistan on the weekend. Militants blew up a bus carrying the students and bombed a hospital that was treating survivors. At least 25 people were killed in the two attacks. According to CNN, militants held hundreds of patients, doctors, and nurses hostage in…
Read more
Woman kicked out of uni for being gay now owes college thousands of dollars Danielle Powell was kicked out of her university after officials found out she was dating a woman. Her scholarship to Grace University in the US was also withdrawn as a result of the judicial board hearing that forced her expulsion. Now…
Read more
Yesterday a menu from a Liberal party function emerged that referenced the Prime Minister in an appallingly derogatory way, dispelling any doubt that Julia Gillard is the victim of sexist abuse. The menu offered diners the option of ‘Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail – Small Breasts, Huge Thighs & A Big Red Box’. The menu…
Read more
Hillary Clinton has finally joined Twitter. The former First Lady and potential 2016 presidential candidate has racked up more than 200,000 followers five hours after unlocking her account and sending her first tweet. Clinton (@HillaryClinton) referenced the ‘texts from Hillary’ meme that to date has been her largest internet presence, in both her Avatar and…
Read more
The Women for Gillard campaign will be launched on Tuesday as Prime Minister Julia Gillard attempts to reach out to female voters. The independent campaign arm is funded by the Labor party and is modelled on US President Obama’s highly successful Women for Obama operation. According to the Herald Sun, Women for Gillard will seek…
Read more
2013 Australian of the Year Ita Buttrose has discussed misogyny, dementia, and women on television in an interview with the ABC radio’s Libbi Gorr. The former Cleo editor laughed off the suggestion that she had influenced the likes of Oprah when it came to creating a pathway for ‘controversial’ women in the media. However, she…
Read more
Chime for Change concert promotes female empowerment The Chime for Change campaign brought feminism to the centre stage in the UK on Saturday through the Sound of Change Live concert. Headlined by Beyoncé, the concert raised $4m to support approximately 200 projects in 70 countries, while raising awareness of maternal death, domestic violence, and female…
Read more
Legendary British actor Sir Patrick Stewart has given an impassioned speech about violence against women at Comicpalooza in the US. Audience member Heather Skye thanked Stewart for his recent speech on behalf of British charity Refuge. ‘That speech was really moving to me and it helped me through my own turmoils a little bit,’ Ms…
Read more
A lesbian coming-of-age tale has been awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. La Vie d’Adèle (Blue is the Warmest Colour in English speaking countries) from French-Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche took the top prize in an awards ceremony on Sunday after creating widespread buzz for its graphic sex scenes. La Vie d’Adèle tells…
Read more
