feminist news round-up 01-05-16

First female Muslim magistrate in Victoria
Urfa Masood will become the first Muslim woman magistrate in Victoria, with the appointment announced by the Attorney-General on Tuesday morning. Ms Masood has previously worked in criminal and family law, as well as experience with the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service.

Triggs: Australia must respect Papua New Guinea’s decision on detention
Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs has called on the Australian government to respect PNG’s recent Supreme Court decision on detention. On Tuesday, the Court ruled that indefinite detention of over 800 men on the island was illegal and the following day, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill announced that the centre would close. Ms Triggs stated that she doesn’t feel vindicated by the decision but hoped it would remind Australians that detention is ‘contrary’ to basic human rights. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is standing firm that the refugees will not be received in Australia.

Viola Davis’ production company signs deal with ABC
Exciting news for representation with ABC signing a deal with Viola Davis’ production company to develop new content across its platforms. JuVee Productions, which Davis runs with her husband Julius Tennon, are looking to bring more diversity to the ABC network. The announcement comes days after the studio announced a deal with actress Kerry Washington.

Dial down the mansplaining, Malcolm
Jacqueline Maleywrites for the Sydney Morning Herald that PM Turnbull needs to stop ‘mansplaining’ the issue of negative gearing, and instead address the anxiety surrounding housing prices.Maley feels that the debate is divided between property owners and those without property who feel that the odds are stacked against them, with the Coalition siding with the former.Turnbull has displayed an ‘empathy gap’ on the issue.

Emma Thompson on the anti-fracking movement in the UK
Actress Emma Thompson is currently involved in the anti-fracking movement in Lancashire and writes on the experience for the Huffington Post. The town has been fighting to stop the shale gas industry for nearly 5 years, and Thompson and her sister have set up a celebrity bake off for the cause. The bake off breaks fracking company Cuadrilla’s injunction against protestors on the land.