Friday the 13th of May was a bad day for arts organisations in Australia. All over Twitter were bursts of emotion like fireworks – pledges of people subscribing for the first time to the likes of literary journals ‘Meanjin’ or ‘Voiceworks’, in a show of support after announcements of cuts to funding. If you aren’t…
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As I’m sure many of you are aware by now, the Labor government has proposed a tobacco excise – one that will raise the price of tobacco by 12.5% each year for four years. The backlash to this has been full of vitriol (my personal favourite is the one published here that compares the current…
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Jill Meagher Kiesha Weippeart Sarah Cafferkey Jordan Anderson-Smith Shandee Blackburn Bailey Constable This is a roll call of tragedy. These women and children had their lives cut short by violence. All of their stories are different; some knew their killers and some didn’t, some suffered long-term abuse and some were killed during a chance encounter….
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This new column will summarise events that have happened in the last week relevant to women, feminism, and sexuality and link you to related articles. It will also offer a brief analysis on some stories. This column is still finding its feet, so please feel free to give us feedback, as well as any news…
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Recent reforms and policy decisions related to maternity leave may be to the delight of women throughout Australia, but new research shows that such policies do not overcome the serious wage toll suffered by women who decide to take time off work in order to be the primary carer of a child. Paid parental leave…
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In the 1970s, Robin Morgan said that ‘pornography is the theory, rape is the practice’. She was an integral part of the Women Against Pornography association, which had set-up an office in New York City, setting up tours to show interested people, even high school students, the places around the city which exploited the bodies…
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Recently, the Rudd government has posed the following parental leave scheme: Working mothers will receive the minimum wage ($544 per week) when they take maternity leave. ‘Working mothers’ are those who work at least one day a week in ten of the thirteen months before birth. There are no provisions for paid paternity leave. Of…
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