Women on the Line

We speak to two women from WISE -- a Melbourne University-based action group that promotes and supports women who study and work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Presenter: Amy MiddletonGuests: Sophia Frentz, Jess VoversMore info: http://www.wiseunimelb.com/ 

26th January marks the anniversary of the invasion of this continent, the start of a genocide that Aboriginal people continue to face. Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance are leading the protest against nationalism on Invasion Day in Melbourne. Meriki Onus and Meg Rotahan speak with Nicole about the importance of resistance, the problems with Australian national identity, and the need for Aborig...

New media has been central in modern activism, especially for people of colour who continue to be misrepresented and 'let down' by mainstream media. We listen to a panel discussion about the prominence of new media in asserting the voices of people of colour from Footscray Community Arts Centre's, 2015 West Writers: Our Stories Forum. We hear from founding editor of Future-Black Linda Kennedy, cre...

Women with intellectual or physical disabilities are often denied the right to experience their sexuality, to have relationships and to start a family. They experience discriminatory attitudes from societies which question their ability to become parents. Their children are removed by social services and child welfare authorities and can lose their children in custody disputes simply because they...

This episode of Women on the Line will focus on the recent Paris climate talks, also known as COP21. We speak with two women who went to Paris for COP21, Maori activist Sina Brown-Davis, and Ursula Rakova from the Carteret Islands, an atoll north east of Bougainville in the Pacific which is in the process of relocating its population due to the encroaching of the sea. If listeners want to support...

Writers Rochelle Siemienowicz and Simona Castricum read excerpts from their articles in the new edition of Archer Magazine, detailing experiences with religious upbringings, polyamory, gender transition and desire, followed by a quick Q&A with each about their work. Archer Magazine: http://www.archermagazine.com.auSimona Castricum: https://soundcloud.com/simonacastricumRochelle Siemienowicz: http:...

12 Months of Melanin is a photography project by Setti Kidane that aims to celebrate black women every month of 2016! She focuses on black women who are based in Toronto and shares her experiences as a black woman photographer.the12mm.comTumblr Twitter InstagramKelela- A Message

Three queer Aboriginal women share personal stories of negotiating identity, discovering community, and caring for friends amidst the AIDS crisis and after. Laniyuk Garcon, Sandy O’Sullivan, and Samia Goudie are contributors to the new book, 'Colouring the Rainbow: Blak Queer and Trans Perspectives.' Published by Wakefield Press, the volume includes 22 stories and essays by queer Aboriginal Austra...

This episode of Women on the Line focuses on the recently announced trials of the new Cashless Welfare Card and the implications of income management for Centrelink recipients. The cashless welfare card is a new debit card whereby 80% of the payments of most Centrelink recipients other than those on the Age Pension will be "quarantined."Trials of the card are scheduled to start in three trial site...

Amy Middleton speaks to two women doing amazing things for fair production of fashion. Rebekka Carey-Smith is an accreditation advisor for Ethical Clothing Australia, and Sigrid McCarthy has just launched Intent Journal, a magazine that explores the current fashion system, and people’s relationships with clothing. Presenter: Amy MiddletonGuests: Rebekka Carey-Smith, Sigrid McCarthy

In Our Own Words is an organisation that exists to encourage the development of young Afro-Black people through self awareness, de-colonial thinking and community empowerment. We chat with co-founders Aysha Tufa and Soreti Kadir about their upcoming conference Black Voices where they are curating a whole day of workshops, panels and performances with amazing international and local guests. In Our...

Recently well-known author & second wave feminist Germaine Greer angered transgender & gender diverse people and their supporters with a new wave of transphobic comments.  Trans women Regan Bleechmore & Lisbeth Latham, and Gender & Cultural studies academic Jessica Kean share their thoughts on the intersection of the transgender experience & feminism. Trigger warning: Please note that the content...

On November 4 Friends, Families and Feminists Against Detention (FFFAD) staged an action at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection in Melbourne to protest Australia's continued detention of asylum seekers. This episode of Women on the Line will cover the FFFAD action, hear from Hanan Marouf from Syrians for Freedom on the Australian Government's hypocritical treatment of refugees, and...

Cherchez La Femme is a monthly feminist talkshow held in Melbourne and hosted by founder Karen Pickering. The topic of the next Cherchez La Femme is Selfies and feminism. We chatted to one of the panellists, artist and writer, Virginia Fraser, about performance, creativity, feminism and the much maligned ‘Selfie’.Presenter: Amy MiddletonGuest: Virginia Fraser

Ascension magazine is Australia's first Indigenous and Ethnic women's lifestyle magazine founded by Sasha Sarago who saw a gap in the market. She explores the importance of representation of Women of Colour within this media space. Ascension Sampa The Great 

Women in Literary Arts Australia is a new organisation aimed at promoting and supporting women writers. We chat to founder Lefa Singleton Norton about WILAA, the state of literature, and the experience of being a woman writer in Australia today. Presenter: Amy Middleton Women in Literary Arts Australia is currently unfunded. Find out more: http://WILAA.org

Sisters Day Out is a full day workshop hosted by the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service Victoria aimed at breaking down the barriers to reporting family violence and building trust to empower Aboriginal women to access legal assistance services and other supports. The program has not been able to get the funding it needs and the future of Sisters Day Out is now at risk. On Oct...

Mother and daughter authors Lesley and Tammy Williams chat with us about their newly released book, 'Not Just Black And White - A Conversation Between a Mother and Daughter'. The book is a memoir about Lesley and Tammy shared journey which is rooted in shedding light on the untold stories of Aboriginal domestic servants and labourers who were never paid for their work. Not Just Black and White Web...

Women on the line went to Melbourne Fringe Festival show "I Am That Woman." The show features five self described non-conforming women who share their experiences. This episode of Women on the Line features highlights from the show and interviews with Lana Woolf and Viki Mealings exploring their thoughts about the show.

A conversation between Melbourne and Jakarta that traverses the role of women in the post-Suharto period. Zine making, DIY arts and crafts, and gender identity. From Jakarta, artist Ika Vantiani speaks about Jakarta's contemporary arts collective ruangrupa. Associate Producer Rani Pramesti, and founder of WANITA, Sooji Kim share their insights. This conversation was recorded in anticipation of Foo...

We hear an exciting and important talk about African feminism organised by Radical Women Australia. The talk is titled Feminism in Africa: From its Ancient Roots to Now and was delivered by Kenyan feminist, international student and Radical Women member, Nita Okoko. Soul is Heavy - NnekaRadical Women Australia

What would a feminist methodology sound like? That's the question that sound festival Liquid Architecture is posing. Over four weeks, 31 brilliant female artists are stepping up to respond. We hear profound performances from Celeste Liddle, Evelyn Ida Morris, and Makiko Yamamoto, plus a conversation with Liquid Architecture's artistic director, Danni Zuvela. 

Two staunch women in conversation about decolonisation and the free movement of people. Lucy Honan of the Refugee Action Collective and Meriki Onus from Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance discuss the parallels between their struggles that challenge the border, the nation state, and the violence used to uphold them. This is an edited version of a discussion recorded at Melbourne's Anarchist Book...

We speak with LA based poet, performer, teaching artist and ice cream connoisseur Mayda Del Valle who is down in Melbourne for the Footscray Community Arts Centre's Poetic Days Weekend. She discusses representation, ancestral memory and the sexism in the spoken word poetry spaces. www.maydadelvalle.comMayda del ValleVida linda – MyVerse

This week, we bring you a conversation recorded by Archer Magazine in Sydney in June 2015. Discussion centres around sexual diversity across generational divides, and features Teresa Savage and Viv McGregor. Teresa is the founder of 55uppitty.com, a documentary website about queer women over 55, and Viv is a photographer who heads up the women’s sexual health program Claude in Sydney.