The Women's Agenda Podcast

Independent member for Goldstein Zoe Daniel joins the conversation just as she launches her campaign for the upcoming Federal Election. Daniel was a journalist with the ABC for 30 years, including as a well-known correspondent, before she successfully ran for the seat of Goldstein in 2022, beating incumbent Liberal MP Tim Wilson in the process. In this conversation, we discuss her desire to run fo...

Angela and Tarla talk through what the 2025-26 Budget means for women. The good bit, the not-so-good and what happens next. Not in terms of "winners and losers" but in terms of all of us. Check out our website for our full Budget coverage. The Women's Agenda Podcast is produced by Agenda Media, publisher of Women's Agenda. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Working from home is under the spotlight, especially if you happen to be working in the Commonwealth Public Sector, with the Coalition recently announcing plans to have such workers return to the office full time. Today's guest is Emma Walsh, founder of Family Friendly Workplaces. Emma recently shared a LinkedIn post urging people to quit weaponising WFH, noting how such options are essential for...

Independent MP Allegra Spender joins the podcast to discuss her approach to politics and why women's representation is so critical. She notes the evidence-based decision-making and collaboration across parties, making the case for a minority government to address long-term issues like climate action and economic reform. Allegra Spenda also discusses the intergenerational wealth gap, particularly a...

Nine's hit show Married At First Siggt (MAFS) pitches itself as an "experiment" in relationships. But there are 'rules' of the experiment that are problematic when it comes to domestic and family violence. Some of the behaviours depicted on the show, and how they are health-related, are also raising concerns from experts. National Director of the National Women's Safety Alliance, Katherine Berney,...

On today's ep, Tarla Lambert-Patel speaks with award-winning journalist, presenter, and all-around powerhouse, Jan Fran!   You might know Jan from her sharp political commentary, her work on  The Feed , or her no-nonsense approach to breaking down the news. And now, she’s back with another compelling project— Australia and Unofficial History , a gripping new SBS docu-series that revisits...

It's International Women's Day! And with the UN Chief declaring we're seeing the 'mainstreaming of misogyny' we're examining how real, passionate and tireless action leads to monumental change for women. Lawyer, advocate, survivor and Dharug woman Karen Iles  joins the discussion as we examine the significant recommendations handed down by the Australian Law Reform Commission this week that c...

Welcome to a special edition of the Women’s Agenda podcast. This is A I Unlocked, and the final part of our three-part series sponsored by Salesforce. In today's ep, we explore the gaps, the solutions and the push to get more women involved in AI. You'll hear from some of the women who are shaping the industry.  They also reveal how anyone can be a part of the AI revolution regardless of thei...

It's gender pay gap day, with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has revealed the total remuneration pay gaps at more than 9000 employers. Just in time for International Women's Day. So, what do you need to know about the data, and are we seeing progress? WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge joins the conversation to share why, despite some pretty dramatic gaps at certain employers, we may start to s...

Welcome to a special edition of the Women’s Agenda podcast. This is A I Unlocked, and Part Two of a three-part series sponsored by Salesforce. In today's episode, we examine how women are using AI in business. And why accessing these tools can be a an opportunity to also deal with some of the risks associated with AI. More men than women are using generative AI, according to research by Salesforce...

Confronted by the state of democracy? Misinformation, rise of extreme parties, and public statements of cruelty by those elected? Well there's still plenty to be optimistic about, especially when it comes to women taking an active interest in democracy: they're dedicating their careers to it, engaging in campaign sand even running for office. In some cases, they're launching startups aiming to str...

Welcome to a special edition of the Women’s Agenda podcast. This is A I Unlocked, Part One of a three-part series sponsored by Salesforce. In today's episode, we spotlight the gender gaps in who is designing AI tools, and then how such tools are being used. More men than women are using generative AI, according to research by Salesforce and YouGov. So how did we get here, and what can be done? We...

On a mission to catch up for lost time on women's health, today's guest outlines areas of women's health that have been sidelined for too long, areas that can be addressed. Professor Jane Hirst is an academic obstetrician and the Global program director of women’s health at The George Institute for Global Health.  We explore some of the opportunities ahead. Some of the big wins, and why Profe...

The overwhelming majority of startup funding went to male founders in 2024 with the results actually going backwards for women. So why is this still happening, given all the rhetoric from governments, investors and founders on the need for change to support more women in startups? Today, we discuss the numbers in the State of Startup Funding Report for 2024, released in early February and document...

A number of female Independent MPs changed the face of politics at the last election, winning once considered safe Liberal seats.  And in 2022, Nicolette Boele almost joined them, achieving a 15.28% swing against the Liberal incumbent Paul Fletcher in what was once considered the safest Liberal seat in the country: Bradfield, in Sydney’s north.  Nicolette hopes to go one step further thi...

More women than men are reporting workplace bullying, and many of us feel increasingly lonely.    Given that we spend so much of our lives at work, there is much to discuss regarding the connection between workplace bullying, loneliness, and the erosion of social cohesion.    Melanie Wilde is deeply passionate about these issues and has recently established the Foundation for S...

Wildfires in LA? Clearly, DEI’s to blame! Companies like Meta and Walmart are proudly cutting back their Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programs.  Just as DEI continues to take the blame for everything from a bridge collapse in Baltimore to a NZ Navy ship accident and now this week the catastrophic fires in Los Angeles.  Today, we speak with two guests to outline what’s going on,...

Goodbye, fact-checkers and hello more opportunities for misogyny on Meta platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Threads. Mark Zuckerberg's short video announcement this week turned the internet on its head and marks a monumental shift in safety for women on social media, especially for women in already marginalised groups. So what does it mean and how can we stay safe? Yasmin London joins th...

Barely 5% of private capital goes to female founders in Australia and less than 15% to mixed-gender founding teams. So why aren't we seeing more change? And what does that mean for innovation in areas like women's health? We ask Dina Titkova, manager of startups at the accelerator UNSW Founders, which was recently voted Australia's most recommended accelerator in the 2024 Startup Muster report. Sh...

A concert pianist turned clinical psychologist and author, Dr Anastasia Hronis knows how to navigate the distracting impacts of social media and other addictive aspects of our hyper-connected lives. The Sydney-based founder of the Australian Institute for Human Wellness recently published her first book, The Dopamine Brain, sharing what dopamine is all about and offering tips on managing it in the...

2024 has not provided the progress we need to close gaps globally for girls. But 2025 can be different. Today's guest is Susanne Legena, CEO of Plan International Australia, and someone who enjoys – and is particularly good at – taking a ‘big picture’ strategic focus on issues, and finding hope in despair. In this conversation, Susanne outlines some of the critical challenges facing girls and...

It's time to run through some of the best books of 2024 with author Jessie Tu. Jessie is a journalist on Women's Agenda and the author of two fiction books, A Lonely Girl is A Dangerous Thing and her 2024 release, The Honeyeater. She's also a book critic with the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and someone who reads a lot of books! We share some of our top pics from the year, all written by wom...

We announce our person of the year, Gisele Pelicot. Her bravery throughout the public rape trial that shocked the world, which this week saw 51 men convicted and sentenced. Thank you, Gisele.   Elsewhere, we discuss whether 2024 was  really  the year of democracy for women. Plus, Tarla Lambert speaks with Assistant Minister Kate Thwaites to test how far Labor’s policies from this ye...

What is a radical centrist, and is 2025 the year for optimism? Journalist turned entrepreneur, and now NFP CEO, Kate Mills, joins the conversation to discuss. Kate's a fascinating thinker whose positivity and optimism are as infectious as genuine. In this wide-ranging chat, we discuss the challenge of homelessness, the crux of Kate's work, and the power and opportunity in collaboration. We then ve...

98 women had been killed by violence in 2024, at the time of publishing. We know this, thanks to the tireless work of Sherele Moody, who runs the Australian Femicide Watch. She has been counting women and children killed by violence since she began the Red Heart Campaign in 2015. In fact, we wouldn’t know the names or the stories of many of these women, if it wasn’t for Sherele and her work. This...