Women on the Line

For this week’s episode of Women on the Line, we speak to Sunday, Chairperson of Anakbayan Melbourne and member of Migrante Australia about the exploitation of Filipino migrant workers in so-called Australia. In response to workers’ testimonies of wage theft, unpaid mandatory superannuation, coercion, and unsafe conditions in the workplace, Migrante Australia has launched a new campaign called “Laban Migrante! Unite all workers to fight all forms of exploitation.” In this conversation, we talk about Australia’s neoliberal policies that set the conditions for employers to take advantage of workers, the social, political and economic conditions in the Philippines that are forcing people to seek work in Australia, and the ways in which Migrante Australia is organising for self-determination back home and for the rights of workers in this country.Song: figure it out - francine bell

For this week’s episode we look at Artificial Intelligence in two domains.Firstly, we hear from Associate Professor of Social Work at ACU, Jessica Russ-Smith, a sovereign Wiradyuri Wambuul woman, from the Smith and McGuinness Wiradyuri matriarchy. Jess’ work focuses on the embodiment of First Nations sovereignty and critical anti-colonial practice. She also co-authored the groundbreaking 2024 book "The AI (R)evolution: Valuing Country, Culture and Community in a World of Algorithms", which challenges dominant narratives about artificial intelligence by centring First Nations sovereignty. Recently, she spoke to 3CR Thursday Breakfast presenter, Kate, about the current harms of the AI transformation on Country, climate and social justice, fighting back against what she calls ‘digital Terra Nullius’ and centering First Nations ways of being and knowing when in relationship to and with AI.Later in the program, we hear from Lilia Anderson who is Policy and Strategic Research Lead at MEAA (the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance). She recently spoke at the event - Artificial Intelligence and Work in a Remade World, organised by Arena, NIBS (New International Bookshop) and Search Foundation on Wednesday 12 August. In her presentation, Lilia speaks about the impact that AI has and will have on journalism and how it is used by media companies to replace underpaid roles such as sub-editors. She also outlines how this so-called digital disruption has been underway for decades, uprooting the media and resulting in the casualisation of the workforce and increased workload.

The first episode of Women on the Line was broadcast on July 16, 1986.This week on the program we mark 40 years of Women on the Line with an interview with WOTL’s first producer, Deb Welch.We’ll also hear some archival excerpts from the first episode of the show.

In this episode, we interview Laleh Khalili, a professor of Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter and the author of Sinews of War and Trade: Shipping and Capitalism in the Arabian Peninsula, to discuss the longer lineages of imperialism and capitalism currently exemplified through the escalation of US war against Iran and what role the Gulf states play. This is a two-part series.Part II examines in deeper detail Iran, as well as histories of worker-led revolts.Laleh is one of 500 academics in Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Exeter facing redundancies. For more information, see: University of Exeter cuts an ‘existential threat to humanities’. Show your solidarity, please sign the following petition:https://www.change.org/p/stop-redundancies-at-the-university-of-exeter-706befbf-8195-4b87-a96c-13666e695878/psf/share

Professor Prabha Kotiswaran is a Professor of Law and Social Justice. Her main areas of research include criminal law, transnational criminal law, feminist legal studies and sociology of law. She has edited and co-authored a number of influential books on sex work, trafficking, feminism and the law, and is a leading voice on gender, labour and social justice.On this episode of women on the line, Prabha tells us about Prajwala v. Union of India, a recent landmark Supreme Court case that makes the vital distinction between autonomous sex workers and victims of trafficking, as well as recognises that those who are survivors of sex trafficking have a right to meaningful rehabilitation, support and opportunities to rebuild their lives.Content warning: mentions of sexual assault, suicide

On this episode of Women on the Line, we hear from Emily Stephenson, an educator and social-emotional learning specialist based in Thailand working at the intersection of education and mental health.Emily talks to us about creating safe, inclusive spaces for students, challenging systems that prioritise compliance and conformity at the expense of belonging and student wellbeing, her experience working with and supporting neurodiverse students across cultures, and the systemic failings of schooling structures around the world.

This week on the program we hear from four women from Kanaky, so-called New Caledonia, who were recently in so-called Australia for a speaking tour, organised by Free Kanaky Solidarity Naarm. Fara Caillard, Sonia Togna, Doriane Nonmoira, and Marie-Claire Kaïchou reflect on the Indigenous feminist movement in Kanaky, the simultaneous fight for independence and women’s rights, the ongoing impacts of French colonisation, as well as Indigenous people’s relationship to the land.--Click here to listen to the full original interview in French (Cliquez le lien pour écouter la version française)

Thinzar Shunlei Yi is an award winning Myanmar Democracy Activist, well-known for her public advocacy against Military supremacism and oppressive systems for ethnic and religious minorities. Shunlei is the director of Sisters 2 Sisters (S2S), a women’s rights and feminist resistance collective in Myanmar that promotes global solidarity, supports frontline fighters, and mentors young female activists. On this episode of Women on the Line, Shunlei tells us about life under military rule now, Myanmar’s resistance fighters, the military’s recent ban on menstrual products as a political weapon, and what Sisters2Sisters is doing to help people who menstruate. Follow their work on Instagram: @sisters2sisters.myanmar The song used in this episode is by Myanmar artist Than Than Sint and can be found here.

For this week’s episode of Women on the Line we go back into the archives, and revisit the historic 50-day Victorian nurses’ and midwives’ strike in 1986. As 3CR Community radio celebrates its 50th anniversary and this program, Women on the Line, celebrates its 40th anniversary, we are dedicating this special May Day edition of the show to the nurses’ strike and the rolling coverage that took place on 3CR at the time. On today’s program you will hear segments from three episodes of Women on the Line that aired in November and December 1986, presented and produced by Deb Welch, former 3CR presenter and creator of Women on the Line. Across the three episodes, Deb speaks to nurses and members of the Royal Australian Nursing Federation (now known as the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Foundation), and shares speeches, chants and songs from the various rallies and walkouts that took place across the state of Victoria.--Thank you to 3CR Community Radio for access to this archived audio, to the ANMF digital exhibition of the strike, and to the following publication, Radical Radio Book - Celebrating 40 years of 3CR.

This week, we take you to the National Folk Festival in Canberra, where we chat with three women from Dabke & Tatreez, a music and dance ensemble. Dabke & Tatreez formed in Sydney (Gadigal land) with musicians and dancers from, and with roots, in Palestine, Lebanon, Turkiye, Cyprus and Indonesia. We spoke with Ayse Shanal (Artists for Peace) and Hala & Hoor al-Sammak (Three Rivers Ensemble and Dahnoon Dabke) about resistance through music and culture in Palestine and the Levant. We also hear Dabke & Tatreez live at the 60th National Folk Festival, playing songs and tunes from a time that pre-dated 1948 and continues to this day in spite of Israeli occupation and blockade.

This week on the program we hear excerpts from “Capitalism is Femicidal: Women resisters speak out” held by Radical Women at Thorne Harbour Health in narrm Melbourne on Sunday 15 March to honour International Women’s Day.We’ll hear parts of speeches by:Natalie Feliks, co-founder of Trans Action NetworkKelly Flanagan, Wiradjuri woman, survivor of family violence, intergenerational trauma and member of FIGJAM (Formerly Incarcerated Girls Justice Advocates Melbourne)Rathy Barthlote, organiser of the 100-day refugee encampment outside Home Affairs and co-founder of Refugee Women Action for Visa EqualityMaudie Osborne, Community and Public Sector Unionist, anti-fascist organiser and Radical Women memberListeners should be aware that this program contains discussion of police violence and sexual violence within the prison system.If Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander listeners would like someone to talk to they can contact 13 YARN on 13 92 76, and anyone in need of support can call the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.Thank you to 3CR's Marion Cincotta for recording the speeches heard on today's program.

On this week’s program we look into Australia's new online safety codes requiring age verification for R-rated games and websites and the ramifications that this will have on our privacy. These new requirements, aimed to prevent children from being exposed to age-inappropriate content, raise questions about whether this will actually stop young people from accessing this content, as well as concerns regarding the online privacy of users. Furthermore, this age assurance could negatively impact the online sex work industry, exposing workers and clients to privacy and safety risks as well as creating further stigmatisation of the porn industry. To discuss these issues we speak to Lucinda Thorpe, Privacy Campaigner at Digital Rights Watch and Mish Pony, CEO of Scarlet Alliance.

In this episode of Women on the Line, we hear from Dr Anubha Sarkar, Lecturer of Global Creative Industries at City St George’s, University of London and Deputy Programme Director for the Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication, about Bollywood’s soft power and the rise of right wing Hindu ideologies, rising anti-Muslim sentiments and nationalism in India. You can also listen to Kannagi's first interview with Dr Sarkar from 2021 on the same topic here: https://www.3cr.org.au/tuesday-breakfast/episode-202111020700/radio-reimagined-bollywood-and-indias-far-right-gendered

In this second part of our conversation on critical minerals with researcher and activist Mercedes Zanker (Renegade Activists), we examine the global supply chains that shape how these resources are controlled, processed, and distributed. As Australia and the rest of the Anglosphere amp up their focus on usurping China's monopoly over the critical minerals supply chain, we explore the logic of national security and how that shrouds tracing critical minerals to the industry of war.Mercedes has extensively written and researched military supply chains as part of Renegade Activists, who also host a show on 3CR, A Friday Night Rave.We hear music from Double Dole Stringband: www.instagram.com/double_dole_stringbandPart 1 of the conversation: https://www.3cr.org.au/womenontheline/episode/critical-minerals-militarisation-x-mining-boom-20

In this special live-recorded episode of Women on the Line, we broadcast from the streets of Naarm/Melbourne during the mass protest against the visit of Israeli president Isaac Herzog. This episode captures the voices of protesters, organisers, and community members who situate Herzog’s visit within the ongoing genocide in Gaza and Australia’s complicity through diplomatic, military, economic and political alignment. We hear speeches from Nour Salman, Tasnim Sammak and an interview with Students for Palestine organiser Renee.

This week on the program we are looking at energy democracy in action - specially Cooperative Power, a not-for-profit cooperative which is member owned and member run.Recently, CoPower’s energy partner Energy Locals was bought out by major retailer Origin Energy.We speak with Claire Harvey, Cooperative Power Board member, about what CoPower does, why their model is different, and what CoPower’s response has been to the dismaying news of the purchase of their energy partner by Origin.To take the pledge to be part of CoPower 2.0, visit https://www.cooperativepower.org.au/

Maya Linstrum-Newman, Programme Lead for Human Trafficking and Forced Labour at the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW), on a recent alliance between radical feminists and religious groups to restrict reproductive freedoms and its impact on sex work, surrogacy, gender ideology and bodily autonomy.

On this episode of Women on the Line, we first hear from Gemma Cafarella, barrister and president of Liberty Victoria, about new research exposing the discriminatory and ineffective use of Victoria Police’s ‘designated area’ powers - a regime that allows police to stop and search people without reasonable grounds or a warrant.We then hear an excerpt from 3CR Thursday Breakfast’s Priya speaking with Tarneen Onus Browne, Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta, Bindal and Meriam person and community organiser, about the ongoing federal court challenge against Victoria Police's designated areas powers in the context of First Nations resistance movements.

On this episode of Women on the Line we listen to snippets from a panel discussion about the new research released by the Racial Profiling Data Monitoring Project. We hear from:Dr Tamar Hopkins, a Researcher on Racial ProfilingSabrina Adem, a Community organiserLauren Caufield, Advocacy coordinator at Beyond Survival, Flat OutBee Charika, Rising Red Lantern and VixenDr Tasnim Sammak, Palestinian activist and organiserThe panel was moderated by Idil Ali, a community organiser.The panel was held on Monday 1 December at the Institute for Postcolonial Studies in Narrm.

In this episode, we sit with researcher Mercedes Zanker to discuss the military supply chain of critical minerals, from the colonisation and expropriation of sovereign Aboriginal lands to raining bombs on people implicated in US terror wars. Mercedes has extensively written and researched military supply chains as part of her work for Renegade Activists and her show on 3CR, A Friday Night Rave.

On this week's episode we speak to Titaua Porcher, Associate Professor in French and Francophone Pacific literatures at the University of French Polynesia, about how writers, poets and playwrights in Te Ao Maohi/French Polynesia have grappled with the impacts of France's nuclear weapons testing in the region through literature. As a playwright herself, Titaua also discusses the important role of literature in providing different perspectives on history and people, countering stereotypes such as the ‘post card’ view of French Polynesia.

On this episode of Women on the Line, we’re honoring the late disabled writer and activist, Alice Wong, who passed away on the 14 November 2025 at the age of 51. We’re listening to her presentation titled ‘The Last Disabled Oracle’ from 2020, where she speaks from the future of 2029. The presentation was delivered as part of Alex Kelly’s Assembly for the Future. You can listen to the full presentation on 3CR here. You can learn more about Alice's work via The Disability Visibility Project.

On this episode of Women on the Line we speak with Sharvari, a theatre historian from India currently teaching at University of Chicago, about her first book project, Performances of Posterity: Theater, Archives and Cultural Regulation in Modern India. Sharvari talks to us about her research, the historical erasure of caste and gender in theatre, the impermanence of researching performance, the linguistic complexities of Indian theatre, and the changing nature of resistance and oppression through art.

This week, we turn to Western Sahara, often referred to as the last colony in Africa and one of the most overlooked frontlines of imperial power. In the wake of the UN Security Council’s 31 October resolution, which lends weight to Morocco’s autonomy plan and extends the MINURSO mandate (which has been extended annually since 1991), we examine what this means for Sahrawi self-determination. This moment is especially significant because 6 November 2025 marks 50 years of Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, and five decades that Sahrawis have lived in exile in refugee camps in Southwest Algeria.Our guest today is Sahrawi human rights activist and teacher Najla Mohamed-Lamin, who focuses on women's rights and environmental issues. She established the Almasar Library Centre, which educated women and children living in Sahrawi refugee camps about climate change. She speaks about life under exile and why Sahrawi resistance endures despite displacement, resource plunder, and global indifference.

This week on the program we examine the distressing news that Queensland’s LNP State Government has doubled down on their ban on young people seeking access to gender affirming care.The ban on accessing puberty blockers and hormone treatment for new adolescent patients in the public health system was initially put in place in January this year, and on October 28 was immediately reinstated by the Queensland State Government after being overturned in a Supreme Court Challenge brought by the mother of a trans child.We speak with Brianna Hammond, President of QTrans, and Piper Valkyrie from Magandjin People's Pride to understand the context of the ban, its impact on young people trying to access gender affirming care and what the response has been so far from the trans and gender diverse community and their allies.You can donate to Project 491 to help facilitate access to care for the young people shut out of the Queensland Public Health system.You can also sign the petition to reinstate care for trans young people.If today's episode has been distressing for you or someone you care about you can reach out to QLife for support.

On this episode of Women on the Line we covering the latest update on Treaty in Victoria. We hear from Sue-Ann, Wurundjeri and Ngurai Illum Wurrung woman,  who is the Deputy Chair And Commissioner of the Yoorrook Justice Commission. She delivered a speech at the Women’s Rights at Work Conference Held at Vic Trades Hall on Friday 5 September. Her speech covers how union members can play a vital role in supporting meaningful solidarity in their workplaces and communities for Treaty. She covers the key findings of the Commission’s report and steps towards Treaty in Victoria.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that the following program contains references to colonial violence. If you need to speak to someone about the issues covered in the show, you can contact:13 YARN on 13 92 76 - a dedicated 24/7 national crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PeoplesYarning Safe'n'Strong on 1800 959 563 - a free and confidential 24-hour counselling service for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PeoplesOn this week’s episode we bring you audio from the ‘Cry for Truth and Justice’ rally that took place on Sunday 19th October in Djilang/Geelong on the lands of the Wadawurrung people. Organised by Be Tru, a group of First Nations Peoples and non-Indigenous members, this rally and march aimed to unite the community in declaring a firm NO to racism, and coincided with other anti-racism protests that took place across the state. Today we’re going to hear from Corrina Eccles, Julie Saylor-Briggs, Aunty Annie Nicholson, Aunty Wendy Brabham and Irith Williams.Thank you to Amy Ciara from 3CR's Kill Your Lawn and Kick Your Fence for the recordings.

We are dedicating this special episode to the Shuhada, the martyrs of Gaza. On 7 October 2025, the Palestinian community in Victoria gathered to mourn and honour those killed by Israel, and to speak truth against silence and erasure. We take you to that vigil, the commemoration in honour of Gaza and Palestine in Naarm/Melbourne.We hear from women who hold that grief and resistance in their voices. We hear from Camellia, Nour, and some of the names of Palestinian children martyred over the last two years. Featured song: Mawtini, performed by children in Gaza in 2015, available on YouTube.Image by @gabinthesun

On this episode of Women on the Line we chat with Huong Truong and Lily Vu about their upcoming workshop for ViệtSpeak as well as the importance of Vietnamese language, bilingual education, language diversity and community organising tactics. Huong Truong is a grassroots organiser and former Greens MP. Lily Vu is part of the ViệtSpeak Committee.  The workshop will be held on Sunday 26 October in Footscray. All are welcome to attend. RSVP here.

On this week's episde we speak to Munanjahli and South Sea Islander woman, Professor Chelsea Watego, about her new book, Black Thoughts Matter: Essays on Black Love, Black Power and Black Joy. Providing critical context to some of the groundbreaking essays published across a range of digital platforms, ‘Black thoughts matter’ honours the Black thinkers that have shaped Watego’s intellectual and political formation to date. It is a testament to the love, power and joy that is at the heart of Black thinking and writing in the fight against racial violence in so-called ‘Australia’. In this interview we also speak about the power and ongoing challenges of writing in the colony and reflecting on 10 years of articles and essays, as well as the power, the joy, and the importance of embracing rage.

On this episode of Women on the Line we hear from Emma Valente, one of the co-artistic directors of the RABBLE. Emma talks to us about their new Fringe Festival show, UNWOMAN (the protest), a durational artwork celebrating the multitude of experiences around birth, fertility and pregnancy. If you want to be a part of the show and share your experience, go here. Emma and the RABBLE will support you all the way through! The show is free and will be performed at Fed Square on Sunday 5 October - to book a spot go here.

This week, we hear from researcher and activist Dr. Sadia Agsous-Bienstein, recorded at a teach-in hosted at the Institute of Postcolonial Studies in Naarm/Melbourne.Sadia speaks on the erased histories of Arab–Jewish solidarities and their meaning in the current moment of genocide in Gaza, perpetrated by Israel and its Zionist footsoldiers — including descendants of Jewish communities of North Africa and the Middle East.From anti-fascist resistance in colonial Algeria, to Arab solidarities against European antisemitism, to shared struggles against colonial rule in the Maghreb and Mashreq, Sadia traces how Western colonial divide-and-rule and Zionist settler-colonialism fractured and erased attempts at common life and joint struggle between Jews, Arab-Muslims, and Palestinians.In the second half of the show, Tasnim Sammak joins Sadia in conversation to reflect on what these histories mean in the current moment of genocide in Gaza — and how remembering solidarities is itself an act of resistance.Sadia mentions the following authors in her talk:Avi Shlaim, Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew. London: Oneworld Publications, 2019.Ella Shohat, On the Arab-Jew, Palestine, and Other Displacements. London: Pluto Press, 2017.Rashid Hussein, Selected Poems. Edited by Adina Hoffman, translated by Sasson Somekh. Jerusalem: Ibis Editions, 2002.Sadia Agsous, Le dialogue culturel entre Palestiniens et Israéliens dans les années 1950 : Rashed Hussein et Sasson Somekh, histoire d’un rendez-vous manqué, dossier spécial,  L’histoire culturelle des relations entre Juifs et Arabes en Palestine/Israël de la fin du XIXe siècle au début du XXIe siècle, Revue d’histoire culturelle XVIIIe-XXIe siècles, 2021.Mahmoud Darwish, interview cited in Elia J. Ayoub, The Jewish and Arab Questions and European Fascism, eliaayoub.com, 22 May 2021. Please note the guest lecture was co-organised by Tasnim Sammak and this week's presenter, Scheherazade Bloul.

Today we hear from Dr Samah Jabr, a Palestinian psychiatrist living in Jerusalem who recently visited Australia for the first time to tour her new book, Radiance in Pain and Resilience: The Global Reverberation of Palestinian Historical Trauma.We spoke with Dr Jabr shortly ahead of a lecture and panel discussion organised by the Shifa Project held at RMIT on August 17.The event was MCed by Nasser Mashni along with panellists Leah Manaema Avene and Tasnim Samak. Dr Gary Foley was also scheduled to speak but was unfortunately unable to attend on the day.

On this episode of Women on the Line we chat with 44 Flats United (44FU) are a group of residents, former residents and supporters of public housing, organising against the Victorian State Government's decision to demolish the 44 high-rise commission flats and a growing number of walkups across Narrm (Melbourne). They are guided by the principle that not one person should be left worse off because of this government's decision to demolish their homes, that public housing needs to be defended and protected for current residents and future generations to come and that on the unceded sovereign land of First Peoples, no decisions should be made about the sale or leasing of public land until Treaties with First Peoples have been negotiated and finalised.We hear from R-Coo Tran, leader of 44 FU and Thi, a Vietnamese woman living in a housing estate in Richmond. We chat about the major problems with the estate demolition plan, what impact this is having on residents and how 44FU is organising on this campaign. Please note that parts of the conversation are in Vietnamese and have been translated and edited for brevity.

On this week’s episode we look into big tech companies - their complicity in war, their pervasive use of surveillance and data, and the impacts this is having on us as individuals, as artists, and as communities. Our first conversation is with Cher Tan, an essayist and critic whose written work has been published widely. Cher delves into the dark side of Spotify; its ties to the military-industrial complex, its role in stripping artists of their rights and dignity, as well as the way it has homogenised art and culture. Later in the program, we’ll hear an interview with Lucinda Thorpe, Privacy Campaigner at Digital Rights Watch, which aired on 3CR’s Tuesday Breakfast on 12 August 2025. In this interview, Lucinda outlines the latest Productivity Commission report which calls for a pause on AI regulation; how this benefits big tech companies and the negative impacts this will have on our privacy.

Today we hear speeches from the Convergence on Canberra which took place from 20-22 July.More than a thousand people from across so-called Australia gathered outside Parliament House to demand that the Federal Government impose sanctions on Israel in response to the state’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians.There were over 24 speakers across the Convergence, today we hear from Amal Naser, Leah House, Janet Parker and Hiba Farra.

On this episode of Women on the Line we hear from Thaan, founder of Wholistik Permaculture, a social enterprise based in Chiang Mai, Thailand that aims to connect people with nature and create an alternative to living within capitalism. Thaan talks to us about the importance of permaculture, building sustainably, creating safe queer spaces in nature, educating children and families about sustainability, and sharing knowledge and skills across brown, black and Indigenous cultures and communities. Follow Thaan's work on Instagram @wholistik_permaculture and his music @fluidfrequenciesmusic

In the first half of the show, we bring you speeches from the “Future Fund Invests in Genocide” rally held on June 26 in Naarm/Melbourne. We hear from Jaimie Jeffrey, who is a member of the No Aukus Vic and Elbit Out of Vic campaigns, as well as Romina Beitseen, an Iranian unionist and peace campaigner with the Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament.In the second half, sound artist Bridget Chappell takes us to the occupied West Bank, where they interview Yara Dowani, co-founder of Om Sleiman Farm in Bil’in village, west of Ramallah. Yara speaks about agroecology as a form of resistance, centring Palestinian food sovereignty, solidarity economies, and the reclamation of land and identity in the face of Israeli coloniality in its various manifestations.

On this episode of Women on the Line we chat with scholar Carolyn D’Cruz and librarian and archivist Clare O’Hanlon, who are speaking at the Researching Our Culture talk as part of Q-Lit, Victoria's premier LGBTQIA+ literature festival. We chat about gender in academia and the archives as well as transphobia and the manosphere.  The Researching our Culture talk will bring together leading researchers exploring queer culture, history, and literature and will be held on Tuesday 24 June 6.30pm at Library at the Dock in Narrm. Tickets can be found here. BiosCarol is a recovering academic, from gender, sexuality, and diversity studies. She gained expertise in identity politics, after having to explain where she's from, and who she is, for most of her life. She writes on making sense of oneself through others to contribute to making the colony fall. Clare is a genderqueer academic librarian and Australian Queer Archives volunteer. They are passionate about making diverse knowledge and histories accessible across Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums and higher education sectors. Their work is grounded in collective reflection and guided by social justice, compassion, courage, and creativity. Show References: The colonial project of gender (and everything else) by Sandy O'Sullivan Archie Barry's essay on trans history in Archer magazine A brief history of homophobia in the dewey decimal classification Democracy in Difference book by Carolyn D'CruzClare O'Hanlon's playlist response to Carolyn's book Democracy in DifferenceQueerness in Stem

On this episode of Women on the Line we chat with Maxine Chi (Chai) who is a contributor to the Our Story: Aboriginal – Chinese people in Australia, an exhibition that has been curated by Zhou Xiaoping and held at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra until 27 January 2026. Maxine is a Bardi Aboriginal woman who has Chinese, Japanese and Scottish ancestry. She was born in Broome, Western Australia in 1954, a place which has a rich history of people from around the world, mainly Asia and Australia, coming to live and work in the pearling industry from the late 1890s. Maxine currently teaches the Graduate Certificate in Aboriginal Studies at Notre Dame University, Broome Campus, online and face to face with her students. She has worked in various government positions in State and Commonwealth Governments as well as the Kimberley Land Council, the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA (Inc), Department of Housing (WA) and is a member of the Bardi and Jawi Niimidiman Aboriginal Corporation the native title body for her countrymen and women.

On this week’s program we speak to Genevieve Grieves and Wejdan Shamala about their project, Motherhood in the Colony. Genevieve is a proud Worimi woman and respected artist, educator, field builder, film director and oral historian. She is also the co-Creator and Creative Director of GARUWA, First-Nations owned and led storytelling agency. Wejdan is a Palestinian woman, whose family is from Gaza and the West Bank. She uses art, such as spoken word, as a vessel for her advocacy. This film Motherhood in the Colony, brought to life by Genevieve Grieve, and Palestinian artist, Aseel Tayah, sees the coming together of eight First Nations and Palestinian women. Through intimate storytelling, the film unravels stories of colonial trauma, and mothering as an act of resistance, while inviting audiences to listen, learn, and envision a future beyond the oppressive structures of colonisation.Listeners are advised that the following program contains references to genocide and colonial violence. If you need to speak to someone about the issues covered in the show, you can contact:Lifeline on 13 11 14Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners can contact: 13 YARN on 13 92 76 on  - a dedicated 24/7 national crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PeoplesYarning Safe'n'Strong on 1800 959 563 - a free and confidential 24-hour counselling service for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

On this episode of Women on the Line, we speak to Burmese artist Yim about her book The Story of Rice, a colouring book that preserves traditional Burmese farming methods. We also speak with Lisa, Yim's friend, translator and founder and owner of Free Bird Cafe in Chiang Mai, Thailand, about her work supporting Burmese refugees.Follow Yim's work on Instagram: @littlebrightcnx - you can also DM her to buy her book!Follow Free Bird Cafe on Instagram: @freebirdcafe

In this episode, we speak with Jeju-based peace activist Sung-Hee Choi, who has spent more than 15 years resisting U.S. militarism, weapons manufacturing, and the construction of a naval base on Jeju Island, South Korea.Sung-Hee is a board member of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space and a participant in the Pacific Peace Network. She speaks with us about the long legacy of anti-militarist resistance on Jeju Island, from the 1948 massacre to the ongoing corporate-led militarisation of land, sea, and space.We also trace the role of Hanwha as they open a new space centre on Jeju Island, South Korea’s largest weapons company, in global war profiteering, including their new weapons facility in Avalon, Victoria, developed with Australian government support, and subcontracting Elbit Systems an Israeli arms company complicit in the genocide in Gaza.

In this episode, we bring you voices from the Nuclear-Free Gathering held in Naarm in February 2025.We hear from Dr. Margie Beavis (Medical Association for Prevention of War) on the dangers of nuclear energy, Dimity Hawkins (ICAN) on Australia’s role in global nuclear militarisation, Aunty Sue Coleman on the colonial violence of uranium mining, and Wendy Farmer (Voices of the Valley) on regional community resistance to nuclear projects. With AUKUS ramping up nuclear expansion, communities are pushing back, demanding a future that is nuclear-free and just.Recordings captured by 3CR's Radioactive Show.

On this special episode of Women on the Line, we take you through the streets of Naarm for the Invasion Day 2025 Rally. As reactionary forces attempt to uphold colonial narratives in the aftermath of the Voice referendum and corporate-backed campaigns to uphold January 26, we feature speeches and performances from:Meriki Onus, co-founder of Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance; a performance by Wurundjeri dance group, the Djirri Djirri Dance Group; Kumjayi Walker's family member Samara Fernandez-Brown who also works with the Dhadjowa Foundation; a musical performance by Kee’ahn and YARA; and Tasnim Sammak on the intersections of Palestinian and First Nations struggles against settler-colonialism.

On this week’s program, we hear from Bee and Rory about the targeting of Asian-migrant sex workers, increased raids committed by Australian Border Force through Operation Inglenook, and the ongoing violence and surveillance of street-based sex workers. First, we’ll hear a conversation with Bee on 3CR’s Tuesday Breakfast. Bee is a migrant sex worker, outreach peer support worker for women of cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds for Vixen and AMSWAG (Asian Migrant Sex Worker Advisory Group) under the Scarlet Alliance. They are also a member of Justice for Our Sisters. This interview originally aired on Tuesday 15th April. We will then hear from Rory, a sex worker and peer support worker with Vixen who spoke at the action organised outside the Department of Home Affairs in Naarm on Thursday 17th April. This rally was organised by Vixen to demand an end to racist profiling of Asian-migrant sex workers at work and at the border; an end to the raids and to shut down Operation Inglenook; cops and Border Force out of sex worker spaces, and full decriminalisation for all sex workers, including street-based workers. Content warning: Listeners are advised that the following program includes descriptions of police raids and references to violence against sex workers. If you are a migrant sex worker in need of support, you can reach out to your local peer organisation. That’s Scarlet Alliance for the peak body at www.scarletalliance.org.au or Vixen in so-called Victoria at www.vixen.org.au. If you need to talk to someone about the issues covered in today’s episode, you can also contact QLife on 1800 184 527 or go to www.qlife.org.au.

On this episode of Women on the Line, we speak with Thinzar Shunlei Yi, an award winning Myanmar Democracy Activist well-known for her public advocacy against Military supremacism and oppressive systems for ethnic and religious minorities. Shunlei tells us about military rule in Myanmar, the devastating impacts of the recent earthquake, the added threats of being a feminist activist, and her work promoting global solidarity with Myanmar women.Find out more: https://sisters2sisters.org/ Instagram: @sisters2sisters.myanmarContent warning: discussions of war crimes including sexual assault, violence against women and violence against children.

On today’s show we are marking Trans Day of Visibility (31st of March). We will be hearing snippets of a rich conversation between 3CR’s Sally Goldner and Aisya Zaharin. Aisya is a trans advocate from Meanjin Brisbane and is currently in Narrm as a special guest for the Women’s Iftar hosted by Queer Muslim Narrm and Trans Sisters United. She has also been a strong advocate for trans youth in Queensland in the face of government attacks on trans health care. Our guests chat about the recent Women’s Iftar held by Queer Muslim Narrm and Trans Sisters United; the rise of right-wing dogma and its impact on faith and religion; and the QLD anti-trans bill, which has suspended minors from accessing Hormone Replacement Therapy and puberty blockers. This interview was aired on Sunday 23 March on 3CR’s Out of the Pan with Sally Goldner. AusPath has initiated a fundraiser ‘Project 491’ in response to this harmful suspension from the QLD government. Make a donation here.If you are trans person impacted by this news or have found any of the conversation distressing you can call  QLifeon 1800 184 527.

On this week’s episode, we bring you speeches from the snap action for Poccum’s Law - Bail Saves Lives that took place outside Parliament House in Narrm on Tuesday 18th March 2025. We hear from Nina, a member of Formerly Incarcerated Girls Justice Advocates Melbourne (FIGJAM) and then from Sarah Schwartz, Legal Director of the Democratic Freedoms team at the Human Rights Law Centre. Later in the episode, we hear from Sophie Ellis, Senior Lawyer at Youthlaw and finally, Aunty Marjorie Thorpe, Gunnaikurnai Elder.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners, please be advised that this program includes references to Indigenous people who have passed away. There are also references to state violence and deaths in custody.  If you need to talk to someone about the issues covered in the program you can contact:Lifeline on 13 11 1413 YARN on 13 92 76 - a dedicated 24/7 national crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PeoplesYarning Safe'n'Strong on 1800 959 563 - a free and confidential 24-hour counselling service for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Avika is a regenerative farmer in Chiang Mai, Thailand, passionate about regenerating soil. She works with farmers across the country to make regenerative farming tools and techniques more accessible. In this episode of Women on the Line we hear from Avika about combating the climate crisis through regenerative farming, the role of women in sustainable farming, the links between corporate farming and patriarchal culture and the benefits of growing your own food.Learn more about Avika's farming practises at roots.ag or follow her on Instagram @livingrootsag

Listeners are advised that this program includes references to violence and suicide. If you need to talk to someone about the issues covered in the program you can contact: 13 YARN (13 92 76) which is a dedicated 24/7 national crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Yarning Safe'n'Strong 1800 959 563Lifeline 13 11 14Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467 On this week’s episode, we speak to Jodie Bell, descendant of the Butchella and Jagera people of Southeast Queensland and board member of the Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council. In this conversation, Jodie speaks about the organisation’s 2025-2027 strategic plan which was launched earlier this month at Federal Parliament House in Canberra. The plan outlines KAWC’s commitment to women’s leadership, grassroots empowerment, cultural security, and systems reform, with a strong focus on strengthening the Aboriginal community-controlled sector, fostering self-determination and advancing Closing the Gap priorities. It also highlights key initiatives designed to create long-term social, cultural, and economic benefits for Aboriginal women and their communities.

In this episode of Women on the Line, we speak with Twitch streamer Moon Bear who tells us about her experience gaming as a woman of colour, the repercussions of right wing politics for women in online spaces, and creating safe communities for other gamers like herself.Find Moon on: https://www.twitch.tv/moonbearryhttps://www.instagram.com/moonbearryhttps://www.youtube.com/@moonbearry13https://x.com/moonbearryhttps://bsky.app/profile/moonbearry.bsky.socialhttp://discord.gg/bearrynauts

On today’s show we speak with Des and Kaede, two of five committee members from Congee Club – a social club for LGBTIQA+ Asians to build friendships, share stories and connect with community in Narrm. We hear about their aspirations, their reflections on Year of the Dragon and their dreams for Year of the Snake. Congee Club committee members include: Desk, Kaede, James, Karen and Eldon. Follow them on instagram here. The feature song on today's episode is 'Hold the Girl' by Rina Sawayama.

Sofii Belling-Harding is a Yorta Yorta, Wiradjuri, South Sea and Meriam woman who has lived in Naarm on Wurundjeri Country all her life. She is a community arts worker and has her own show on 3CR Community Radio called B.I.T.E - Blak is the Essence. In this conversation, Sofii talks about the significance of Fitzroy (Melbourne) and the connections she has to other Aboriginal families in the community; her roots in the arts having grown up around artists, actors, playwrights and writers; and why she loves community radio as a space to express herself, connect with others, and stand up for community.The song at the end is called 'Tongues' by Tanya Tagaq. From Ikaluktutiak (Cambridge Bay, Nunavut), Tanya is an improvisational singer, avant-garde composer and bestselling author. She describes herself as "an original disruptor, a world-changing figure at the forefront of seismic social, political and environmental change".

Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa, a writer, performer, theatre-maker, filmmaker, and producer based in Boorloo/Perth, talks about her new book, Fully Sikh, which explores her evolving identity as a Sikh woman living in Boorloo, her creative journey as an artist, and why she is drawn to storytelling. Follow Sukhjit on Instagram: @sookjeet

Well, as this is Women on The Line's final show for 2024, I thought we might cover a significant event in the world – the election of Donald Trump.  Today's guest is Socialist Feminist, Andrea Bauer, who is based in Seattle and has been involved in a wide range of campaigns particularly for working women’s rights and for reproductive rights for women, trans and gender diverse folks.

On this week's episode we hear from Becky Goncharoff, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Radical Grandma Collective, an international and intergenerational solidarity effort supporting environmental justice activists in North east Thailand. Becky talks about the grandmas that are fighting for justice, how weaving has funded the fight for reparations in the wake of a devastating legacy of gold mining and the impact the organisation is having in Thailand and beyond.

This episode explores how colonial histories, global capitalism, and systemic domination shape Western Asia or the Mashreq (often condensed as the Middle East) (post)colonial realities and, consequently, how we talk about the region. Joined by activist-scholars Dr Lina Koleilat and PhD candidate Tasnim Sammak, we unpack how to discuss and analyse the political machinations in the Mashreq, particularly in relation to recent developments in Syria. The episode also shows how diaspora communities situate these movements within the broader context of resistance against global power systems.The continuing and devastating Israeli genocidal assault on Gaza starkly shows how modernity, in its guise of progress and order, relegates Palestinian life to the peripheries of liberal humanity. It exposes the liberal world order—an order that prides itself on values of freedom and equality—as one that simultaneously perpetuates occupation, dispossession, and violence, dehumanising certain lives in favour of maintaining global capitalist order.Dr. Koleilat is a writer and an activist-scholar. She is a specialist in historical and ethnographic approaches to the study of protests, resistance, social movements and religion. She has been working with and learning from communities who resist war and government oppression to understand the genealogy of activism within specific historical, cultural and political contexts. Lina comes to the questions that drive her work and activism as a Lebanese-Palestinian scholar born and raised in Beirut and who directly experienced the horrors of war, dispossession and militarism.Tasnim Sammak is a PhD candidate at Monash University, a faculty member of education, and a Palestinian organiser with Free Palestine Coalition Naarm and Unionists for Palestine. Tasnim’s grandparents were exiled from Yaffa during the Nakba in 1948 to a refugee camp in Gaza, where her father was born. She helped found the Elbit Out of Victoria campaign.

On this week’s episode, we hear from Aunty Miliwanga Wurrben - Rembarrnga Traditional owner, healer and artist. Aunty Miliwanga recently spoke at a panel event called Voices from the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis, a community gathering held at the Koorie Heritage Trust on Sunday 24th November as part of the Middle Arm Roadshow. The Roadshow saw a group of Traditional Owners, community organisers and experts travel to different cities to make an urgent call to action from the NT. Stop Middle Arm and redirect the $1.9 billion subsidy. The proposed Middle Arm gas and petrochemical hub will increase emissions in the NT by 75%, expose communities to serious illness and disease, destroy sacred First Nations lands and make the Territory unlivable. Aunty Miliwanga Wurrben speaks about what Country means to her and the kinship between First Nations peoples and the land, waters, and creatures.Song: Banatjarl - Ripple Effect Band

In this episode, we speak with Ciara, a campaigner from Elbit Out of Victoria, a campaign opposing Elbit Systems' involvement in Victoria’s and Australia's industries over its defence ties with Israel and the US. We discuss Australia’s continued militarised path, rooted in colonial violence and alliances between war corporations, nation-states, and imperial powers that fuel genocidal campaigns, such as the one in Gaza committed by the Israeli state.Since the episode aired, the Victorian government announced it will not renew its memorandum of understanding with the Israeli defence ministry.

On this week’s episode, we share moments from the Public Sector Workers rally that took place on Wednesday 30th October outside Parliament House in Naarm/Melbourne. Workers across the state rallied together to demand that the Victorian State government sanction Israel and not public sector workers; that they break all military, diplomatic and industrial ties with Israel as well as cancel the Memorandum of Understanding with the IOF; and finally to end co-operation and investments with Israeli weapons companies such as Elbit Systems. In attendance on Wednesday were members of the Australian Education Union (AEU) who are also part of Teachers and School Staff for Palestine, Healthcare Workers for Palestine, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Victoria for Palestine, Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) for Palestine and Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) for Peace. Today’s episode will be in three parts. Firstly, we will hear from Justine, an educator and organising member of Teachers and School Staff for Palestine. Secondly, we’ll listen to a statement that was produced by members of CPSU for Palestine. And lastly we will hear a short conversation with an anonymous CPSU member.

On this week’s episode of Women on the Line, we speak with Manjusha and Anya about Temple of Desire, a Karma Dance production exploring themes of gender, feminism, rage, queerness and spirituality through the traditional dance form of Bharatnatyam, and featuring queer South Asian artists. Manjusha (she/her) is a South - Asian Australian woman who lives, works and creates on across unceded Wurundjerii land. Manjusha is the producer and stage manager of Temple of Desire working closely with Govind Pillai the Director, Choreographer and dancer to bring this production to life. Manjusha is a multidisciplinary artist and arts worker, who lives, works and creates on the intersection of Performing arts, Intangible Cultural Heritage practices and Events Management.Anya (she/ they) is a South Indian Tamil woman living on unceded Wurundjeri land and one of the dancers in Temple of Desire. Outside of dancing, Anya works in family violence policy reform, and spends any spare time obsessing over her dog Appu, who sadly is obsessed with Anya's partner instead.

On this episode of Women on the Line we hear snippets from Scarlett Alliance’s ‘Debunking the Porn Panic’ webinar that was held on the 15th of August this year. The webinar was hosted by Jenna Love, sex worker and the Committee President of Scarlett Alliance, and featured guests Allan McKee, University Professor specialising in sexualized media ; Greta Degraves, sex worker and scarlett alliance’s policy officer; and Zahra Stardust, scholar working at the intersections of sexuality, technology, law and social justice. We hear from Greta Degraves and Zahra Stardust speak to us about moral panic, porn literacy, ending discrimination against sex workers, consent and sex education amongst young people.

On this episode of Women on the Line we are commemorating 1 year since the genocide in Palestine escalated. Today on the show, we hear poetry, music and speeches from a vigil that was held on Monday 7 October this year, mourning the lives lost under genocide. The vigil was held in Narrm and we will hear poetry readings from Dr Michaela Sahar, an Australian-Palestinian writer and educator; Noor, a Palestinian student from Gaza, music performance by Basil, Elarah and Phoebe; and then finally we hear from Julie Webb-Pullman, a war crimes investigator who has worked in Gaza.

On this week's episode of Women on the Line, we speak with Katie Sfetkidis, a multidisciplinary artist living and working on lands of the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung people, about her latest work - We the People x Yarra - a research project and community discussion about how community has historically driven social change.

In this episode, we continue our conversation about the implications of AUKUS (part I was broadcast in May) with Professor Marianne Hanson, who is an Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Queensland and co-chair of The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

For more than four decades, the Sahrawi people have lived in exile, primarily in refugee camps in the harsh conditions of the Algerian desert. Despite these challenges, Sahrawi women have emerged as the backbone of their communities, driving both day-to-day survival and the broader struggle for self-determination.In this episode, we explore these stories of resistance with Gaby Alamin, a Sahrawi educator and member of the Australian-Western Saharan Association [awsa.org.au]. She was born and raised in the Sahrawi refugee camps in the Tindouf region in Algeria.

In today's episode, Professor Marianne Hanson, co-chair of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, joins us to discuss the increasing US-Australian military ties and the militarisation of Australian society and the education sector. This is a two-part interview; the second part will be broadcast in August.Later, we headed down to the University of Melbourne Gaza Solidarity encampment, which was led by students from the UniMelb for Palestine group. Gender studies student Liz joined us to discuss the military-research ties at the University of Melbourne. The group was the second group in Australia to join the international student intifada, calling on their universities to disclose, divest from weapons manufacturing, and boycott Israeli institutions.

This episode explores the impacts of repression, settler colonialism, and militarism in Kanaky (New Caledonia) ahead of Kanaky Invasion Day, September 24. The French colonised Kanaky in 1853.Since May 2024, the violent French occupation has intensified with increased military repression and significant deployment of French armed forces, raising concerns about the potential of genocide, the ongoing militarisation of the region and extrajudicial killings of Indigenous Kanak people as armed French civilian militias patrol the streets killing Kanak people at random.Sarah and Emma from the Free Kanaky Solidarity Naarm collective discuss the situation on the ground for Kanak people, in particular for Kanak women, in the face of what local feminists have warned could turn into a genocidal campaign. See below for an excerpt of a letter addressed to the world written by feminist organisations in Kanaky. "We, Kanak, Indigenous & allied women of Kanaky, appeal to your international feminist solidarity in response to the violent situation we are currently experiencing on our lands. This situation is the result of colonisation, starting from France’s taking possession of the land in 1853, followed by successive ‘civilising’ interventions by the army to ‘pacify’ the Kanak (then considered to be savages), and of an accelerated recolonisation via settler colonialism orchestrated by the French state. This situation has been reshaped along neoliberal lines since 2020 with the appointment of Sébastien Lecornu under Emmanuel Macron."Since 13 May 2024 we have been subjected to an extensive operation of colonial repression, including the massive deployment of French armed forces to a country already undergoing a process of militarisation.In particular, we are sounding the alarm over:- the risk of genocide identified through various markers- the need to reopen Nouméa's airports and commercial flights for the well-being of all."You can read the full letter here, published in May 2024.

On this episode of Women on the Line we chat with Katia Schwartz about the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and its recent amendments excluding disabled people from accessing sex work services. We’re joined on the show by Katia who is a Deaf, professional erotic performer and career sex worker since 2008. She is also the National Programs Manager at Scarlett Alliance and on the Board of Touching Base. As a member of the disability, sex work and queer communities, Katia is a strong public advocate for inclusion, anti-discrimination and destigmatisation of marginalised groups. Please note that this episode mentions whorephobia and ableism. Transcript available here. Photo by Natasha Killeen.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners, please be advised that this program includes references to state violence and colonisation. If you need to talk to someone about the issues covered in the program you can contact: 13 YARN (13 92 76) which is a dedicated 24/7 national crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Lifeline 13 11 17On this week’s episode we speak to Raelene Cooper, Mardudhunera Traditional Owner from the Mardudhunera coast line and in-land areas. Raelene is the former chair of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, and is one of the leaders of the Save Our Songlines campaign, which fights to protect Murujuga Country also known as the Burrup Peninsula in so-called Western Australia from destruction and desecration. The Murujuga petroglyphs are a sacred part of culture and Ngurra (Country) and the rock art is more than 40 000 years old, and contains important cultural and spiritual knowledge.In this conversation, Raelene speaks about the significance of Murujuga Country; the impact that over-development and seismic blasting are having on wildlife, Aboriginal culture and the climate; fighting both governments and industry, as well as her recent appearance at a public hearing for the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee inquiry into the Protecting the Spirit of Sea Country Bill.

On this episode, we listen to part of a speech by Dr Samah Sabawi, award-winning playwright, author and poet from Gaza city Palestine who lives and works in Naarm, speaking at a Free Palestine Rally on the 11 August 2024. We then hear from Kaushi, a feminist and activist based in Thailand and one of the founders of the group Chiang Mai for Palestine. Kaushi talks about organising for Palestine in Thailand, her ongoing activism in this space and the impact the group is hoping to have. This conversation first aired on 3CR Tuesday Breakfast on 6 August 2024.

On this episode of Women on the Line we’re looking at the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in prison as well as the current policies and systemic structures that focus on over-policing and criminalizing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and young girls. We first hear an excerpt from a press conference that followed the event ‘Truth Telling Yarns: Women in Prison that was held on the 26 June in Canberra. We hear speeches by Senator Lidia Thorpe and Debby Kilroy, the CEO of Sisters Inside. This excerpt was aired on 3CR’s Tuesday Breakfast 9 July. Then, we hear from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women inside Dame Phyllis Frost Prison. 3CR Broadcaster Shiralee Hood hosted this conversation as part of the Beyond the Bars series during NAIDOC week in early July.

In this episode of Women on the Line, we hear from Violet - a non-binary, queer activist from Myanmar currently based in Thailand. Violet tells us about their experience as a queer activist in Myanmar, the circumstances that forced them to relocate to Thailand, how the civil war has impacted the already marginalised queer community in Myanmar, and what they hope the future will look like for their community. You can follow Violet on Instagram @montheviolet

On this week’s episode, we speak to Nina from Flat Out and the Formerly Incarcerated Justice Advocates (FIGJAM) Collective as well as Monique Hurley from the Human Rights Law Centre. We speak about their report, Ending state-perpetrated sexual violence in prisons, a Submission to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s Justice Responses to Sexual Violence: Issues Paper published in May 2024. More specifically, Nina and Monique discuss the dehumanising, traumatising and humiliating practice of strip searching in prison and how it is being weaponized against women as a tool of coercive control.Listeners are advised that this conversation covers topics such as state violence and sexual violence so please take care when listening. If these subjects bring up anything difficult, listeners can contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. Additionally, you can reach out to your community and networks for support and care.

On this episode of Women on the Line we hear from sex worker artists Rogelio Ruckus, Kayla Tange, and Daphne Nguyen speak to the erotic labour of art, family and futurity. This panel was held as part of ‘The Whore Gaze’– an exhibition curated by Elizabeth Dayton and Kim Ye at the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions. The exhibition showcased film, videos and a panel that celebrate the legacy of sex workers as visionaries reimagining representations of care, labor, and sovereignty. It was held on International Whore’s Day June 2nd last month.The featured song on today’s show was ‘All are syllables of a great tongue’ from Papaphillia’s album ‘Remembrance of things to come’.

On this episode of Women on the Line, we head to the Pride In Protest conference ‘Provocations’, which was held on Gadigal Land earlier this month. On International Whore’s Day, June 2nd, Asian migrant sex workers, Damien, Bee and NaMon spoke at the ‘Asian Migrants Sex Workers against the Border Force, racism and deportation!’ panel. Today we hear a portion of the conversation with Bee and NaMon speaking about the anti-immigration and anti-sex worker operation called ‘Project Inglenook’; the pros and cons of Decriminalization; and the harms of anti-trafficking laws on the migrant worker community in ‘so-called-australia’.Content warning: mild swearing, description of police raids and violence against sex workers.

Trish Hepworth, Deputy CEO for the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and Dr Sarah Mokrzycki, academic in children's literature and creative writing at Victoria University, speak to Frances about the Cumberland city council’s ban of same-sex parenting books in May this year, its reversal, and the importance of free access to information and diverse representation. This conversation first aired on 3CR Tuesday Breakfast on 21 May 2024.Rohen from Pride in Protest speaks to Phuong about the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras's decision to bar politicians from attending Mardi Gras if they oppose the Equality Bill, a bill that would expand rights of trans and gender diverse people in NSW. This conversation first aired on 3CR Tuesday Breakfast on 4 June 2024.

On this week’s episode, we speak to Sanne de Swart, Coordinator of the Nuclear Free Collective at Friends of the Earth Melbourne, and has been part of the anti-nuclear struggle since 2011 when she joined the ‘Walk Away from Uranium Mining’ event in solidarity with Aboriginal people to push for a ban on uranium mining in Western Australia. With the Coalition’s power plan having thrust nuclear energy into the public sphere, I spoke to Sanne about the realities of this proposal, the dangers of nuclear energy and radioactivity as well as the long history of First Nations activism and organising against the nuclear and uranium mining industries. This conversation first aired on 3CR Tuesday Breakfast on June 25 2024.//Resources:Don't Nuke the Climate websiteDon't Nuke the Climate Facebook PageDon't Nuke the Climate Instagram Page Friends of the Earth's statement on the climate announcement and Gippsland says NO to nuclear petition. Wendy Farmer from Voices of the Valley and Friend's of the Earth's Yes 2 Renewables. Australian Conservation Foundation has an email the Coalition action and just published two reports Power games: Assessing coal to nuclear proposals in Australia (30-page report)Why nuclear power will never be right for Australia (10 page report) Please follow Nuclear Free Collective Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and spread the word as far and wide as you can.

According to a 2021 report by the Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing, women on temporary visas experiencing family and domestic violence have been recognised as a particularly marginalised and at-risk cohort. On this episode of Women on the Line we speak with Peggy Kerdo, an experienced human rights lawyer practising mainly in immigration and refugee law, about working with clients on temporary partner visas, the barriers they face when trying to get help, what supports are available and how the government can do better to protect these women.

On this week’s episode, we speak to Emily Duyên Đặng about her photovoice gallery project, Overcoming this Grief: Stories from Vietnamese women surviving family violence in Australia. Through photos and text presented in Vietnamese and English, these women share their experiences of migration, family violence and finding safety. In this conversation, Emily talks about her research into family violence within the Vietnamese context here in so-called Australia, she shares stories from the women who participated in the photovoice gallery, and we touch on the systemic injustices that can place survivors in further harm.Please note that the following discussion will contain references to abuse/violence. If you are impacted by any of the themes covered in this program, you can reach out to:InTouch: a family violence service working with migrant and refugee women and their communities,1800 755 988 (9am – 5pm)Safe Steps: a 24/7 family violence crisis response phone line for women and children, 1800 015 188 (24/7)1800 RESPECT

On this episode of Women on the Line we speak with Cher Tan, who is an essayist, critic and editor based in Narrm. She previously lived in Kaurna Yerta/Adelaide and Singapore, where she was born and raised. Cher Tan recently published her first book titled ‘Peripathetic: Notes on (un)belonging’ through UNSW Press. She chats about (un)belonging, the internet and writing her first book. You can find both print and e-book editions online and at various bookstores.

This week we head to Istanbul to speak with Tan Safi, a member of the Media Team for the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is an international grassroots solidarity movement which is aiming to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza and deliver 5,500 tonnes of vital humanitarian aid by sea. Tan provides an update on what is happening now that the Flotilla has been unable to set sail on its scheduled departure date of April 26 due to having its flag or legal registration revoked by the state of Guinea-Bissau. We also hear excerpts of Freedom Flotilla Coaltion organiser Huwaida Arraf speaking at a press conference in Istanbul on April 27. To follow the Freedom Flotilla Coalition visit https://freedomflotilla.org/ or find them on socials:Twitter/XInstagramFacebookYoutube You can also make a donation to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition here. Women on the Line spoke with Tan on May 1.

On this week’s episode we speak with human rights activist Khadija Gbla. Khadija was born in Sierra Leone and spent their youth in Gambia before coming to Australia. We talk about their experiences living at the intersections of disability, neurodivergence, queerness and Blackness, their activism in these spaces, and their hopes for young people like themselves. A note that this conversation covers difficult topics including racism, ableism, childhood abuse, Indigenous deaths in custody, and police brutality against Black and Indigenous people. If these subjects bring up anything difficult for you, you can contact 1800 RESPECT or Lifeline on 13 11 14. Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander listeners can also call 13 YARN.

On this episode of Women on the Line we continue our conversation with Yeoreum and Udie from Scarlet ChaCha– a sex worker-led organisation in South Korea. On 2 January 2023, the Mayor of Paju announced that he would demolish Paju’s red light district ‘Yongjugol’ within a year. In November last year the demolition commenced, and Scarlet ChaCha has been actively showing up in person for sex workers in Paju’s Yongjugol – protesting on the streets, creating signage to raise political awareness and supporting sex workers. Today we hear the final episode of a two-part series about what’s happening in Paju’s red light district and about the work Scarlet ChaCha is doing in South Korea. You can listen to the first episode of this series here. Our interview with Scarlet ChaCha members was translated by Yeonhoo. You can support Scarlet ChaCha by donating to their mutual aid request @choyeonhoo via paypal. All funds will go directly to sex workers who are impacted by the demolition. Please note there is discussion of state violence in this episode.

On this episode of Women on the Line we hear from Yeoreum and Udie from Scarlet ChaCha – a sex worker-led organisation in South Korea. On 2 January 2023, the Mayor of Paju announced that he would demolish Paju’s red light district ‘Yongjugol’ within a year. In November last year the demolition commenced, and Scarlet ChaCha has been actively showing up in person for sex workers in Paju’s Yongjugol – protesting on the streets, creating signage to raise political awareness and supporting sex workers. Today we hear the first episode of a two-part series about what’s happening in Paju’s red light district and about the work Scarlet ChaCha is doing in South Korea.Our interview with Scarlet ChaCha members was translated by Yeonhoo. You can support Scarlet ChaCha by donating to their mutual aid request @choyeonhoo via paypal. All funds will go directly to sex workers who are impacted by the demolition. Please note there is discussion of state violence in this episode.

This week on the program we speak with Danielle from Save Public Housing Collective about the Victorian State Government plan to 'retire and transform' 44 public housing towers in narrm Melbourne.While the state government is selling the scheme as an opportunity for improvement and renewal, those against the plan describe a poorly thought through strategy with zero consultation of residents, few answers on where displaced tenants will go and underlying questions around the privatisation of public housing and the motivations of accessing high value inner city real estate.Danielle speaks with us about community resistance to the plan, and the push to create viable public housing.You can find Save Public Housing Collective on twitter, Instagram, facebook or their website, and donate to their campaign fundraiser here.The song which closes this episode is "Inside My Kitchen" by Tiddas.

On this week’s episode we hear from Dacia Abela, lawyer and program manager at Naarm-based Community Legal Centre WEstjustice, about economic abuse in the context of family violence. Dacia takes us through what this looks like on a practical level, the intersections of culture and gender, how CLCs are working to help victim-survivors and raise awareness, and what can be done better to support victim-survivors across the country. This conversation covers sensitive topics dealing with family violence and violence against women. If these subjects bring up anything difficult, listeners can contact 1800 RESPECT or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

On this week’s episode we bring you an excerpt from the Teachers for Palestine Forum called ‘Why There’s No ‘Neutrality’ on Genocide’ that took place in Naarm earlier this year on January 22nd 2024. We play a speech delivered by Samah Sabawi, who is a Palestinian award-winning author, playwright and poet. This forum was organised by Teachers and School Staff for Palestine.Later in the show, we play an excerpt from a discussion with three people working in the education space on the importance of teaching about Palestine. Natalie is a doctoral candidate in education, teacher, and one of the organising members of Teachers and School Staff for Palestine; Dana is a Palestinian secondary school maths teacher; and Claire is a secondary school humanities teacher. This interview first aired on 3CR Tuesday Breakfast on 16 January 2024.

On this episode of Women on the Line we pay tribute to Cecilia Gentili. She was a mother and sister to many transwomen, migrant women, sex workers and the wider LGBTIQA+ community in New York City and globally. On 6 February 2024, she passed away leaving a burning legacy of love and sisterhood amongst the trans and queer community. We hear snippets from her funeral service held at St Patrick's Cathedral on the 15 February in NYC.

This week on the program we take a deep dive into Victoria’s parole system.First we hear an interview by 3CR Broadcaster Priya Kunjan with Karen Fletcher, Executive Officer of Flat Out about the impact of compounding and increasing barriers to parole on incarcerated people in Victoria.Then we hear Marisa from 3CR’s Doin Time show speaking with Sarah Schwartz, manager of the Wirraway Police and Prison Accountability Practice at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and lecturer at Melbourne Law School about the upcoming coronial inquest into the November 2021 death in custody of Yamatji, Noongar, Wongi and Pitjantjatjara woman Heather Calgaret.The recent statement issued by Heather’s family and VALS ahead of the inquest can be found here.

On this week’s episode we talk about birth trauma, why so many women and birthing people in so-called Australia are experiencing it, and how it can be avoided. We revisit a conversation with Naarm-based birth educator Vanessa Shribman from August 2023, a few months after New South Wales began its inquiry into birth trauma, which received over 4000 submissions. The inquiry found that 1 in 3 women experiences birth trauma with some of the main reasons being high rates of medical interventions causing alternative risk, lack of consent from birthing people before initiating medical procedures, midwives being overworked and burning out, and a lack of continuity of care.Vanessa’s work aims to empower women with the knowledge they need to know their rights, trust their bodies, and advocate for themselves in a medical system that is failing them. This conversation first aired on 3CR Tuesday Breakfast on 22 August 2023.

Larrakia, Kungarakan, Gurindji and French writer and performer Laniyuk joins us to discuss the campaign to return Lee Point to Larrakia Care, as well as the history of the Australian and US defence forces' militarised occupation of Larrakia Country. Interspersed through this conversation, you’ll also hear from several Larrakia women - Jamilah Mills, Arbei Talbot, Hayley Mcadam, Aunty Aly Mills, and Arbei Adjrun - who have lent their voices and stories to the fight, using audiovisual storytelling as a medium to convey the significance of Larrakia people’s relationship with Country as a foundation for community and cultural strength, and to ensure Larrakia futures.Sign the petition to return Lee Point to Larrakia people's care here, and watch some of the storytelling by Larrakia people about their connections to Country and what makes Lee Point so significant here on Laniyuk’s Instagram page.

On this episode of Women on the Line we speak with Ryan and Sangwon from Bae Collective 배 컬렉티브. This collective aims to connect and build a community of Korean queer and trans folks who are living, working or studying in Naarm (Melbourne, so-called Australia). We chat about the dreams of Bae Collective and also this lunar new year of the Wood Dragon which officially kicked off on the 10 February this year.  The feature song on our episode was 'I'll remember me for you, I'll remember for me, I'll remember for you' by Yaeji.

This week on the program we hear from two of the speakers at the narrm Melbourne Invasion Day rally held on January 26.First we hear from Gunditjmara, Girai Wurrung and Djab Wurrung woman Sissy Austin.Then we hear the first part of a speech by Gunggari woman Dr Raelene Nixon, speaking about the death of her son Steven Lee Nixon-McKellar in police custody in Toowoomba in October 2021.#Justice4StevieLee

On this week’s episode we hear from Jaya Keaney, author of Making Gaybies: Queer Reproduction and Multiracial Feeling, published with Duke University Press. Jaya is a lecturer in Gender Studies at the University of Melbourne, where she researches and teaches in the areas of feminist science studies, queer studies, and queer of colour theory.  We speak to Jaya about her book, the complexities and intersections of race and queerness when creating queer families, how queer couples have to 'make do' when creating families, and the future of queer family making in so-called Australia.

On this week’s episode we look into the prison industrial complex in so-called Australia and how private companies profit from the prison system. In particular, we focus on the high cost of phone calls and how this is impacting families and communities. Across the country, calls are free via payphones but in Victoria’s prisons they cost $7 and are limited to 12 minutes.We speak to Sarah Schwartz, Principal Managing Lawyer of the Wirraway Practice at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, and Monique Hurley, Managing Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre, about the layers of privatisation and profit in the prison system, the exploitation of incarcerated people, and the importance of investing in the community.

On this episode of Women on the Line we speak with Lena Chen, a Chinese-American artist and scholar currently pursuing PhD in performance studies at UC Berkeley and her creative practice and academic work looks at Asian womanhood in the diaspora. Today we chat about her draft paper, ‘Performing Power: Asian American Resistance through BDSM’ and the online game ‘Only Bans’ she created to address surveillance of sex workers online.Content warning that we do speak about Asian fetishization and racism. Featured song on this episode is 'Finally' by M.I.A.

This week on the program we head to Far North Queensland to hear about a grassroots First Nations response supporting remote communities impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.We speak with Butchulla and Woppaburra woman Samala Thakialee Cronin in Gimuy Cairns about the work she and others undertook in collaboration with Meanjin Brisbane based, female-led, Blak small business Dreamtime Aroha in the immediate aftermath of the cyclone.Community worked together to to fly much needed supplies from Cairns north to Gungarde Community Centre Aboriginal Corporation in Cooktown with the help of Daintree Air Services to provide support for remote communities on the Cape impacted by flooding, including people evacuated from Wujal Wujal.Women on the Line spoke with Samala on December 28th. For the most up to date information on how to support the community response check out the Dreamtime Aroha facebook page or Instagram.