Women on the Line

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.

On this week’s episode, we continue with our coverage of the ongoing genocide in Palestine.Firstly, we hear from Sofia Sabbagh, Palestinian-Irish artist, who speaks to us about the recent action at ABC HQ in Naarm/Melbourne where 40 creators produced portraits of Palestinian journalists who had been murdered by the Israeli Occupation Forces. These portraits were pasted to the ABC building and then torn down in what the collective called ‘Double Erasure’.Later in the show, we hear from Lana Laham, Palestinian-Mauritian activist with the Sit-Intifada. Lana recently spoke about shared struggle, resistance and liberation at the Free Palestine rally in Naarm/Melbourne on Sunday 17th December. You can join the Sit-Intifada everyday on the steps of Parliament from 7am-9pm. Follow them on Instagram - @thesitintifada. To keep up to date with upcoming actions and events calling for a Free Palestine, make sure you follow Free Palestine Melbourne and APAN.

For this week’s episode, we hear from Yassmin Abdel-Magied on the war in Sudan and later in the show, we hear from Francesca Albanese on the ongoing genocide in Palestine.Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a Sudanese-born author, broadcaster and award-winning social advocate. She runs the website eyesonsudan.net, amplifying the voices of resistance movements on the ground in Sudan. In this conversation, Yassmin provides context to this latest conflict in Sudan and explains the role of neo-imperialism in this war. This interview originally aired on Tuesday Breakfast on the 14th and 21st of November 2023.Francesca Albanese is a highly respected human rights lawyer, researcher and author. She has worked for over twenty years as a human rights expert for the United Nations, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees. In 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Council appointed Francesca Albanese as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. This speech was recorded at the Blak Solidarity gathering for Palestine held at Dardi Munwurro in Naarm/Melbourne on November 18th 2023.

On this week's episode we bring you a conversation I had with Nisha Thapliyal, an academic at the University of Newcastle who is researching social justice activism in the contemporary Indian diaspora, and Saba Zaidi Abdi, a Muslim journalist, creative director and actor from India who has lived in Australia for over 30 years, on the Hindu nationalist government in India and the escalating violence against Muslims in India. This conversation first aired on 3CR Tuesday Breakfast on 8 August 2023.

On this episode of Women on the Line we are diving into current issues in Disability Justice. As we head into holiday season and peak covid period, we listen to Iris Lee’s (3CR Broadcaster) interview with Farida about their experience with long-covid and the failure of the Australian healthcare system. We then hear Priya Kunjan’s 3CR Thursday Breakfast interview with Independent queer researcher Dr Shoshana Rosenberg about disability and trans solidarity with Palestine in the face of Israel's ongoing violent occupation. You can listen to the full interviews in the links above. This last interview covers some distressing content about genocide and state violence. If you need to speak to someone you can call  Lifeline on 13 11 14, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners can call 13 YARN, and queer listeners can call QLife on 1800 184 527.The featured song on this episode is Wattani by all-girl Palestinian hip hop collective Ettijah. Podcast feature image by Sky Cubacub.

This week on the program we bring you part of an online teach-in from the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network called “How to talk about Gaza right now.”The teach-in took place on Friday December 1st following the end of the brief cease fire in Gaza and features Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, Dr Lana Tatour and writer Samah Sabawi with Associate Professor Jumana Bayeh facilitating the conversation.You can watch the full recording of the online teach-in here.

Ruby Hamad on the historic dehumanisation of Arabs and Muslims in the west, how that has impacted Israel's ongoing occupation and genocide in Palestine, and gaslighting as a tool for upholding Western power structures. Ruby Hamad is a Syrian-Lebanese author and academic with a journalism background. She is in the second half of a PhD in media studies at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Her best-selling debut book WHITE TEARS/BROWN SCARS traces the role that White Womanhood and feminism have played in the development of Western power structures. The non-fiction book was inspired by her viral 2018 essay 'How White Women Use Strategic Tears to Silence Women of Colour'.

For this week’s episode, we speak with Rosa Campbell who is an historian and writer. She holds a PhD in history from the University of Cambridge and is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Edinburgh. She works on the global history of feminism. She writes often for a public audience recently at Overland, Meanjin, The White Review and Public Books. She leads public history projects with cultural institutions. In this episode, Rosa uses the digital map she has created for Overland to take us through the history of women’s sport and fitness culture in Sydney and around the world; the role of sport in women’s liberation movements; and how the historical struggle for cis women in sport is linked to the current struggle for trans women in sport.

On this episode of Women on the Line we speak with Fijian Australian-born artist Yasbelle Kerkow (iTaukei Fijian vasu Batiki, Lomaiviti), who is one of the lead artists for Kal Angam-Kal: Stories from West Papua. Kal Angam Kal illuminates the little-known history of exiled West Papuan Elders residing in Narrm through the unique lens of the community's youth. Yasbelle has collaborated with West Papuan artist, Cyndi Makabory (Biak and Waropen), to bring this project to life.The exhibition features new film works in which six young community members conduct interviews with their chosen Elders. Kal Angam-Kal is the first film exhibition to tell the stories of the West Papuan community by the community in Narrm. The show will be debuting at Footscray Community Arts on the 1st November and will run until the 28th January 2024. Follow Kal Angam-Kal on instagram and visit footscrayarts.com for more information.

This week on the program we bring you the voices of speakers from two Free Palestine rallies held in Narrm, Melbourne.We hear speeches from the rally at the State Library on Sunday 15th October, including rally MCs Noura and Hajar, Palestinian playwright, poet and author Samah Sabawi and Mai Saif, member of Free Palestine Melbourne and the Palestinian Community Association of Victoria.We also hear from Jordy Silverstein, member of Loud Jew Collective, who spoke at the earlier Free Palestine snap action on October 10th.Free Palestine MelbourneAustralia Palestine Advocacy NetworkAPAN tool to contact your local representatives

On this episode of Women on the Line we hear snippets from Shiralee Hood and Leah House who recently presented on the panel ‘Sovereignty in the time of the Voice’ held in Narrm on the 28 September. Alongside Shiralee and Leah, the panel also included Robbie Thorpe and Keiran Stewart-Assheton. Shiralee and Leah touch on themes of Aboriginal Sovereignty, the upcoming referendum, Black Deaths in Custody and the historical fights for land rights and Aboriginal sovereignty from the 60’s til now. You can watch the full panel discussion via Renegade Activists Youtube Channel. The referendum for constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is happening on 14 October 2023. The audio was recorded as part of Renegade Activists and 3CR by Mercedes Zanker, presenter of 3CR's Uprise Radio.

On this episode of Women on the Line we hear about current issues faced by migrant and refugee women in both the workplace and more broadly in society in ‘so-called-Australia’. Phương Tran from 3CR Tues Breakfast chats with Dr Ellen Cho, Lecturer at Monash University, about her co-authored report detailing the experiences of women from migrant and refugee backgrounds in Victorian local councils. We then hear Kannagi Bhatt from 3CR Tuesday Breakfast chat with Rati and Lavanya from the Refugee Women Action for Visa Equality. Rati and Lavanya marched alongside a group of women from refugee backgrounds from Narrm/Melbourne to Parliament House in Canberra to advocate for permanent visas and freedom for refugees on the 25th of September. The song featured on this episode is 'K I'm Mortal' by KIMMORTAL. Note that this song has a language warning of the F word.

On this episode of Women on the Line we speak with Iranian-born, Narrm based, visual artist and fine art photographer, Ramak Bamzar, about her show Pro Femina. Pro Femina is currently being exhibited as part of the Ballarat International Photo Biennale at the Art Gallery of Ballarat until 22 October this year. Her show features new works which comment on women involved in the Iranian uprisings of 2022, as well as selected works of her photograph series Moustachioed Women and Rhinoplastic Girls. We discuss themes such as Iranian culture and aesthetics, beauty in brutality and brutality in beauty and Iranian women’s resistance and fight for freedom. Ramak Bamzar (born. 1980) is an Iranian-born visual artist and fine art photographer based in Narrm (Melbourne), Australia. Her work explores how cultural and religious norms can shape women's beliefs, values, and behaviours and influence their sense of self-worth and agency.In her works, Bamzar also investigates the influence of the male gaze on women's beauty and fashion and its consequences on women's self-esteem and self-image. Women who do not conform to these restrictive beauty standards may feel pressured to conform, leading to feelings of inadequacy, shame, and low self-esteem. Bamzar completed a Bachelor's degree in Fine Art– Photography in Tehran and her Master of Fine Arts from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University in 2022.

On this episode of Women on the Line we hear from Alejandra Munoz, project officer at Dutch peace organisation PAX. She is currently leading the Don't Bank on the Bomb research, a joint project by PAX and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Alejandra spoke about PAX/ICAN's latest report, 'Moving Away from Mass Destruction', and the role that financial institutions play in the anti-nuclear weapons movement. We then hear from Emma, a primary school teacher based in Narrm/Melbourne, about the increased militarisation of the school curriculum and the involvement of nuclear weapons companies in these programs.

This week on Women on the Line, Dr. Shih Joo (Siru) Tan and Professor Marie Segrave discuss their study into migrant and refugee women's experiences of sexual harassment in the workplace. And later in the show, we play a poem by freelance writer Karen Wyld for this year's Red Room Poetry.

On this episode of Women on the Line we are looking at ‘Reproductive Justice among migrants and refugees in so-called-Australia. Earlier in May, the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health held a webinar looking at advancing gender equality in reproductive justice. We hear highlights from two presentations. Syahir (they/them) who is an abortion care doctor and advocate living and working in Garmilla/Darwin NT presents on abortion care among migrant and refugees in Garmilla/Darwin. We then hear from Giang Tran, Research Advocacy and Policy officer from the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health present on International Student experiences in intimate partner violence, sexual violence and accessing reproductive care services in ‘so-called-australia’.

This week on Women on the Line, we hear a presentation by Nilüfer Koç, from the Kurdish National Congress, who spoke at the Ecosocialism 2023 conference. Her talk Women, Life and Freedom discussed the history of the Kurdish Women’s Freedom Movement and the new challenges facing the revolution.

This week we speak with Noura Mansour, who is the Community Organising and Advocacy Lead at the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN). In this discussion, Noura speaks to us about Palestinian resistance and sumud in its many forms; the responsibility of the media when reporting on the Israeli occupation of Palestine; and actions that the wider community can take to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

Nerita Waight looks at Victoria’s broken bail laws, and Mariam Issa shares her journey from trauma to empowerment.Nerita Waight is the CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service.Mariam is a storyteller, life coach and author.

This week on Women on the Line we are covering the recent abrupt cancellation of The Asian American Literature Festival in Washington DC on Turtle Island. We spoke with Liminal Founder and Editor, Leah Jing McIntosh as well as writer Hasib Hourani, who are currently over on Turtle Island and who were expected to attend the festival alongside 8 Asian-Australian and Aotearoa-based writers. You can learn more about the campaign to hold the Smithsonian accountable to the Asian-American literature community by following the Asian American Literature Collective on instagram. Checkout their community action toolkit here.

This week on the program we speak with Tasneem Roc and Chue, campaign managers for the Myanmar Campaign Network, a national coalition of aid organisations, unions, human rights groups, faith based groups and Myanmar diaspora organisations under the auspices of Union Aid Abroad APHEDA.Tasneem and Chue speak about what has been happening in Myanmar, the situation for political prisoners, and the ongoing Civil Disobedience Movement, as well as the MCN’s call for targeted sanctions from Australia to cut off the flow of money to the military junta.Further information about the situation for political prisoners in Myanmar can be found at this report from the Assitance Assocation for Political Prisoners.The song A Yay Kyi Pi (Thway thitsar) used in this episode can be found here.

This week we discuss self-disclosure, a behaviour that on the surface sounds harmless but when done excessively can be overwhelming for the listener and pretty awkward for the sharer. Clinical psychologist and Professor Kim Felmingham helps us understand this common albeit embarrassing habit.And later in the program, Kristin O'Connell and Priya Kunjan discuss Australia's rising cost of living and its impact on people living in poverty. Kristin O'Connell is the research and policy expert at the Antipoverty Centre and Priya Kunjan is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Priya also presents Thursday Breakfast and Women on the Line.

On this week’s episode, we chat with Daisy: a Narrm based family violence lawyer and queer parent of a newborn who has recently had to navigate the medical maternity system. Daisy joins us on the show to share with us her observations on the lack of continuity of care for birthing people; the learning and unlearning that was required to avoid a traumatic birthing experience; and the similarities she noticed between the maternity system and her field of work.

This week on the show, Marjorie Anderson, the National Manager at 13YARN, discusses cultural safety, and later in the program, we hear an interview that Women on the Line programmer Emma Hart did with Tuffy Morwitzer from the Goongerah Environment Centre.

On this episode of Women on the Line we are covering International Whore’s Day, which was on Friday 2 June. This year’s theme was ‘Access to Justice’. Scarlett Alliance, held a webinar featuring national and international speakers addressing issues faced by migrant workers and calling for improved immigration policies in ‘so-called-Australia’ and globally. We hear how anti-trafficking laws and media portrayals further harm migrant sex workers, especially asian migrant sex workers. Speakers include: Mish Pony (CEO of Scarlett Alliance), Bee – a bilingual peer educator at Vixen, Mon from Scarlett Alliance's Asian Migrant Sex Workers’ Advisory Group, and Anna Pickering from the Tamaki Makaurau New Zealand Prostitutes Collective.

This week on the program we speak with Professor Kyllie Cripps (@CrippsKyllie), Director of Monash Indigenous Studies Centre and Palawa woman, about new research she has published on systemic racism embedded in the deaths of 151 Aboriginal women.Kyllie’s research examines police failures in relation to their role as first responders to situations of intimate partner violence against Indigenous women.Her article Indigenous women and intimate partner homicide in Australia: confronting the impunity of policing failures is published in Current Issues in Criminal Justice. Our episode today has a content warning for intimate partner violence against Indigenous women and racism. If you need support in relation to today's episode, you can contact:Lifeline on 13 11 141800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732If you are an Aboriginal person in Victoria who is experiencing or has experienced family violence you can call Djirra on 1800 105 303

On this episode of Women on the Line we chat with Calev, an illustration and comic artist. They chat with us about their art practice as well as their recent art poster titled No Cops at Pride featured as part of the Gender Garden Exhibition. We then hear snippets from the Pride Street Party 3CR broadcast with PX Whanua and Tongan Cheek,which was held on Sunday 12 February this year.

On this week’s episode, we speak with Vina, Mayy, Farhana and Fazilat from An.Other Collective, a creative community that navigates the intersection of faith, identity and culture.  An.Other Collective is a group of Muslim women creatives who are forming social connections and collaborating with each other to push back against the image and idea of a creative and design industry that is exclusive, white and dominated by cis men. In this interview, we talk about the beauty of connecting with people with shared experiences; the radical nature of rest and unproductivity under capitalism; and the tensions and complexities of cultural identity. Instagram: @an.othercollective Image supplied by An.Other Collective

This week on the program we immerse ourselves in the world of queer culture shaping, sex-positive zine Wicked Women, which ran from 1988-1996. The occasion is the Queer Gaze exhibition at the Victorian Pride Centre in St Kilda in Narrm.The exhibition showcases images from the Wicked Women Collection at AQUA, the Australian Queer Archives, and this is the first public showing of some of the images for many years.We speak with Lisa Salmon, one of the founders of Wicked Women, as well as hearing the voices of people who came along to opening of the Queer Gaze exhibition on April 28.Queer Gaze: A Wicked Storytelling Event will be held on June 17.

This week, we speak with Sanmati Verma, a Managing Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre and a Law Institute of Victoria accredited specialist in immigration law. Sanmati is also currently an advisor to the United Workers Union, a board member of the Migrant Worker Centre and Deputy Chair of the national Visa Cancellation Working Group.  In this episode, Sanmati talks to us about the exploitation of migrant workers and the lack of protection currently offered to visa holders and undocumented workers, especially when trying to take action against wage theft or unfair treatment. We also discuss the report, 'Breaking the silence: A proposal for whistleblower protections to enable migrant workers to address exploitation', put together by the Migrant Justice Institute in collaboration with the Human Rights Law Centre.

On this episode of Women on the Line we chat with Melody, a member from Fired Up Stilettos based in Aotearoa. Fired Up Stilettos is a group of strippers fighting for improved Industry standards and independent contractor protections, nationwide.  Earlier this year Melody, alongside 18 other strippers were fired from Calender Girls Strip Club in Wellington after petitioning management for better labour rights. Sign their petition and support their campaign by visiting www.firedupstilettos.com.  Melody Montague is an arts and culture writer and former stripper from Te-Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), Aotearoa (New Zealand). She is one of nineteen strippers fired from Calendar Girls Wellington after petitioning management for better labour rights, and a founding member of the Fired Up Stilettos, who are fighting for improved working conditions for strippers and sex workers across Aotearoa.

This week on the program we hear an interview with Munanjahli, Yugambeh and South Sea Islander woman Dr Chelsea Watego (@drcwatego) about the silence surrounding the ongoing Senate Inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women.Dr Watego is Professor of Indigenous Health and Executive Director of the Carumba Institute at Queensland University of Technology and speaks with 3CR Broadcaster Grace Tan.Further information about what is happening to the Senate inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women can be found at this article on The Conversation by Amy McQuire, Chelsea Watego, David Singh and Elizabeth Strakosch.Amy McQuire's work on "presencing" can be found on her substack.Later in the show we feature speeches from Narrm Melbourne’s Trans Day of Visibility rally held on March 31st.We hear Fa'afafine and trans advocate Amao Leota Lu speaking about the need to protect trans women of colour and the trans community at large, and Sally Goldner (@salgoldsaidso) speaking on the fight against Nazis and trans rights.

On this episode of Women on the Line we speak with Meri Leeworthy, cofounder of Radical Directory, a project aimed at creating a public online space for left grassroots activists. We discuss the ways in which big tech companies control and manipulate us through social media; the relationship between the Internet and capitalism; and the power of imagining online spaces for community created by and for grassroots activists. Featured song : Only U - Jemi GaleImage supplied by Meri Leeworthy

Recently I read a Twitter thread by Jinghua Qian in response to a Crikey article on conversion therapy in China. This thread got me thinking about how to talk and write about complex stories. What do we owe our readers and the people we write about?Today Jinghua joins me to build a case for ethical reporting. We also learn about their time in Shanghai writing for Sixth Tone and what they make of Australia’s reporting on China.

On this episode of Women on the Line we chat with Domina Jia, a sex worker and artist based in Honolulu, O’ahu, Hawai’i. We chat about their zine Be Easy Stay Safe vol.2 which features around 20 contributors from all facets of the sex worker industry including strippers/dancers, cam-models, sugar babies, dominatrixes and more. Find their work on instagram at @jinjavitus_  Featured song is ‘This Dyke’ by Kimmortal. Photos courtesy of Domina Jia.

This week on the program we speak with Kroft about L'université d'été euroméditerranéenne des homosexualités (UEEH), a gathering organised in France by and for LGBTIQ+ people.  For decades, the UEEH gathering has been run by and for LGBTIQ+ people and collectives to promote the development and sharing of tools to fight discrimination and for mutual empowerment. With a non-hierarchical and feminist approach to self-organising, the UEEH aims to be a welcoming and secure space where people can share experiences and create meaningful connections that are necessary on a personal and activist level. Looking beyond France ensures that the event prioritises global activism strategies and solidarity.

This week on Women on the Line, Juliette McAleer fights to be seen as a whole person, and Nikita Rotumah uses boxing to keep kids fit and safe.

This week on the program we speak with Umi Asaka and Tommy or Tomoki Fukui about the planned release of 1.3 million tonnes of water contaminated with radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant into the ocean. The plant is owned by TEPCO, that’s the Tokyo Electric Power Company, and if it goes ahead the release of this water would continue for a period of 30 years. Umi and Tommy unpack the issues around the radioactive wastewater at Fukushima Daiichi - how the water came to be there and the dangers of releasing it; nuclear Imperialism across the Pacific; structural methods of silencing those who speak out against radioactive contamination caused by the disaster at Fukushima; and the powerful resistance taking place to stop the release of the wastewater, demand accountability for the disaster and fight further radioactive contamination.Shortly after we spoke for the program the plan to dump the contaminated water was put on hold for the time being - but it’s important to keep the pressure on until the plan is shelved for good. Voice your opposition to the release of the contaminated water by adding your name to the statement here and watch out for the day of action on April 13.

Today's show explores Palestinian movement building and solidarity between Palestinians and First Nations people in so-called Australia via edited excerpts from the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network’s inaugural Palestine Solidarity Conference. The conference was held on Kulin Nations land in Melbourne from the 27th to the 29th of January.The first two segments are from the conference's opening plenary session, “Organising for Palestine on stolen land: Solidarity and Intersectionality,” chaired by APAN Vice President Nasser Mashni. These excerpts include comments from Senator Lidia Thorpe, Kim Bullimore, Micaela Sahhar, and Randa Abdel-Fattah. The third segment is from the closing plenary, "75 years of Nakba - What's next for the movement?" chaired by Lina Koleilat. This excerpt features comments from Noura Mansour, Tasnim Mahmoud Sammak, and others.

This week we mark Invasion Day, to do so we’ll go straight into speeches from Narrm’s Invasion Day Rally where we’ll hear from Gurnai/Kurnai and Gunditjmara woman Meriki Onus and Noongar woman Roxy Moore. Listen back to 3CR's Invasion Day 2023 broadcast.Afterwards, we’ll hear an interview with Bunuba, Walmajarri and Cornish/Scottish presenter Natalie Davey from community radio station Wangki Radio in Fitzroy Crossing, who joined Women on the Line presenter Emma Hart to speak about the impact of the recent flooding in the Kimberley.To support community lead recovery you can visit The Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre donation page:https://mwrc.com.au/pages/donations

On this episode of Women on the Line we chat with Heidi, Connie and Andra from Fortune – a print and space-making project, assembled by and for queer Asian publics. Tended to in Philadelphia. We chat about queer Asian publishing practices, our predictions for the upcoming lunar new year of the Water Rabbit/Cat and their upcoming lunar new year party.Find more about Fortune via their website or instagram.

As the year approaches a close we visit the ongoing protests for freedom in Iran. In honour of the protests under the slogan of Jin, Jiyan, Azadi which is Kurdish for woman, life, freedom, we visit the realm of Kurdish poetry, central to Kurdish culture, life and resistance.  We're joined by Kurdish/Celtic writer and dancer Leila Lois who shares some poetry and insights in honour of the protests in Iran that stem from the Kurdish struggle. In November she wrote an article for the Overland Journal on Kurdish women’s resistance in body and poetry.

Narrm Melbourne based label HER 他 is a music platform and event series founded and headed by DJ and musician Cloudy Ku which recently celebrated its three year anniversary. HER 他 is focussed around building and showcasing an incredible community of diverse artists, reaching deep into local scenes as well as to communities of musicians and listeners across Asia and Europe.  We speak with Cloudy about the journey of the label and hear her selections from the artists below. Female Wizard - Malachite @female_wizardXuri - Wompoo Dove @xuri_peMaggie Tra - Ladyship @mtraBetty Apple - Lucifer Morningstar @lovebettyapple HER 他 @hermusicequalityH3R.LIVE

Content warning: This episode touches on some distressing topics, including experiences of sexual assault. Support is available via Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467, and 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), the national counselling line for sexual assault, family and domestic violence. This episode features a discussion with anti-poverty advocates Aeryn Brown, Melissa Fisher and Mel, all of whom have experienced navigating Australia's circuitous social security system. Aeryn, Melissa and Mel speak about the realities of living below the poverty line and the importance of centring lived expertise in reforming the delivery of social security.  Aeryn's writing and interview features on poverty and social security:17 August 2019, 'Newstart and life on $40 a day: 'It's not living, it's surviving''7 June 2022, 'Cost of living: how to beat Australia's soaring inflation and cut your everyday expenses'14 October 2022, 'Break the Poverty Machine: the voices of Australia's poor (part 2)' Melissa's writing on poverty and social security:29 December 2021, 'The Covid supplement lifted me out of poverty. Then it was cut and my life went back to the way it was'18 March 2022, 'Centrelink's paltry increase doesn't cover inflation and condemns us further into debt'13 April 2022, 'I can't eat childcare or lower taxes. Australians in poverty have been thrown to the wolves by both parties' The image for this episode was made by Melissa, and you can find more of her art and support her creative practice here.

Today’s show explores the importance of centring the agency and right to choose of people with disability. First up, you’ll hear part of a conversation about disability discrimination and self-advocacy between Lisa Brumtis and Heather Smith, from the 2022 International Women’s Day episode of Raising Our Voices on 3CR, a program produced and presented by people with disabilities. Later on, you’ll hear an interview with Catherine McAlpine, CEO of Inclusion Australia, talking about decision making and the Disability Royal Commission. The discussion of disability discrimination during this show may be distressing for some listeners. If you need to speak to someone about this, you can call lifeline on 13 11 14. If you are at risk of domestic, family or sexual violence, please call 1800 RESPECT, that’s 1800 737 732. For counselling support, or for referral to a counsellor or advocate near you, you can call the Disability Royal Commission counselling and referral service on 1800 421 468. You can also contact the National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline to report concerns on 1800 880 052.

In this episode, we're joined by two of the co-directors of Youth Verdict, a youth-led climate activist group that just defeated Clive Palmer’s planned Waratah Coal mine, to talk about their victory and the importance of centring First Nations cultural rights and human rights in climate justice work. Murrawah Johnson is a Wirdi woman, co-director and First Nations program lead at Youth Verdict. Monique Jeffs is a white settler based in Meanjin, and is one of Youth Verdict’s original founders. You can keep up to date with Youth Verdict’s work on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Note: The podcast features an extended version of our on-air conversation with Murrawah and Monique, with an extra 10 minutes of discussion about the importance of First Nations-led climate action!

On this episode of Women on the Line we cover Trans Awareness Week, which was held from the 13 - 20 November. We head to Narrm’s first Trans Pride March, to hear from speakers Anastacia Le Rose and Mama Merrin and her son Jay. We then head to Trans Day of Remembrance to hear from Key Change Trans and Gender Diverse Choir as well as Witt Gorrie. The speakers touch on topics affecting the transgender community such as high rates of incarceration of Aboriginal trans women and trans women of colour, transphobia, safer school spaces, mental health and community-building.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners, please be advised that this program includes references to Indigenous people who have passed away. This show also covers themes that may be distressing to some listeners, including racial violence and domestic and family violence.  Support is available 24/7 at:Lifeline on 13 11 141800RESPECT (1800 737 732)13 YARN (13 92 76) - a dedicated national crisis line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people On this episode, we’re joined by Amy McQuire, a Darumbal and South Sea Islander woman and PhD candidate at the University of Queensland, as well as a freelance writer and journalist. Amy speaks about her research and writing on media representations of the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Australia. Through her work, she re-frames Indigenous women as not missing but disappeared, turning the focus back onto the settler colonial state and criminal punishment system to look at the myriad ways that Indigenous women are failed, and by whom, when it comes to experiences of violence.You can read Amy's writing on her substack Presence. Please consider a paid subscription if you are able.

On this episode, we cover the National Day of Action to Close Don Dale and Abolish Youth Prisons, which was held on the 22 October 2022. We hear from Sara Schwartz, who works at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, speak at the Fund communities, not prisons & police rally organsed by Homes no Prisons on Wurunderji and Boon Wurruong Country. Then head to Larrakia Country to hear from Josie Crawshaw at the Close Don Dale rally.

Today we discuss the intersections of dwelling justice, incarceration, private land and the coloniality of housing.We hear an excerpt of Yuin woman and architectural design activist Linda Kennedy speaking at the Dwelling Justice Forum held in August 2022. You can listen to her full speech and others here.We then turn to a conversation about the Bendigo St documentary which chronicles a campaign to occupy a street of government-owned empty houses that were planned for demolition for the failed east-west link highway in Naarm/Melbourne. We sit down with documentary maker Jasmine Barzani, a Kurdish self-described troublemaker based in Naarm. She’s an anti-fascist, prison abolitionist, no borders activist, and she is completing her honour’s project at Melbourne University. She’s a visiting fellow at the Institute of Postcolonial Studies and on the steering group of the Homes not Prisons campaign.Bendigo St is crowd-funding to make a feature-length documentary, you can support the project on the documentary Australia website.

On this episode of Women on the Line we chat with Anna Weekes, an organiser from the Fossil Fuel Free Arts Northern Territory Campaign. The Fossil Fuel Free Arts NT crew have been campaigning for the Darwin Arts Festival to break up their long-term partnership with fossil fuel corporation Santos. We discuss their recent wins, artwashing, as well the impact of Santos in the Northern Territory.

Earlier this year the US Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade, the 1973 ruling which protected abortion rights on a national level, unleashing a wave of repressive measures against abortion rights in conservative US states and increasing public focus on this area.This episode is the second part of a brief look at abortion rights. For part one, we looked beyond the USA to the situation for abortion rights in Poland, speaking with a member of Szpila Collective, an anarcha-feminist anti-repression collective based in Warsaw, working to support activists or other people who face repressions because of their political activity.This week on the program we continue that conversation closer to home, looking at abortion rights in so-called Australia. We speak with Dr Erica Millar, senior research fellow at La Trobe University, who provides a brief history of local abortion rights, an explanation of differences in state based abortion legislation, and perspectives on the impact of cultural perceptions of abortion on our current legal framework.If you're based in a rural area, the telehealth abortion and reproductive healthcare websites Erica mentions are Clinic 66 and Marie Stopes.

In this week’s episode of Women on the Line, we’re joined by Anne-lise Ah-fat, who has been involved in coordinating and editing a recently-released collection of poems by community members on the inside called ‘None Of Us Are Free Until All Of Us Are Free’. This is the second edition of poems from the inside published by Incendium Radical Library and Press, and has been in the making for over a year. The collection features creative writing from a range of contributors including Stacey Stokes, who kindly gave us permission to include her thoughts on writing as part of this episode and asked that Anne-lise read them out.Sales for ‘None Of Us Are Free Until All Of Us Are Free’ have been going towards supporting the Inside Out newsletter, a quarterly newsletter by and for LGBTIQ+ folks, sistergirls and brotherboys incarcerated in prisons or detention centres. You can help cover the costs of producing Inside Out and find out more by heading to Inside Out Solidarity Network on Facebook or visiting their website. Some other excellent initiatives providing support and resources to incarcerated community members:Sisters Inside's Free Her campaignBeyond Bricks and Bars: Trans Gender Diverse Decarceration ProjectIncarcerated Trans & Gender Diverse Community Fund

Earlier this year the US Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade, the 1973 ruling which protected abortion rights across the US, unleashing a wave of repressive measures against abortion rights in conservative American states and increasing public and political focus on this area.This week on the program, we look beyond the USA to the situation for abortion rights in Poland.We speak with Alex from Szpila Collective, an anarcha-feminist anti-repression collective based in Warsaw, working to support activists or other people who face repression because of their political activity in Poland.To support the work of Szpila Collective by making a donation you can also reach them at:Szpila FacebookSzpila Twitterszpila (at) riseup (dot) netListeners should be aware that this episode contains discusison of domestic violence. If this conversation brings anything up for you, you can contact national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling service 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

Content warning: this is a sensitive area of discussion and may be distressing for some listeners. Listeners can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 1800RESPECT 24/7. Listeners in the music industry or arts can also call Support Act’s wellbeing helpline 24/7 on 1800 959 500. Today’s show focuses on sexual harassment in the workplace, exploring the need for cultural change both within industries and as a society and looking at some of the legal mechanisms silencing people who have experienced these harms. First, we hear from Anne Jacobs, the National Welfare Manager at Australia’s music industry charity Support Act. Anne speaks about the ‘Raising Their Voices’ report, which presents the findings of an independent review into sexual harm, sexual harassment and systemic discrimination in the Australian contemporary music industry. After this, Emma Golledge, Director of the University of New South Wales’ Kingsford Legal Centre, unpacks some of the barriers to accountability and transparency faced by people who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace with a focus on non-disclosure agreements.

In this episode, we discuss the political importance of archiving the feminist struggle in Algeria. Launched in 2019, Archives des luttes des femmes en Algérie is a collective that provides digital and open access to documents from and by Algerian feminist activists, collectives, and associations since the North African country gained independence in 1962.Joining us to discuss the importance of archives for activism in Algeria, is researcher and activist Saadia Gacem, who, along with Awel Haouati and Lydia Saïdi, forms part of this collective. Saadia is a PhD candidate in the anthropology of law researching the repressive family code in Algeria.This interview was conducted in French, and it is voiced over in English by Aminata Diallo.The audio of the song heard at the end of the episode is from Femmes en Mouvement, a documentary filmed and produced in 1989 by Merzak Allouache. Available on YouTube (in French)To find out more please see:Blog: https://archivefemdz.hypotheses.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archivesfemmmesdz/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archivesfemmesdz/

On this week’s episode of Women on the Line we chat with Odissi dancers Divya Nair, Shreya Rath, Vaishnavi Srinivasan and Pranavi Annadurai from the Sohamasmi Centre for Performing Arts, all senior dance disciples of Odissi dancer and teacher Smt. Monica Singh Sangwan. Upcoming solo and duet performances are happening Saturday 17 and 24 September at Dancehouse and 1 October at Fairfield Amphitheatre, accompanied by a live Odissi music ensemble featuring Vaishnavi Srinivasan (Vocals), Senthuran Jogaratanam (Percussion/Mardala), Shri Murali Kumar / Anita Das (Violin) and Lakshmanan Madhu (Saraswati Veena), trained by Shri Achyuta Maharana from Puri, India. Tickets are available now at sohamasmi.org.

This week you’ll hear from a group of diverse young women challenging structures and systems and really shaking things up.We start the show with Dana Alshaer, a proud Palestinian who’ll educate us on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, also known as BDS. She also explains why some people are reluctant to support this movement.And later in the show, we’ll be joined by Danya, Razaz and Ladan, a trio whose teacher training bill passed in the Youth Parliament!

In today's show, we are joined by Marnie Vinall and Dr Kasey Symons to unpack some important issues around gender dynamics in sports reporting and commentary, and to reflect on the growth of the AFLW with a focus on the AFLW fandom. Marnie is a sports reporter at The Age based in Naarm/Melbourne. Kasey is an academic and writer also based in Naarm, and is a Research Fellow in the Sport Innovation Research Group at Swinburne University as well as a co-founder of the women in sport collective Siren Sport. The photograph above was shot by multimedia creative and member of Siren Sport Megan Brewer.

On this week’s episode of Women on the Line we chat with Zena Cumpston, a Barkandji woman who has curated the exhibition ‘Emu Sky’ currently being shown at Melbourne University. The exhibition brings together numerous Aboriginal artists and knowledge keepers to explore Aboriginal perspectives related to science, innovation, plant use, land management and agricultural practices. Emu Sky is currently being exhibited, with free entry, at the Old Quad building at Melbourne University from now until Sunday 21 August 2022. Visit the Emu Sky website for more information.

Journalist and activist Nicola Joseph discusses the differences between tokenism and media justice, and in the second half of the show researcher Shelly Makleff discusses Abortion care in Australia. We also look at what the end of Roe V Wade means for women and birthing people.To learn more about Shelly's study click here.

In April, France saw the far-right party leader receive a large portion of the vote in the presidential election albeit with the lowest voter turnout since 1969. This week we discuss French politics ahead of the second round of legislative elections which chooses representatives to parliament on June 19.To discuss these issues within a broader context of global capitalism we’re joined by Dr Rachel Bloul, who is a social scientist formerly from the ANU. Her fields of expertise are immigration politics, global politics and genocide studies. After living in Australia for 40 years, she returned to a changed France seven years ago and shares some of her insights into the political landscape and argues for a need for a different political language for collective struggle.

On this week's episode, we're joined by Kathryn Gledhill-Tucker and Samantha Floreani to tackle some big questions about digital rights, predatory tech companies and regulation. Kathryn Gledhill-Tucker is a Nyungar technologist and digital rights activist who serves on the board of Electronic Frontiers Australia. Their work explores the intersection of activism, science-fiction, and technology in imagining radical futures and ushering them into existence.Samantha Floreani is a digital rights activist and writer living on unceded Wurundjeri land. They also live on the internet and strive to make it a better place through their privacy advocacy and tech policy work as Program Lead for Digital Rights Watch.You can read the article about queer online spaces and government regulation that Kat mentioned towards the end of the show here on Junkee.

This week’s episode covers the Yuendumu community-led campaign Karrinjarla Muwajarri - no police guns in remote Aboriginal communities. The campaign emerged in the wake of the 2022 Northern Territory budget announcement re-affirming a government commitment to resourcing police instead of vital community services, and after the acquittal of an NT police officer over the 2019 death of Warlpiri teenager Kumanjayi Walker. The campaign also addresses the need to restore self-determination and self-governance in remote Aboriginal communities on the 15th anniversary of the NT Intervention, which is scheduled to end this year. A national day of action was called on the 18th of June, and today’s show features excerpts from speeches given at the Mparntwe Alice Springs rally by Sabella Turner (Central Arrernte Nation), Valerie Martin (Warlpiri Nation), Barbara Shaw (Arrernte Nation) and Kumalie Riley (Arrernte Nation).You can read the Karrinjarla Muwajarri statement of demands here. More information about the work of the Intervention Rollback Action Group is available here.This show was produced in collaboration with Ethyl Ephedrine, slumberkitty and Tin Pickle from the Punk Tree Hour show on 8CCC Community Radio Alice Springs and Tennant Creek.

We all agree everyone deserves access to good quality education.  Unfortunately – not everyone is given the same opportunities. In Australia, the legacy of racist policies has meant that Aboriginal students continue to face structural barriers that impact their education.I reached out to Aunty Gail Kunwarra Dawson to find out what makes a real difference to the lives of Aboriginal students. Aunty Gail is a Bunwurrang Elder and a school education researcher.

Thanks for tuning in to Women on the Line's 2022 live Radiothon special!Iris, Ayan and Priya counted down the top 10 most-downloaded episodes of Women on the Line over the past year, and played you some highlights from these shows. We also caught up with Emma and Scheherazade via phone, and got a very special call from former WOTL producer Hope. Keep those donations coming for 3CR's 2022 Radiothon so we can continue to keep community strong through the power of independent media for another year!Donate to our GiveNow crowdraiser, where we are working on our target of $1650 to contribute to 3CR's $250,000 goal!Call the station on (03) 9419 8377 to donate over the phone.Text in your pledge and receive donation details at 0488 809 855.Head to 3CR's donation page!

One aspect of Australia's draconian border regime that has grown in recent decades is the education sector, which has entrapped many International students in a system of privatised exploitation and precarity. We hear from Carol from the Support Network for International Students (SNIS) about the network and the concept of education trafficking. Later in the program, we turn to student resistance in solidarity with Palestine at the University of Melbourne. There the student union has backflipped from historic support for Palestine in the face of a reactionary backlash. We hear from Emma from Students for Palestine (Melbourne Uni).

This week Áine Kelly-Costello chats to us about disability and migration and how the two intersect. Áine discusses the podcast Disability Crosses Borders and shares their own migration experience. Áine also looks at the Acceptable Standard of Health, a visa requirement they've described as "lengthy, expensive, stressful and degrading."Support #EndASHNow

This week's show covers updates in the struggle for self-determination of West Papuans, including limitations of the Special Autonomy Law which was renewed in 2021, the Indonesian government’s push to break up the provinces of West Papua and Papua to create 5 smaller administrative regions, and issues related to freedom of expression, assembly and communication. We hear from Esther Haluk, a member of Garda Papua, a democratic movement of West Papuan people, as well as a lecturer at Walter Post Theological Seminary in Jayapura, and Veronica Koman, an Indonesian human rights lawyer who is currently in self-imposed exile in Australia. You can find out more information about the situation in West Papua by following the work of organisations like TAPOL, the International Coalition for Papua or ICP, and Komite Nasional Papua Barat or KPNB, plus don't forget to tune in to Voice of West Papua on 3CR every Tuesday from 6:30-7:30PM.

In the lead up to the federal election, we’ve seen a host of minor far-right political parties spin, propagate, and actively spread disinformation, seemingly for political gain. All the while, the so-called 'freedom' rallies continue to protest outside political institutions. What is it motivating people to show up to these rallies or join these conspiracy-laden movements more broadly? To delve more deeply into this topic we hear Professor Pam Nilan speak at the launch of her latest book titled Young People and the Far-right which interrogates how specifically young white men get attracted to the dystopian fantasies of far-right futures. The book launch was held at the Black Spark Cultural Centre on April 26. Then, activist Michel* speaks about their preliminary research on the so-called freedom movement in Naarm/Melbourne. They have a background in community organising and are completing Honours in Anthropology at the University of Melbourne. *For security reasons, the name has been changed

When you think of wellness influencers, what comes to mind? Sun? Yoga? Neo-Nazis!!? Today we hear from academic Tresa LeClerc, whose essay 'Consumption, Wellness, and the Far-Right' explores what makes the wellness industry a target of white nationalist ideas.Later in the program, we'll listen to an interview Diaspora Blues did with Dr Ruth DeSouza about her life-saving podcast ‘Birthing and Justice’.

This week we hear from transgender Tamil woman Amity Mara on the Borderless Affirmations Mutual Aid group, which supports trans migrants (interview by Priya Kunjan, 3CR Thursday Breakfast). Later in the program, we hear from an April rally in solidarity with Palestine in Melbourne, as Israel once again attacks Al Aqsa mosque in Ramadan.

The Victorian Government is proposing to significantly expand the capacity of the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre or DPFC, a women's prison on the western edge of Narrm, Melbourne. Drawing on the voices of women with lived experience of prison and evidence based practice, the Homes Not Prisons campaign is calling on the State Government to use the money allocated for expanding the prison to build public housing instead. This week on the program we bring you selections from Stop the Expansion of the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, a recent online event hosted by Victorian Women Lawyers addressing this issue.The discussion features Yuin woman Vickie Roach, Principal Legal Officer of the Law and Advocacy Centre for Women Jill Prior, Sara, member of the Homes Not Prisons Steering Committee, and Karen Fletcher, Executive Officer of feminist abolitionist advocacy and support service Flat Out.

Australia is in the midst of a housing crisis, and yet the primary focus of politicians is on private home ownership rather than protecting the most vulnerable. Chloé Cooper, a member of Save Public Housing Collective with lived experience of homelessness, joins us to share her analysis of the state of homelessness support services in Victoria, and how we might achieve meaningful change on housing insecurity in Australia. Later in the show, we hear from Professor Libby Porter, a researcher and educator at RMIT's Centre for Urban Research. Libby's work focuses on dispossession and displacement in contemporary cities, and she speaks with us about the importance of maintaining and building public housing as a crucial element of tackling housing insecurity. Both Chloé and Libby refer to a demonstration that is planned for May Day, Sunday the 1st of May, at around midday on the steps of Melbourne's Parliament House. You can keep up to date here.

This week we focus on the struggle of Uyghur people in occupied East Turkestan. The Chinese state has been intensifying genocide of Uyghurs in the last decade. We hear from Uyghur community member Fazilet, and audio from a recent Uyghur and Muslim lead Stand for Uyghurs rally in Melbourne with Idil Ali (MC),  and speeches by Mai and Fazilet.

The Covid-19 pandemic has intensified existing systemic inequalities. We hear from a rally in Melbourne, Fighting for public health and workplace safety. We hear from rally co-chairs, Sarah Hathaway and Jiselle Hanna, unionist and Greens candidate Celeste Liddle, retail worker and unionist Maudie Osborne, and public health worker and unionist Nita Okoko.

This week on the program we focus on the situation for people fleeing from war on the Polish border with Belarus and Ukraine.More than 1.8 million people escaping war in Ukraine have arrived in Poland since February 24, but not everyone has received the same welcome to the European Union.On the Polish-Belarussian border, people seeking safety in the EU from war in the Middle East continue to be pushed back to Belarus, despite what in some instances can be many dangerous attempts to cross.Our guest for this episode speaks about the forces behind this situation, what is happening to the people caught by this border, and what you can do to provide support.For more information or to make a donation use the link below:https://chuffed.org/project/poland-belarus-ukraine-border-crisis-solidarity-fundraiser

In a collaborative show with Sudanese refugee and freelance journalist Elina Mark, we delve into education issues for refugee communities stuck in limbo in Indonesia as a result of Australia's border policies.We feature two interviews.Firstly, the mother of four children, Shereen speaks about barriers for her kids to access education in Indonesia.Afterwards, co-founder of the refugee-run Education4all learning centre, Faiza Ahmed Omer Faloul speaks about how they fill a void and help the broader refugee community in Indonesia. *4All are currently fundraising to support and continue their work. Link to fundraiser https://ensany.com/campaign/3998?fbclid=IwAR2tDZSaKvTZ8ogVgvW5lYO6K6qP6DbG3QKxLCyCXUojLv5trPtx-gSsSQ8

Today's show features two women working towards climate justice in so-called Australia: Tishiko King, Campaign Director at Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, and Emma Bacon, Executive Director of the Sweltering Cities project.  Tishiko, a proud Torres Strait Islander woman with connections to Masig and Badu Islands, speaks about climate vulnerability and fighting for climate justice in Zenadth Kes/the Torres Strait Islands. Emma discusses the effects of rising temperatures on urban heat stress and why urban infrastructure needs to both adapt to and mitigate climate change. You can find out more about the work of Seed Mob here, and support the Torres Strait 8's 'Our Islands, Our Home' campaign here. Send a personal message to  local member of Parliament for the Torres Strait, Warren Entsch, on why you think the Australian Government should take urgent action to protect Zenadth Kes from climate change. If you live in Australia, take the Sweltering Cities 2022 Summer Survey here before the end of March to support advocacy for sustainable urban development and changes to residential infrastructure in the face of global warming.

On this week’s program, we’re analyzing two stories making national news. Our first story looks at what happens when police view migrant and refugee women as the main aggressors in family violence calls, and our second interview focuses on the exploitation of Pacific farmworkers. Helping us tell these stories is the CEO of inTouch Michal Morris and Dr Victoria Stead from Deakin University.Articles/reports THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF MIS-IDENTIFICATIONAustralia needs better conditions, not shaming, for Pacific farm workersProducerAyan Shirwa

This week we hear from  queer, Maori-Polish writer, abolitionist and organiser, Julia Rose Bak, about the concept of disability justice (First aired on Radio A and A, also see Disability Justice network mutual aid fundraiser). The summer of 2021-22 has seen a new wave of the Covid-19 pandemic with the Omicron variant, mass illness and death in an environment of woeful state responses and complacency. In the second half of the program, Polly, a queer academic and consultancy researcher, speaks about the Omicron summer crisis and how the left should respond.

This week on the program we cover two important topics which have seen some significant development in the last week. First, we speak with two Gomeroi yinarr, Aunty Polly Cutmore and Traditional Custodian Karra Kinchela, about the fight to stop Santos’ Narrabri Gas Project, near Moree in North West NSW. 850 gas wells are proposed for the area, and court hearings are underway.Visit the Moree Ecological Holistic Information Centre page And find more information about the Pillaga Ultra - A Run to Keep the Pillaga Wild Then we hear from Charlie and Evan from Pride in Protest in Warrang Sydney, about the previously proposed Religious Discrimination Act.Last week was a big week, and after some significant wrangling and subsequent trauma for the LGBTIQA+ community the Act has now been withdrawn by the Coalition. While we spoke before the legislation was withdrawn, Charlie and Evan provide an analysis about the forces at play behind the bill that's still very relevant.You can connect with Pride in Protest at the social pages below:Facebook - Pride in ProtestTwitter - Pride in ProtestInstagram - Pride in Protest

In today's episode, we delve into a thriving leftist movement in Narrm (Melbourne) built by migrants from Turkey in the 1970s and 80s. International human rights lawyer, researcher and activist, Eda Seyhan joins us to discuss her article published in Jacobin on how this movement organized migrant workers, supported political refugees, influenced unions, and contributed to the anti-imperialist struggle both in Turkey and internationally.Eda conducted this research as part of her visiting fellowship at the Institute of Postcolonial Studies.Article: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2022/01/derneks-australia-communists-labor-mutual-aid

In this show, Murri historian and activist Dr Jackie Huggins speaks about the recently-published updated edition of 'Sister Girl: Reflections on Tiddaism, Identity and Reconciliation', which is out now through the University of Queensland Press. She reflects on the process of writing and on her prolific career, touching on the strength of Aboriginal women, race relations in feminism, Indigenous leadership, and honouring her parents through biography.Dr Jackie Huggins AM FAHA is a member of the Bidjara and Birri Gubba Juru peoples, and is currently leading the work for Treaty/Treaties in Queensland. This episode also features the song 'Sista Girl' by Oetha. Dr Huggins will be in conversation with Wiradjuri Author Dr Anita Heiss on the evening of Monday 31st January 2022 to discuss the new edition of Sister Girl. Online and in-person registration details are available here.