The Sydney Morning Herald • 29th November 2022

Triumph of the Persisterhood: New laws will make women safer at work

Just over a year ago, writing for this masthead, I attempted to give voice to women’s collective rage – correction, their downright fury – directed at the Morrison government for failing to legislate all the recommendations from Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins’ Respect@Work inquiry into workplace sexual harassment. Now I’m back – but this time I have a much happier task.

Crikey • 18th November 2022

The right's woman problem is bigger than 'single young females' and they know it

As a one-time "promiscuously” educated young woman who is now an “older and wiser”, married, home-owning mother of two, I suddenly find myself of great interest to the Liberal Party, in particular the head of its aligned think tank, the Menzies Research Centre. The Australian columnist Nick Cater and I aren't known to each other, but I nonetheless feel uniquely qualified to respond to his notion that "single young females" are the biggest threat to parties on the right.

the Guardian • 26th October 2022

Australia’s women are no longer seeing their calls for change dismissed as lacking ‘credibility’. Good | Kristine Ziwica

In preparation for Tuesday night’s budget, I have been revisiting ghosts of women’s budget statements and women’s economic security statements past, particularly the last two years. And gee, it’s been a bit of a wild ride.

The Age • 26th October 2022

Is it the end of the #GirlBoss era in Australia? That wouldn’t be all bad

Earlier this week, news broke in this masthead that the corporate feminist behemoth Business Chicks was either shutting down or scaling down. For more than a decade, the women’s networking group has been at the forefront of a dominant strain of rah, rah, you go girl, #GirlBoss feminism in Australia. The fact it is in trouble, and laying off staff, is not insignificant. I would argue it’s the end of an era – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. That said, for the avoidance of doubt, I take n

Women's Agenda • 12th October 2022

Time to do more for girls than #GirlPower mantras and merch

This week many paused to mark the tenth anniversary of the International Day of the Girl.

Women's Agenda • 6th October 2022

Without meaningful intervention, the number of older homeless women will double

When Emma Dawson took to the stage at the National Gallery of Victoria to launch the latest report she authored on women and homelessness, A Home of One’s Own, she was both a woman on a mission and a woman – understandably – running short on patience.

The Sydney Morning Herald • 10th September 2022

The problem with Girl Power? Feminism isn’t meant to be fun

The history of feminism is often talked about in terms of distinct “waves”. While this is, admittedly, a bit reductive, and each wave of feminism was not a monolithic movement, it’s still a useful tool to understand the movement’s history, where it came from, and how it developed.

Crikey • 31st August 2022

'Know your worth': gender pay gap's big lie, and why the pandemic shook things up

An edited extract from Kristine Ziwica's new book Leaning Out looks at the long history of the gender pay gap and the steps taken to close it.

the Guardian • 29th August 2022

We cannot squander this moment. Australia must tackle the structural issues behind women’s inequality | Kristine Ziwica

“From the early months of the Covid pandemic women have borne the brunt of the economic consequences of the pandemic, largely through their roles as paid and unpaid carers,” Australia’s finance minister and newly minted minister for women, Katy Gallagher, reminded us just last week at the G20 Women’s Summit. “We cannot waste this opportunity to learn from the experience of Covid and shape the care economy for the better in the future.” Had I attended the summit, I probably would have risen to m

The Sydney Morning Herald • 16th July 2022

Fed up with the chore wars, grumpy women are now politically dangerous

Little known fact: women are five times as grumpy about domestic inequality now than they were before the pandemic. And after the May election, we all know grumpy women can be politically dangerous.

The Saturday Paper • 24th June 2022

Labor’s urgent work to tackle domestic violence

On Monday morning, Amanda Rishworth, the new minister for Social Services, convened an emergency meeting of the 19 members of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women advisory group. Rishworth had good reason for bringing the group together with such urgency – she has an acute challenge in her portfolio, and she needs their help to tackle it.

Crikey • 16th June 2022

From career feminism to care feminism: the case for reshaping our economy

The pandemic exposed the myth of 'leaning in' as a gender equaliser. It's time we created a new deal for women.

primer • 3rd June 2022

There Are More Women In Parliament Than Ever. Will It Make A Difference?

When the new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stood up in front of the Labor Party caucus for the very first time since winning the election, he quoted former Prime Minister Paul Keating: “When you change the government, you change the country”.

Women's Agenda • 18th May 2022

Perhaps we should rebrand Senator Jane Hume to Minister for Women’s Economic InSecurity

Today, I am rather vexed (again) about Senator Jane Hume. Just over a year ago she was sworn in as Australia’s very first, dedicated Minister for Women’s Economic Security. After the devastating impacts of the pandemic on women’s economic security, in particular on their ability to work and save, many warned that it could set women back a generation. The Morrison government’s decision to dedicate a new ministerial portfolio to the issue of women’s economic security seemed like progress.

The Saturday Paper • 13th May 2022

New front in Coalition war on charities

On March 11, an email landed in the inbox of Carolyn Frohmader, the longstanding chief executive of Women with Disabilities Australia. The email was from the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). It indicated the commission was conducting a “review” of charities that were registered to receive tax-deductible donations.

Women's Agenda • 30th March 2022

We must move from 'career feminism' to 'care feminism'. This #GirlBoss Budget doesn't help

In November of last year, Sam Mostyn, an independent company director, long-time women’s advocate and the current President of Chief Executive Women, arrived at the National Press Club (NPC) to deliver a landmark address.

Women's Agenda • 22nd March 2022

Let’s stop the annual “best practice” gender pay gap farce

The vibe this International Women’s Day was pretty interesting. It was decidedly angry and impatient. I suspect that reflects the layer upon layer of issues that have been piling onto women’s shoulders, particularly these last two years of the pandemic and in the year since the historic Women’s March.

The Saturday Paper • 14th March 2022

The empty plan to end violence against women

Over the past year, there’s been pressure on the Morrison government to step up and take significant action on women’s safety, as rates of sexual violence have increased. And in the wake of Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame’s campaigning - the federal government has released a draft plan that seeks to end violence against women and children. However, survivors and experts are disappointed with the draft and the lack of transparency that went into its formulation.

The Saturday Paper • 11th March 2022

Playing games with women's safety

In early September last year, in an audacious, tone-deaf act that would come to symbolise the political opportunism and bad faith with which the Morrison government has approached the development of the new National Plan to End Violence Against Women, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the keynote address at the National Summit on Women’s Safety would be reserved for himself.

Women's Agenda • 21st February 2022

'Joshonomics': How gullible does the Treasurer think women are?

Last week, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was out spinning the spin, trying to sort out the Morrison Government’s so-called “woman problem”. Unfortunately for the Treasurer, his bizarre, too-clever-by-half economic pitch to women voters that the Coalition’s economic policy is “delivering for women” – let’s call it “Joshonomics” — is easily debunked. So this begs the question: how gullible does the Treasurer think women are? First, there was the now thoroughly discredited press release put out on M