Women's Agenda

MAFS recently broadcast an incident where a male participant punched a wall during an argument. The police were called and the show continued. National Women’s Safety Alliance Director Katherine Berney says it's one of many worrying incidents that have been shared, and could send a dangerous message to viewers.

A group of nearly 80 Afghan women studying in Oman on US-funded scholarships were almost sent back Afghanistan when they were informed their scholarships were ending amid cuts to US foreign aid. This is just one example of the how Donald Trump’s foreign aid freeze and efforts to dismantle USAID have put women and girls across the globe at risk. #USAID

Amid a looming shortage of doctors and nurses in Australia, Queensland’s North West Hospital and Health Service has exceeded the national target for First Nations workforce representation. “Having a strong First Nations workforce is a powerful driver of change for Australia’s healthcare system and we want to have those voices front and centre when it comes to patient care,” said Christine Mann, Executive Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health at NWHHS and a proud Woppaburra woman.

Food Ladder has launched a new partnership with IBM to integrate AI into its educational programs, ensuring more student-centred learning and time-saving planning for teachers. Food Ladder is tackling food insecurity by providing schools with climate-controlled, hydroponic greenhouses to grow fresh food, and currently has more than 40 greenhouses operating in schools across the nation. #FoodSecurity

A study looking to find a new treatment approach for rare ovarian cancer is among eight projects to receive funding from Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) in its largest-ever funding distribution of $3.5 million. “For too long the statistics have been stubborn and progress toward effective methods of early detection, and development of enduring successful treatments, has been too slow,” Robin Penty said. “Momentum, however, is building. This new funding is critical, and these funded projects hold great promise." #OvarianCancer #WomensHealth

By broadcasting problematic behaviors without condemnation, Married At First Sight contributes to a narrative that thrives in popular culture—that domestic violence and coercive controlling behaviours are understandable and justifiable, writes Executive Director of the National Women's Safety Alliance, Katherine B. #DomesticViolence #MAFS

The cyber security workforce is made up of just 17 per cent women. We speak to the founder of AWSN - Australian Women in Security Network, Jacqui L., about the work her organisation is doing to change the perception of what someone working in cyber security looks like. “If you like problem solving, working on new innovative techniques and technology, being creative, working on different things, and like the sound of a job that gives you variety and where you can help protect people, then this is an incredible career choice,”  Loustau says. #WomenInSecurity #CyberSecurity

Astronaut Suni Williams and her NASA colleague Butch Wilmore are back on Earth after they got stuck in space for more than nine months. The duo were meant to spend just eight days away from Earth but a spacecraft malfunction on a Boeing vehicle caused their trip to be extended. This morning, they arrived back home in a SpaceX capsule: https://lnkd.in/gmV-BQ5n

An Australian doctor working in Gaza has described the latest Israeli airstrikes as "something out of a horror film". In videos posted to social media showing the aftermath of the bombing, he said most of the patients were children and women. The latest offensive marks a sorrowful end to a short-lived truce between Israel and Hamas, which saw many Gazans returning home hoping to rebuild their lives: https://lnkd.in/gR3mZDus 

This past weekend, thousands took to the streets across Australia, demanding an end to violence against women. The energy was powerful, the message clear: enough is enough. Why do we march for justice for women in their homes, on the streets, but not in prison cells? This, too, is gendered violence, writes Debbie Kilroy and Tabitha Lean.