Category Archives: women

opinion pieces

The vexed question of social housing in Canberra

As a consequence of the Greenslabor Ministers Vassarotti and Berry’s cruel eviction program, attention turned to their social housing programs. Continue reading The vexed question of social housing in Canberra

Democracy muted as Mick calls in YWCA project

ACT Government endorses bad planning

The ACT’s planning directorate is a rogue bureaucracy doing the bidding of anyone but the residents of Canberra. Few residents would be confident that the directorate has the expertise to do anything except to continuously mess stuff up.

Continue reading Democracy muted as Mick calls in YWCA project

ACT Government evicts housing tenants

mean and nasty government just got meaner and nastier

Just when the Housing ACT relocation (eviction) program was looking mean and nasty, the ministers involved, Yvette Berry and Rebecca Vassarotti, upped the ante by introducing something even more dodgy to make lives difficult for some of the Housing ACT tenants.

Continue reading ACT Government evicts housing tenants

ACT Government evictions

Housing clearances in Canberra in 2022

It is beyond belief that in the 21st century a self-nominated progressive Labor/Greens coalition government sanctioned the eviction of its own social housing tenants.

Continue reading ACT Government evictions

ACT Public Art and inequality

It was stunning to see the images of Premier Dominic Perrottet after NSW opened up on October 11; he welcomed people back to his version of normal – that of blokes, pubs, beers and more blokes. Women were absent.

Continue reading ACT Public Art and inequality

Cherry picking your values 2

follow-up on a community groups choosing their values

Proposal to answer queries – a follow up piece

More on Bill Pye Park Ainslie and the YWCA

An article was published this week about the proposed building of social housing on a site now leased by the YWCA on the corner of the block that is largely Bill Pye Park in Ainslie.

Continue reading Cherry picking your values 2

Cherry picking your values

Community Group as developer chooses to ignore basic values

When the ACT government announced it had approved the development application by the YWCA to build social housing on the corner of Bill Pye Park in Ainslie*, there was a collective sigh of frustration from residents.

Continue reading Cherry picking your values

ACT Government stacked boards

Board members irrelevant to Canberra

The boards of the City Renewal Authority, the National Capital Authority and the Suburban Land Agency have little connection to the everyday life of residents.

Continue reading ACT Government stacked boards

Hillary Clinton

The Destruction of Hillary Clinton

I have already reviewed this book – click here.

However I cannot stop pondering the challenge this story throws up for anyone interested in equity, fairness, and the role of the media in so many aspects of our daily lives.

If we had a real media, this story would have been totally different. Instead what happened here was the total manipulation of the media and through them members of the public, by all forms of malicious groups of people and individuals.

Continue reading Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton

The Destruction of Hillary Clinton

It was on hearing certain phrases used over and over again on Australian TV programs talking about the 2016 US election campaign that I became suspicious that we were witnessing a lazy press.

Almost daily  the media was taking the same phrases and words and using them over and over again – with no evidence that they could be accurate except that they were the words and phrases being used by most journalists and commentators at the time.

On the basis we were supposed to accept their words as fact.

Continue reading Hillary Clinton

Being Turnbulled

The Australian Government has carried on bullying good people

triggsAll this and more is happening with the blessing of the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull. The country is being Turnbulled again – or is that ‘still’. There are two good articles that address the issue of this officially sanctioned bullying.  This is an international disgrace. Here’s the first – click here; and the second – click here.

Witches both mad and bad: a loaded word with an ugly history

witches

From The Conversation, Michelle Smith, Deakin University

Over the weekend, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton inadvertently sent a text message calling journalist Samantha Maiden a “mad f—ing witch” to Maiden herself, rather than his intended recipient, fellow MP Jamie Briggs.

Continue reading Witches both mad and bad: a loaded word with an ugly history

Women and Carbon Tax

The Abbott as Minister not for Woman

1419301353603As 2014 draws to an end, the Credlin Government spokesperson, Tony Abbott, went on TV to talk positive about the changes to the Ministerial portfolios just announced. It was supposed to be an opportunity to finish the year with a positive after being such a crap government all through 2014.

But he blew it. Again! Boss Credlin will be very unhappy. Again!

Continue reading Women and Carbon Tax

Women taking on-going hits

Commentary: on the on-going inequities

croakeyCroakey author, Michelle Hughes, highlighted the ongoing inequities within the health science arena – click here.

I identify with her final comment on the selection of keynote speakers as the issue of getting women as key-note speakers was a focus of mine in the past.  I did come up with a strategy to deal with it. See my notes below.

Continue reading Women taking on-going hits

Women take another hit

Commentary: on how the women of Australia have been hit (again) by so-called education reforms.

jane_caroOne wonders just how long all thinking Australians are going to put up with so many terrible decisions being made by a federal cabinet that has just the one token woman present. Jane Caro has written a very good piece in the Guardian on how that stupid Education Minister is putting into place even more barriers to equity in employment. click here.

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Paul Costigan, 11 August 2014

Gender Inequity in Galleries

Confronting art world sexism

From an article by Jori Finkel in the Art Newspaper:

art-newspaperIn New York, Sperone Westwater comes in at 91 versus nine. Team Gallery at 85 versus 15; Matthew Marks at 84 versus 16, and Mary Boone at 83 versus 17. Some of the top galleries in Los Angeles tell a similar story: Blum & Poe is 89 versus 11; Prism is 88 versus 12; Thomas Solomon is 85 to 15, and Patrick Painter is 83 to 17.

Click here for the article.

Brisbane’s South Bank Corporate Equity

Comment: On equity gone missing!

Brisbane’s South Bank Corporation’s lack of equity in their management

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It was while researching the background on my pieces on Brisbane and in particular on the South Bank Corporation, that I was checking on its corporate status when I came across a rude piece of evidence on the corporation. Continue reading Brisbane’s South Bank Corporate Equity

status of women

Opinion: Girls can do everything, just not all at once

Canberra Times Article, by Marie Coleman

article200_quentin-bryce1-200x0With the first female Governor General now having departed the scene, it was indeed timely for a local writer to sum up the messy situation that occurred thanks to our infamous Prime Minister.

That is, The Rabbott took this opportunity of the departure of this well-loved person from this high office, to confuse any celebration by announcing that he was bringing back the out of date honours of Knighthoods and Dames. To rub it in fully, The Rabbott announced that Quentin Bryce was to be the first to be honoured.

Continue reading status of women

Status of Women 2014

Nine Stories on the Status of Women

The first story was told to me about a proposal being put to someone’s recent board meeting suggesting that the organisation needed to do far more about the status of women in their particular workforce. That is, along with the business councils in Australia,  the organisation could devise some manner by which annually they recognise and award the female achievers.

In a world of inequity, the reactions should not have been so surprising.

Continue reading Status of Women 2014

Grace Marchant Garden

Review: Grace Marchant Garden, San Francisco
Location the Filbert Steps between Telegraph Hill Boulevard down to Levi Plaza and the Embarcadero.

387-marchant

This is a story about local people caring for their own. In the first instance one woman’s determination to make the open space beautiful around her new home. And then a story about the local community who have since stepped in to keep and maintain her legacy, now called the Grace Marchant Garden.

Continue reading Grace Marchant Garden

Julia Gillard

Announcement:

Anne Summers Conversation presents Julia Gillard on DVD

Anne Summers has announced the release of the two conversations with Julia Gillard.

For more information, click on the image to the left (or here) to be taken to Anne’s website.

Anne’s “the Looking Glass” has other useful links and information so please support her work by at least having a look – click here.

A Word

 Give PM Julia Gillard credit where credit is due

an article re-published   – in no fibs – was originally published by Mary Crooks
Executive director Victorian Women’s Trust on 5 July, 2013 as a full page advertisement.

I identify with her finishing paragraph:

“The truly ugly aspect of our national life revealed by the past three years should give cause for us all to reflect on what else is required to restore and maintain respect, civility, common decency and a fair go for women – in our society and in our democratic politics.”

read the original piece as reproduced here

The Stalking of Julia

Book Review

The Stalking of Julia Gillard, Kerry-Anne Walsh

I should be able to say that there’s really no need for thinking and observant people to read this book.

The last three years in relation to the governance of Australia were just something totally unbelievable. We all think we know what happened.

I now consider that the labor government lost power well before the election. Was it because it was delivering fantastic economic management or was it because it did not deliver an outstanding set of national programs?

Continue reading The Stalking of Julia

Misogyny Factor

Book Review

The Misogyny Factor, Anne Summers

It was a month or so after our First Women Prime Minister had been removed from her position and following a number of not so nice events in my own life that I had started to wonder just what is happening to our Australian way of life and culture. What has happened to civility and respect.

There is a generation or two who seem to think that feminism is a cause now won and we should move on.

I find that certain men and women are fully capable of all sorts of weasel words about equality and the role of women in the workplace and act as if they champion such matters. Continue reading Misogyny Factor