It’s election time… are we there yet?

Dear friends,

My day started with an early-morning FaceTime from my mother letting me know that, three days in, she’s sick of the federal election campaign. I get it. Between Opposition leader Anthony Albanese’s figures gaffe, Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s TikTok gatecrasher and George Christensen’s One Nation defection, another six weeks feels daunting.

If you are interested in following the twists and turns, I’d encourage you to join Future Women’s HerVote Breakfast Briefing in our Facebook group. Every weekday at 8am AEST a journalist or expert will join me for 10 minutes to explain the big news and policies. If you missed them, catch up on this week’s compelling discussions with Claire Kimball, Annika Smethurst and Amy Remeikis. (As an aside, are your details up to date on the electoral roll?)

Zooming out to international political news, America’s Supreme Court made history by finally confirming its first Black woman in 233 years. Congratulations, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. For a smile I’d point you to the incredibly sweet story behind a viral photo of Judge Jackson’s beaming daughter.

Another bit of U.S. news that made me smile this week was Brittany Spears’ pregnancy announcement. If, like me, Brittany lives in your head rent-free then check out this heartwarming analysis of her post-conservatorship social media healing journey. Speaking of social media, marketing agency Ogilvy UK has announced it will no longer work with influencers who edit their bodies or faces for brand campaigns.

And while I was fixated on Brittany’s Instagram, it turns out plenty of other women were watching the Formula 1 in Melbourne, with the Australian Grand Prix reporting a 14 percent rise in female attendance this year. No doubt plenty of you also tuned into the Crows win over the Demons in the AFLW grand final on the weekend. And, in some sporting news that was definitely not on my 2022 bingo card, recently retired tennis great Ash Barty won a local golf tournament in Queensland, and a humble $30 in prize money.

In an update that becomes more distressing with each passing week, the number of women killed by a current or former partner in 2022 has now risen to 17, rightfully prompting calls for women’s safety to become a bigger focus this federal election.

Here at Future Women, we will continue to amplify the voices of victim-survivors with the eighth episode of There’s No Place Like Home now live. This episode, a particularly nuanced examination of restorative justice, features proud Wiradjuri woman Carly Stanley. Carly, the co-founder and CEO of Deadly Connections, explains how she and her husband, Keenan Mundine, use their experience and expertise to help other First Nations people transform their lives for the better.

Elsewhere, the team at Future Women has also been busy gearing up for our next three-part instalment of Future Proof 2022 on working smart and finding balance in a busy world. After two years in a pandemic, I’m particularly excited for Dr Yumiko Kadota’s session on bouncing back from burnout, which you can register for here.

That’s all from me for now. For those of you taking some time off over Easter, stay safe, enjoy the break, and get to the airport nice and early.

Sally Spicer
Senior Content Director, Future Women