When in doubt, vote the man out

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The Sustainable Hour no. 538 | Transcript | Podcast notes

Today is our International Women’s Day tribute when we just sit back and literally let the women run the show, and listen to the magic unfold with hosts Kate Lockhart, who is backing up from a similar show last year, and Aleta Moriarty, who is director of Centre for Sustainability.

Their guests are:

Maddie Slater is a proud queer trans woman, Geelong born and bred, who has spent the majority of her life in that vibrant community. She currently rents a home with her wife of 17 years and their two teenage children in the middle of Geelong. Beyond this, Maddie is a staunch unionist and advocate for workers rights, and she combines this with her love of photography. Often found at protests and picket lines, she documents these powerful moments with her lenses, ensuring the safety of activists and workers, and preserving their stories as they fight for better conditions for themselves and for others.

Emilie Flynn is the endorsed Greens candidate for the Corio electorate in the upcoming Federal election, the seat which currently is held by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. Emilie is a former teacher, volunteer with local food banks, environmental community groups and community centres, and she is a champion of social causes. You can find information about Emilie and her election campaign at the Greens website, and you can connect with her on her Facebook page.

Louise Beames is an ethno-ecologist and sustainable community development specialist that has worked in the not-for-profit sector for nearly 20 years. She is now the director of her own company, Project Pelicans, which is based in the Bellarine and provides consulting services to Aboriginal corporations and not-for-profit organisations across Australia. Louise is a mother of three, a generational farmer on the Bellarine, and a domestic violence survivor, who is passionate about sustainability, community, and equity: striving for a present and a future, where irrespective of gender, sexuality, faith or cultural heritage, we can all live safely and achieve our dreams on a happy, healthy Earth. On Linkedin you can find out more about Louise and about Project Pelicans.

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SONGS

She Leads The Way | Lyrics

This Is Our Day | Lyrics

Put A Woman In Charge – Just Begin | Lyrics

→ More Sustainable Hour songs here

VIDEO CLIPS
U.S. Super Bowl advertisement: ‘By The Time’
Clover Hogan: ‘The world we love’
Dr Sophie Scamp’s Community Independent speech in Parliament, and Zoe Daniel’s Press Club speech

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This episode is one of the highlights of the year as we acknowledge International Women’s Day which occurs on this coming Saturday 8 March 2025. All five women – Kate, Aleta, Emilie, Maddie and Louise – are passionate about gender equity, and all of them are strong voices for a safer, more just, inclusive, sustainable, peaceful and healthy world.

The great thing is that they aren’t going away. They help build the post-carbon world that so many of us yearn and work actively for. This isn’t a token effort from us for the annual Women’s Day. Our team continues to shine lumens on women as the year progresses, and each year, we make sure we always have equal numbers of women and men as guests.

Here we must end this special International Women’s Day tribute show with a true shout out to our first guest who proudly acknowledged themselves as transgender – a group of people who are still very marginalised in so many communities, including our own. So, Maddie Slater, thank you so much for helping us understand this seriously misunderstood group of humans. You didn’t have to acknowledge your gender status, it took courage to do this, but it didn’t lessen or undermine your feelings and ideas as expressed in this episode. For this we say a huge thank you. And also thank you to all who take part in celebrating this International Women’s Day 2025.

“I think a lot of people assume, you know, that progress is inevitable and all politicians are the same, and “No one delivers anything for me.” And I’ve seen inequality rising year on year. And these are all really valid things, but I feel like we’re facing existential threats on numerous fronts here – on climate change, on inequality, on democracy. And progress isn’t guaranteed. We actually have to defend it, and complacency is really a big challenge that we need to overcome and engage people as well and recognise people are really frustrated and don’t trust politicians. How do we restore that faith? How do we have those conversations?”
~ Aleta Moriarty, Director, Centre for Sustainability

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We at The Sustainable Hour would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we are broadcasting, the Wadawurrung People. We pay our respects to their elders – past, present, and emerging, and extend that respect to all First Nations people.

The traditional custodians lived in harmony with the land for millennia, nurturing it and thriving in often harsh conditions. Their connection to the land was deeply spiritual and sustainable. This land was invaded and stolen from them. It was never ceded. Today, it is increasingly clear that if we are to survive the climate emergency we face, we must learn from their land management practices and cultural wisdom.

True climate justice cannot be achieved until Australia’s First Nations people receive the justice they deserve. When we speak about the future, we must include respect for those yet to be born, the generations to come. As the old saying reminds us: “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” It is deeply unfair that decisions to ignore the climate emergency are being made by those who won’t live to face the worst impacts, leaving future generations to bear the burden of their inaction.

“The Indigenous worldview has been marginalised for generations because it was seen as antiquated and unscientific and its ethics of respect for Mother Earth were in conflict with the industrial worldview. But now, in this time of climate change and massive loss of biodiversity, we understand that the Indigenous worldview is neither unscientific nor antiquated, but is, in fact, a source of wisdom that we urgently need.”
~ Robin Wall Kimmerer, weallcanada.org

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→ Sue Barrett – 6 march 2025:
No Crumbs, No Compromise: Women Refuse to Turn Back the Clock
“March 8, 2025—International Women’s Day—isn’t a pat on the head. It’s a fist in the air. A rejection of the stale crumbs dangled by Peter Dutton, Scott Morrison, Donald Trump, Andrew Tate—the old boys’ school brigade who’d rather see women grovel than thrive.”

→ www.internationalwomensday.com

Research by Climate Council found that half of men compared to just a
quarter of women strongly support introducing nuclear power in Australia

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A post shared by Green Economy Coalition (@greeneconomycoalition)

Rights. Equality. Empowerment.

Here’s what World Economic Forum has to say on the topic of International Women’s Day:

It will take another 134 years to reach gender parity. Efforts to close the gap are slowing, which is costing the world trillions. The UN’s theme for IWD this year is ‘For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment’.

Read our explainer to understand why we still need IWD and what’s the current state of the global gender gap.

Closing the workforce gender gap could raise global GDP by more than 20%. Female labour force participation is currently 67.1%, compared with 81% for men.

Here’s how greater women’s representation in political decision-making bodies can turn the tide.

Tackling the women’s health gap could unlock a $400 billion boost to the global economy each year by creating a larger, healthier global workforce. These five actions could help to achieve it.

Urgent focus is needed on political empowerment: Our Global Gender Gap Report 2024 found that this is the most significant area of gender inequality, with the gap in politics being only 22.5% closed.

Zoom in:

• Bodily autonomy: Around 50% of women are denied the right to choose what they do with their bodies, without fear of coercion or violence.

• Domestic abuse: Violence against women has hit ‘epidemic’ levels. Here’s what singer and survivor Melanie Brown had to say at Davos.

• Gender parity sprint: Our Gender Parity Accelerators are supporting over 1 million women by driving reforms in childcare, parental leave pay equity, and other policies.

Go deeper on this topic

We’re building a feminist future

By Michelle Higelin, Executive Director, ActionAid Australia

8 March 2025 is International Women’s Day, and I want to thank you for your solidarity with women. Your support at this moment in history is more important than ever.

It’s been 30 years since the world’s governments came together in Beijing to adopt a bold and visionary agenda for women’s rights — the Beijing Platform for Action. In the decades since, significant strides have been made: more girls are in school, maternal mortality rates have dropped, discriminatory laws have been challenged, and women’s representation in decision-making has increased.

But today, after three decades of progress, we face a harsh reality: much of that hard-won progress is being rapidly undone. We’ve all witnessed how escalating conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan and DRC, and other global crises are disproportionately affecting women and girls, reversing many of the gains we have fought so hard to achieve.

What we don’t hear enough about is how the climate crisis is stalling progress for women. More frequent and intense climate disasters at home and abroad are having a devastating impact on women’s rights.

Right now, one in four women around the world are experiencing hunger and skipping meals, with extreme weather and disasters like droughts exacerbating the situation.

Women are also more likely than men to die or be forced out of their homes during a climate disaster, and in the aftermath many of the world’s women are left without the financial resources to rebuild their homes and livelihoods.

The climate crisis is escalating violence against women and girls.

As climate disasters worsen, women are experiencing increased income losses due to their overrepresentation in casual, low-paying jobs — many of which are directly impacted by climate change.

The outlook for the coming years is dire. In 2024, global temperatures exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the first time. Sustained temperatures at this level will create a tipping point where extreme droughts, wildfires, flooding, and cyclones are set to cause more catastrophic impacts.

We’re already facing the impact of the climate crisis here in Australia, and it’s the world’s most vulnerable – including women and girls – who will bear the brunt of this devastation.

But in the face of this bleak reality, there is hope. Crises can catalyse change. Across the globe, women on the frontlines of the climate crisis are rising up.

In Vanuatu, women have harnessed indigenous knowledge and climate-resilient farming techniques to build “resilience gardens” that not only feed their families but also provide fresh produce to those impacted by disasters like cyclones and floods.

Women have also developed an early warning system to alert their communities to impending disasters, reducing economic losses and saving lives. Perhaps most inspiring is that women’s leadership in these efforts is transforming societal views. For the first time in centuries, a woman has been invited to join the Council of Chiefs on the island of Erromango — a powerful testament to the recognition of women’s invaluable role in crisis response.

At ActionAid, we believe that nothing ever changes without action. The future we long for will not be handed to us; we must fight for it.

Thank you for joining us on this mission. Because we can’t do this without you.

The opportunity is in our hands. Let’s seize this moment and build a feminist future — one that is intersectional, intergenerational, and inclusive.

A future that stands in solidarity with the most marginalised women and gender-diverse people around the world, ensuring that no one is left behind in the fight for a better, more just world.

In solidarity,

Michelle Higelin
Executive Director,
ActionAid Australia

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Community Independent enters Corangamite race for federal election

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Transcript of The Sustainable Hour no. 538

Michael Mezz on Instagram:
We don’t need women leaders for the sake of diversity. We need them because they’re better leaders.

Jingle:
The Sustainable Hour. For a green, clean, sustainable Geelong: The Sustainable Hour.

Kate Lockhart:
Welcome everybody to this very special Sustainable Hour production. It is the week of International Women’s Day 2025, and we’ve gathered together a fantastic collection of smart, strong, wise women. So today we will have a fantastic panel of women. We will share our experiences and insights on a range of current matters, environmental, social, cultural, and possibly even political. And I think that will bring us to understand the complexity of life.

And so I’d also like to acknowledge the Wadawurrung people, the traditional custodians of the land, pay my respects to elders – past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people listening. I’m sincerely thankful for their stewardship of the land, waterways and coastlines of our region. And I’m a strong supporter of the Wadawurrung’s Healthy Country Plan which invites us to make country good together.

International Women’s Day began over a century ago. That first International Women’s Day gathering in 1911 was supported by over a million people. Today International Women’s Day belongs to everyone everywhere. It’s officially on Saturday the 8th of March in 2025, but there will be events held all across the week as communities celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. And it’s a timely global call to action to accelerate women’s equality.

So please check out your local papers or websites. It’s going to be a week. So enjoy!

I am Kate Lockhart, and my co-host today is Aleta Moriarty, who is also a fellow Women Leading Locally graduate. So it’s fantastic to have you here, Aleta. How are going? Would you go? Can you introduce yourself please, Aleta?

Aleta Moriarty:
Thanks Kate. So I’m Aleta, I’m the director at the Centre for Sustainability, and I’ve spent around 15 years working in organisations globally on women’s rights and gender equality and human rights, including UN Women, the World Bank and the International Women’s Development Agency. I was also CEO of one of Victoria’s largest human rights organisations.

I’ve worked in 20 different countries on gender equality from conflict zones to climate ravaged land locked islands in the Pacific. And I’m really committed to making a change.

I think Kate, you’d asked me to discuss the theme this year of International Women’s Day 2025. This theme is called ‘Marching Forward’. And it relates to 30 years ago, the Beijing Declaration laid out what was at the time the most ambitious blueprint for women’s rights the world had ever seen. It was a promise and a commitment by the government and others to achieve full gender equality.

Here we are three decades later, still fighting many of the same battles. There has been some progress, but in some places, we’re not just standing still, we’re actually moving backwards.

In the U.S., Trump has cut programs that promote workplace equality, gender language to be removed from scientific research, and has slashed funding for efforts to combat violence against women worldwide. And in Australia, we’re hearing this same kind of terrifying rhetoric. Quite frankly, it’s the canary in the coal mine.

Peter Dutton says men feel that they’re being overlooked at work. This is despite women comprising 60 per cent of university graduates, yet holding only 9 per cent of CEO roles in ASX companies. He says men are tired of being made out to be ogres in discussions on violence against women when we know that more than one woman is being murdered by a man every week.

So this year’s International Women’s Day theme to March Forward, it’s a call for action to accelerate progress towards gender equality for all women and girls. We need to defend the progress we’ve made, but we also need to finish the job. When women thrive, societies prosper. And when we move towards equality, we all move forward. So let’s all work out how we can march forward this International Women’s Day and beyond for all women and girls.

Kate:
On this Sustainable Hour, I just wanted to reflect also the impacts that climate change is having on women and children. The climate crisis is not gender neutral. Climate change amplifies all of the existing gender equalities. Climate change is a threat multiplier as it escalates social, political and economic tensions in fragile and conflict affected settings.

Women and girls face increasingly increased vulnerabilities and gender-based violence in those situations. When disaster strikes, they are less likely to survive and more likely to be injured due to long-standing gender inequalities. In the aftermath of natural disasters, women and children are less able to access relief and assistance and it creates a vicious cycle of vulnerability to future disasters.

Women and girls’ health is endangered by climate change and the disasters limiting access to services and healthcare, as well as increased risks related to maternal and child health. We must also be mindful that the impact of women and girls from climate change is not uniform. The risks are acute for every other intersectionality. The risks for Indigenous women, women of African descent, older women, LGBTIQ+ people, women and girls with disabilities, migrant women and all living, all of those living in rural remote and conflict and disaster prone areas. – Okay! Anybody want a gin? – But we’re here together today to find some ways forward.

So let’s introduce our guests. And I’ll just say, Maddie, if you can go first, Maddie Slater, I’m pleased to have met Maddie on the election cycle with local government last year and it’s been a real pleasure to hear her voice and her perspective. Maddie, you could introduce yourself, please?

Maddie Slater:
Thanks so much, Kate, so happy to be here with you on Aleta today. Look, I’m Maddie. I sort of got involved in getting out there and getting positive – getting active, really – after some friends of mine sort of poked me and said hey you should probably get out there and talk about all the stuff you’re talking about that you sort of…

You’re obviously very passionate and people won’t hear it if you don’t put yourself out there. So yeah, I’ve sort of, someone who’s lived in Geelong my whole life, just very happy to be able to provide amplification to voices that really need it.

I sort of end up talking about some things sometimes, but I’m less about talking about myself and more about sort of amplifying those people who I feel should be heard.

Kate:
Excellent. Thanks, Maddie! Emilie Flynn, we’ve been on this show together before. It’s great to have you back. How are you doing? And just tell us a bit about yourself.

Emilie Flynn:
Thanks, Kay. Yeah, I’m doing well. I am currently the Greens candidate for the Corio electorate in the upcoming federal election, which is still TBC on the dates, but hopefully we’ll have something soon. Yeah, I’ve been a climate advocate for my whole life and I guess, you know, I’m 30 and it was pretty much the big topic growing up as a teenager in my twenties. And so when we would have all of these conversations and say, we need to do something about climate, we need to do something about climate, you’d go, okay, well, what’s our leadership doing about climate? And the answer is not enough. So you look around and you go, well, who’s going to step in and do something about that? And then you go, I could have a crack.

And so my first foray into politics was last year, as you know Kate, we did the Women Leading Locally course together and I ran for Geelong Local Council, just missed out but as you know, as I’m running again, it’s certainly not my last.

Kate:
Yeah no, it’s great to have you on board and great to shine a light in Corio, I think. There’s certainly plenty of opportunity with the federal deputy prime minister taking that seat for granted for a very long time. So it’s great to have you and the Greens and Socialist Alliance up with Sarah Hathaway doing some really good stuff and not alone, you know, that’s what I see. I see how the North is really pushing a collective progressive argument and it’s powerful. You’re making change. You know what real deal is doing is great as well. Go, teamwork!

Sorry, Louise Beames. Darling, lovely to have you with us out here on the Bellerine. Tell us about yourself. Louise is a remarkable woman. Her inner strength is something that is immediate when you walk in the room and meet Louise. But sorry, I’ve put too much on you now, Lou. Tell me your story?

Louise Beames:
Thanks Kate, thanks for having me. It’s good to share this space with some other wonderful women. And I also want to acknowledge that, you know, I live and work on what is in the country and the importance of what is on people and what is on culture in shaping where we are and where we live. And so I’m an ethnomicologist and sustainable community development specialist. I’ve worked in the not-for-profit sector for nearly 20 years and most of that’s been in Northern Australia.

I’m now the director of my own company, Project Pelicans. I’m based in the Bellerine and I provide consulting services to Aboriginal corporations and not-for-profit organisations across Australia. I’m a mother of three, very busy person, generational farmer on the Bellerine and a domestic violence survivor. I’m passionate about sustainability, community and equity.

In my life, I feel like I’m striving for a present and a future where irrespective of gender, sexuality, faith or cultural heritage, we can all live safely and achieve our dreams of a happy and healthy Earth. So I’m really looking forward to having this conversation with everyone today and I’m sure that there’s much we can bring out.

Kate:
Thanks, Lou. Excellent. So that kind of brings us into our first question. I will go with Emilie first this time. And sorry, Aleta, you were supposed to ask this question. So can you do that for me, please?

Aleta:
Okay, I sure can. Emilie and everyone else, I’d like to hear what issues are you passionate about and what achievements are you most proud of? you know, are there any useful tactics that you know of or have used to further gender equality in your work or lives?

Emilie:
Gosh, big questions. Sure, I can go first.

I had to think about this question about what issues I’m most passionate about and you know to boil it down for three, climate, housing and cost of living. But at the moment and actually all across the work that I do, I’m really passionate about changing the way that we look at issues and not siloing them as being independent of each other. So when we look at you know the housing crisis we can look at that through a climate lens as well.

When we’re talking about building new housing, new social housing, new public housing, we can look through that through a climate lens and say, well, can we build it out of sustainable materials? Can we build it with renewable energy? Can we build it with no gas? And can we build it with common green areas as well? Can we make sure that we’re actually applying all of these lenses? And that brings in cost of living as well. I mean, when you have all electric homes with renewable energy, then the people who live in them are going to be better off as well.

So I suppose I haven’t really answered the question because my answer is all of them when it comes to what issues are most important. In terms of achievements, I do have to say I’m really proud of my first ever campaign, which was for local government last year. So, I came within 3 per cent of a win in Cuddeny Ward. And yeah, for a first run, I was really, really pleased with that and how well the team worked together as well, the local Greens team.

And a tactic, I guess, for me, it’s about carving out time for yourself in all of the work that you do. Compassion, fatigue is a real thing and you know in this work a lot of the time we’re not getting paid for it, we’re doing it for the love of it, it’s a volunteer role and we have to make sure that we’re also looking after ourselves and the people around us and make sure that we’re allowing them to look after us at the same time. So that’s me.

Kate:
Thanks. Thanks, Emilie. Lou, do you want to go next?

Louise:
Sure. As you would know Kate, I’m very passionate about a lot of things. So you could have me on here talking about restoring ecosystems, living off the grid and reducing your carbon footprint, or selectively breeding chickens to create that magic rainbow dozen.

However, for the purposes of International Women’s Day, I’m very passionate about women achieving or having financial independence and being able to properly engage in the economy, and having the autonomy to make good decisions for themselves and their families. So one in four women experience domestic violence or violence by an intimate partner or family member. And if you’re a First Nations woman, that rate is much higher – at about 35 times that of non-Indigenous women. So one of the key things that keeps people in these situations is money or lack thereof. So if you don’t have it, you can’t pay rent, you can’t pay bills, you can’t move.

And one of the projects I’ve been really excited about over the last few years is establishing a social enterprise called the Wattle Seed Collective in Northern Australia. It’s now in its third year and it’s been working with First Nations women across eight different language groups in the Kimberley region to bring women together to engage in sharing and cultural activities while they also collect wattle seed. We were able to establish a market link.

And that meant that groups could pull their collections and sell them both wholesale and retail and derive seasonal income, all while looking after country and attempting familiar and cultural obligations to country. So this type of enterprise really enables greater mobility and independence for women. And when you live in a remote community, which is often far below the poverty line with few employment opportunities, it can make a real difference to the lives of individuals and their families.

And so that’s something that I’m really proud of. I’m no longer part of that anymore, but something that I’m really proud of over the last few years. I think that’s a really great model to look towards doing other things in the future.

Kate:
Yeah, thanks Lou. And it’s a great legacy too as well. And I do think, you know, spending our dollars wisely as women is actually really valuable. you can do it, do it all the time, but I do try to focus at Christmas time to really look for local crafts people and local crafts women and support local businesses that are run by women. It’s not. It seems so simple and so obvious, but I love going over to the Ocean Grove bookstore, making sure I get my obligatory book from there. so all those little things do matter, I think.

Aleta:
Okay, Lou, I think you covered a lot of the areas that I’d highlighted as well as my topics that I was passionate about. Broadly, inequality is a really big one for me. Like it actually gives me a bit of a tick. You know, I feel something really, like the unfairness of things really burns in my stomach.

The issue of economic equality is really a pro and also because it’s International Women’s Day, of course, I’m going to focus on gender equality in particular. But the issue of women’s economic inequality is really one of my priority issues. And I want to sort of go a little bit off track here. But one of the things I’ve been hearing lately that really worries me is when we talk about initiatives to promote gender equality, people go, no, we need a merit based system. And it’s like, no, this is a merit based system. You know, we have women coming out of universities at much higher rates, 60 per cent. Yet they only hold a third of key management positions. So less than half of what men do. So that’s not merit or equality.

I think we need to really tackle that myth because I’m hearing it more and more and it’s being used to dismantle those economic justice systems. And we’ve seen that in the US… like, we don’t want DEI or equality programs because we want a merit-based system as if hiring a qualified woman isn’t of merit. Those kind of fundamental ideological issues are a real concern for me.

Also, you know, just looking at finance for women, you know, we look at women, you know, venture capital for women led companies looking at two to 4 per cent of that finance goes to women. You know, when you look at the poorest of the poor households in Australia, and the main households that aren’t moving out of poverty, it’s single parent households headed by a woman. So when women don’t have that financial independence, they are more vulnerable to violence, they’re more likely to live in poverty, and they’re really unable to shape their own futures.

And the other factor, the thing that I’m passionate about is intimate, is, you know, gender-based violence and acknowledging that intimate partner violence is the greatest health risk factor, greater than smoking, alcohol, obesity for women in their reproductive years. I mean, that’s staggering. Look at the campaigns we had against smoking and those kinds of risks and then look at how we treat violence against women compared to other risks. Like, example, another good example is terrorism, right? And it’s not just that we’re seeing, you know, last year we had more women murdered than in years before. Also, we saw this in, you know, global conflict.

In 2023, the amount of women killed in conflict zones doubled. I mean, that’s outrageous. know, women have never been, sorry, women in recent years are more in danger than they have in many of the preceding years. So we’re seeing this risk increasing, not going away. So we really need to stay on point with that. So that’s my sort of main issue that gets me going in this space.

Kate:
Yeah, the numbers are staggering, Aleta. Like it just, it really does beggar belief.

Maddie, what are you passionate about? What’s your proudest achievement? You’ve got a tactic? Gosh, I reckon you’d have a tactic or two.

Maddie:
Look, I think when it comes to what I’m most passionate about, it’s about building community amongst disparate groups of people who all have their own passions.

As has been said, most of us are doing so many of these things in our spare time outside of all the work and everything else we have to do in our lives. And there’s only so much time we can dedicate to each and everything. But by trying to build those community connections between different people who are all across their own individual issues and making sure that there’s support networks in place is a huge thing for me, trying to make sure that everyone can function and can not only spend time on those issues that are passionate, that are important to them and that they’re passionate about, but that they don’t end up burnt out because as we know, it’s very easy to over-dedicate yourself to those things.

When it comes to achievements that I’m most proud of, it would have to be having put my hand up to run for Council last year and seeing the fantastic joint progressive vote increase that we had in Corio Ward but particularly across the whole of Joal. Unfortunately due to the way elections work we got pipped so many times the progressive women who put their hand up managed to get beaten out at the last second. And I think as far as useful tactics, it’s back to those connections, building those connections, maintaining those connections. There’s people that I might not agree with 100 per cent on 100 per cent of things, but if they’re building and focusing on that progressive side of things, then I’m pretty happy to jump in and help out.

Kate:
Yeah. And I totally respect that, Maddie. And I think that is the lesson that we’ve learned from coming out of the council elections last year. Yep. I too ran and I was one of the eight good women that came second by less than the informal vote. And I spoke to my opponent when I was up congratulating him and at some point he said, well, that’s democracy. But I’ve come to understand that it wasn’t democracy that had me defeated by 350 votes in 15,000. It was patriarchy. And I’ve got to say, I’ve been ignorant to it or blind to it probably nearly for all my life, even though I’ve seen it, but I never really, I’ve never felt it so directly overtly impact me like that. And I guess that’s why I’m really committed to, you know, supporting everyone here to do the best that they can wherever they are. And I do think in the voice of Kamala Harris, you know, we need to focus on what binds us rather than what divides us, increasingly. And I do think, I do think the sisterhood is the last safe place for us. And we need to really support each other in every way we can.

. . .

U.S. Super Bowl advertisement:
As a scientist, I know by the time she takes her first breath, nine billion more tons of carbon pollution will be in the air. When she takes her first steps, wildfires will have burned millions more acres she could have explored. The day she gets her first pet, there are thousands of newly extinct species she’ll never meet. The night she forgets to call, the night of her first heartbreak. future home floods for the first of many times. By the time a child born today goes to college, it may be too late to leave them the world we promised. The window to act on climate change is like watching them grow up: We blink and we miss it.

. . .

SONG
‘She Leads The Way’

[Verse 1]
She’s read the books, she’s paid her dues,
Knows every rule but walks her own truth.
Ain’t got the time for the old charade,
She’s here to lead, not to entertain.

[Pre-Chorus]
You say “wait your turn,” she says “not today.”
What stood for years won’t stand no more.

[Chorus]
Equal voices, equal ground,
No more hypocrisy, the truth is out.
Step aside, let the race begin,
This world needs leaders – and she steps in.

[Verse 2]
She knows the numbers, knows the land,
She’s got the guts, she’s got your back.
She’s standing tall, she won’t be swayed,
She’s breaking cycles, clearing the way.

[Pre-Chorus]
While others build walls, she builds windmills,
What stood for years, won’t stand no more.

[Chorus]
Equal voices, equal ground,
No more hypocrisy, the truth is out.
Step aside, let the race begin,
This world needs leaders – and she steps in.

[Bridge]
She’s taking charge — You! Get out the way!
Tip your hat, thanks, then step aside!
This world needs truth, not fear and lies,
She’s knows that we need to electrify

[Chorus – Stronger]
Equal voices, equal ground,
No more hypocrisy, the truth is out.
No more waiting, no disguise,
We build our community, side by side.

[Outro]
She’s building bridges in this age of division,
She’s here to guide, not to stand behind.
Her time has come – this is her day.
We rise together, when a woman leads the way

. . .

Kate:
Okay, well that was an interesting experiment into AI generated music and there’s an interesting debate around that which perhaps we should reflect on. Emilie, do you want to just give us your little insight?

Emilie:
Yeah, so it is interesting because I use, I sometimes use AI in a little bit of my work, but there’s a big conversation of it at the moment because it takes up a lot of water and a lot of energy and a lot of land as well to actually have all of the computers that are required to generate the answers and to generate the music and to generate everything that’s being done by AI.

And so that’s kind of one part of it and the other part of it is particularly when it comes to music and art, the fact that artists and I’m going to focus particularly on Australian artists because we’re in Australia have already been struggling over the years with how expensive it is to run a tour, how expensive it is to make merch and with the introduction of streaming services, how much harder it has been to actually make any money off of the music that they’re putting out as it is and so I think it’s quite important to reflect on whether we want to use go down the path of AI art and AI artists or try and kind of fight for the artists that we’re using, not using sorry, the artists that we’re paying for their work as it stands. And I know that there was that big debate with all of the strikes of actors and screenwriters in America kind of throughout last year because there was talk about once you’ve got someone’s image you can use that image in any context that you like without having to pay the actor and so yeah I think it’s part of a broader conversation around climate and around ethics in art.

Kate:
Yeah. And you’d have to reflect, you know, that for every vulnerability as a musician, a woman, as a female, as a female musician, those vulnerabilities are probably amplified as well. It is important.

Aleta:
Can I say something here on agenda and AI? This is a really important space because AI is completely going to reshape our economy and work. You know, I think, you know, there’s still a lot of ethical issues that we have to, you know, run through on this and get sorted out. I, you know, last year I participated in Google and CSIRO had the inaugural AI sprint, which is a competition of AI startups. And I was one of them and listed as one of the 30 finalists there. And what was really apparent to me is that this is going to be such a transformative space and women are really locked out of it. And they’re going to have a lot of their jobs replaced by AI and women aren’t really using it to the same level or trained in or being able to access the finance to start up in this space. And it’s really an existential threat to women’s economic empowerment. And I think there’s a really big gender dimension that we need to look at with the world of AI. And I’m not sure that anyone’s actually really seeing the real overarching risks to women’s employment and economic conditions at the macro scale, which is really important.

Kate:
Okay. Aleta, I hear you and I’m starting to feel overwhelmed. I think there’s another show in that conversation, but I appreciate everyone’s perspective on it. And you’ve brought me along just in these last few days reflecting on AI music. So thank you for that. Aleta, are you going to read out Question 3?

Aleta:
Sure, sure. So to everyone: What do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities in front of you? And if you’re in charge, what changes would you introduce and why? And maybe let’s start with Emilie this time.

Emilie:
Sure. You guys do like to ask big questions, don’t you? So the biggest challenge for me at the moment is challenging the Deputy Prime Minister in a federal election. So I mean, that’s also an opportunity in a way. But for me, yeah, the biggest opportunity in this race is to get our message out and build support. You know, if not for this election cycle, then for the next and the next and the next, we’ve only seen the Greens vote growing over time. And I think that that’s a really important thing to remember as we do keep progressing the movement. And if I were in charge, if I do win this election, I would like to tax billionaires and big corporations to fund the things that we need, housing, healthcare, and climate action. So yeah, I hope that answers your question.

Kate:
Yeah, simple, obvious, isn’t it? Seems so obvious. Maddie, what are you thinking?

Maddie:
I think the biggest challenges and opportunities for everyone right now are flip sides of the same horrible coin that has happened with the rise of extremism and blatant fascism. And I think the challenge is resisting the urge to hide from everything going on and block everything out. We can’t do every fight ourselves obviously, but it’s very easy to block it all out. And the flip side of that is the opportunity that we have is the mobilisation of people to realise that actually hang on there’s such a small percentage of people that are causing all of these problems and all it takes is for enough people to stand up and say hang on this isn’t right to enact that change.

If I was in charge it would be literally just trying to make sure that, yeah, everyone is able to contribute in a way that benefits society as opposed to at the moment where everyone who is in power tends to be just funneling power and money into their own pockets and that’s detrimental to everyone.

Kate:
Yeah, yeah. Louise, what are you thinking? Thanks, Maddie.

Louise:
I guess a little bit reflecting on what Elida said before, we still have that overlay of a patriarchal society in almost every aspect of our lives and whether we see it or not. These are things like women who might be the hardest working, highest performing person in the workplace being overlooked for promotions because they have a family, whereas men are seen as more favorable candidates for the same reason. It’s when we pay professions that comprise more women, like nursing and teaching and childcare, far less than what they are worth. We’re not valuing that type of work because we see it as being less because it’s women’s work. It’s also things like where childcare costs mean that in heterosexual relationships, the decision to backseat the woman’s career because it’s lower paid, because of the often overlooked promotion, means that women are waking up in their late 30s and 40s.

And seeing that their male peers have more pay, more superannuation and more opportunities than now than they ever will. And it’s the school pickup times, it’s the little things, the school pickup times where one parent more often than not the mother has to have a short or non-existent work day to make it all happen. And then this permeates through the social structures where mum, whether she’s working or not, is expected to carry the mental load of most things.

You know, she gets the call from the schools and the daycares. She volunteers at the sports day and bakes, et cetera. Her job by definition, because she is a woman who is a mother is less important and able to be interrupted. know, change happens when we address both big things and small things. So we need to ensure that women have equal access to education and work and to a superannuation package, they will actually see them retire in comfort and not having to live in a car in their 70s.

We need to value what we have traditionally seen as women’s work and pay teachers and nurses what they are worth. We need to ensure that the language that our boys use in the school ground doesn’t demean and belittle our girls, that men and women are both taking responsibility for ensuring that women’s rights, our equity in society is not rolled back by right-wing conservatives that we continue to progress to a future where the chances of our girls becoming Prime Minister or CEO in their future are as good as the chances of our boys being successful too.

Aleta:
Bravo, that was awesome.

Kate:
Yeah, that was. Thanks, Louise. Thank you so much!

Aleta:
Okay, can I add something here just to add on to Maddie’s point briefly?

Kate:
Yeah, sure.

Aleta:
You know, I think what’s really important, building on what Maddie was saying, is that one of our biggest challenges could be complacency, that this is just business as usual, and you know, this will just be like in another election. Things are very, very, very different now. We’ve seen Elon Musk, who earns $2.36 million every second, who wasn’t elected, who has, you know, last year made 204 billion, which is about the GDP of 41 countries combined, cut aid to the poorest people in the world. We’ve seen this sharp shift to extremism and we’ve seen, you know, a takeover by people that aren’t elected. We’re at real risk. We’re seeing our security alliances fall apart.

I mean, look at Trump with Zelensky over the weekend. So our biggest challenge is complacency. We assume, you know… I think a lot of people assume progress is inevitable, and all politicians are the same, and ‘No one delivers anything for me’. And: ‘I’ve seen inequality rising year on year’. And these are all really valid things, but we’ve got, I feel like we’re facing existential threats on numerous fronts here: on climate change, on inequality, on democracy. And, you know, progress isn’t guaranteed. We really actually have to defend it! And complacency is really a big challenge that we need to overcome and engage people as well and recognise, you know, people are really frustrated and don’t trust politicians. How do we restore that faith? How do we have those conversations?

Kate:
Yeah, I agree. And I do think, I think striking that balance between, you know, understanding what you’re striving for globally and being able to action that locally. I think that’s the big trick, you know, to keep your eye on the big game, but also make steps, every day as well. And so there’s so much there. I posted something about the daughter deficit, like just following one from what Lou was saying about, you know, get into your 30s and 40s and you’re looking to go back to full-time work or, and the opportunities aren’t there. And then you’re not only caring for your children, but at some point you might have to care for your parents. And I posted this out saying,

They’re calling it the daughter deficit. Don’t have superannuation. And a couple of my super caring, emotionally intelligent friends and relatives were challenged that I was moaning about the privilege of being the carer for my parents because I was seen as the one that was the capable one, the caring one, the one that could join the dots and get things done.

I mean, I wasn’t saying that I was just explaining that the financial deficit is massive. and it’s just a fact. It’s just a fact. Just another.

Aleta:
That’s not very empathetic of them to criticise you for that, like that’s really unfair.

Kate:
Yeah, well, that’s okay, but there’s some generational stuff there. It was important to have the conversation. I didn’t coin the phrase daughter deficit. I just was passing it forward. So maybe I did make some progress with them.

. . .

SONG
‘This Is Our Day’

[Verse 1]
I’m done with the whispers, done with biting my tongue,
Now I rise like the sun — the election is on.
From the streets to the courtrooms, we call out the patriarchs
No wall, no rule, no scaremongering lies can hold who we are.

[Bridge]
Don’t try to silence me – I’m not afraid of you
I know your system, I can see through your game
We are a movement, and we are strong
We’re firm on truth – and integrity.

[Chorus]
Women and girls, this is our day,
Trusting science, leading the way.
No more corruption, no more lies,
We carve the path for a clear blue sky

[Verse 2]
One wave crashes, then millions roar,
No ‘back in line’ — no locking the doors.
For ALL women and girls, you will hear us say,
We’re breaking the ceiling, we’re clearing the way.

[Bridge]
Don’t try to silence me – I’m not afraid of you
I know your system, I can see through your game
We are a movement, and we are strong
We’re firm on truth – and integrity.

[Chorus]
Women and girls, this is our day,
Trusting science, leading the way.
No more corruption, no more lies,
We carve the path for a clear blue sky

. . .

Clover Hogan – on Linkedin.com:
I’ve been feeling pretty overwhelmed recently. I keep falling into this vortex of doom scrolling, like I can’t tear my eyes away from the headlines and what feels like a never-ending tide of bad news. But when it all starts to feel a bit much, I remind myself to look outside and to remember just how much beauty there is in the world. How much life! I remind myself how much there is to fight for and how many people are out there defending nature. How many people are fighting for our rights. How many people are choosing not to give in to fear but resisting through joy, through art, through creativity.

I have to remember that all of that beauty, that love, it outweighs the fear. Our shared humanity is more powerful than hate or division.

So, if ever the weight of this moment feels too heavy to bear, know that you’re not alone in carrying it. And remember, it’s not just about what or who we’re fighting against, but what we’re fighting for. The world we love.

. . .

Kate:
So our last question in context of the looming federal election, what federal policy would you like to see tackled for women to move closer to equality? And going first is Lou Beames.

Louise:
I’m working with the First Nation Men’s Group in Northern Australia. And I was speaking with the CEO last week and he was sharing with me his pain about the women in his community that had been beaten and killed by their partners. And he said to me that to address domestic violence, it’s not just a women’s issue. Men need the resources to be able to step up and address their role as bystanders and perpetrators. And I think that if there is more funding in this space for both men and women. There are some really capable organisations and individuals out there that can design and deliver really great programmes within for men and boys.

But equally, we need to ensure that there’s programmes that keep women safe, are properly funded and that there’s places for women to go to be believed and be supported and escape and hold their heads high, be safe and confident and happy again. Last year in Australia, there were 78 women killed.

And we know that about 75 per cent of the deaths of women are from intimate partner violence or from somebody that they know. And this year we’re already at seven. So in following the Dead Counting Dead Women project over the years, see that it’s so important that we track this and acknowledge that this is a problem in our society because if we look at this metric as a performance measure for how our government is going in keeping women safe in their own homes, we’re failing.

So I think the approach needs to include a range of measures that address the economic constraints that come into play, making sure that women can financially afford to leave and there is some way for them to go and they actually can afford it. Housing crisis, cost of living crisis. We need to make sure that childcare is free and accessible, that women have access to education and professional development opportunities that put them in good stead for living their lives and that they are safe. Their children are safe and domestic violence is not circling the background and affecting the next generation. I also think it’s really important that we continue to lift and empower women around us in our families, in our workplaces, in our communities. And as Aleta said before: when women succeed, we all prosper. And that’s a truism in our world.

Kate:
Yeah, thanks Lou. Maddie, how are you feeling? Looming election, had one moment in parliament to change something, what would it be?

Maddie:
Isn’t that hard when you narrow it down to one thing? I think there’s so many things especially in the medical sphere where there’s extra costs loaded onto women that aren’t loaded onto men. And they’re also not very heavily subsidised a lot of the time. Contraceptives are something that inordinately fall to women to be responsible for abortion care, menopause care, there’s so much that needs to be done around making sure that the coverage for all of these sorts of things are brought up to a level where it’s not disproportionately affecting one portion of the population over another, who are already struggling with those pay gaps, with those superannuation deficits, with all of those other things that we’ve spoken about.

Kate:
Yeah, no, thank you. That’s a good point. Emilie?

Emilie:
Yeah, so the Greens have three areas under our women’s equality platform. So health, which Maddie spoke about economic security, which I think is really undervalued and really, really important. It’s not sexy, but it’s important. And Louise spoke about that one a bit before as well. So thanks, Lou. And the third one is ending violence against women and girls. And so one part of the Greens plan is to fully fund the national plan to end violence against women and children with 12 billion dollars over 12 years. So I guess, yeah, I’m going to say that that’s my number one.

Kate:
Excellent. Aleta, if you were going to change something, what would it be?

Aleta:
Well, first, and this is the most important message that I feel like I can deliver is we need to hold the line. Like if we get a conservative government in here, they are going to roll back the progress. So the first thing is let’s hold the line. Let’s challenge those arguments around merit that are, you know, baseless arguments. But the economic empowerment priority for women is a would be the one that I would highlight just because there’s such disparities in this space. It’s so unfair.

And I think broadly, I think that, you know, we have seen the rates of inequality in Australia across the board growing. This gap between rich and poor is now a chasm. I want the tax system fixed so that nurses aren’t paying more tax than billionaire corporations. It is entirely unfair. We’ve seen wages stagnate while profits for these companies CEO wages have gone through the roof and we need to really look at this. I think there’s been a lot of placating big business at the expense of workers for a really long time. So that would be my priority to fix the tax system and there’s huge gender elements to this. We know that the things that get written off like the long lunches and all of that disproportionately benefit men. Let’s have a look at all of this. Let’s bring out, drag out the tax system, drag out the wages and let’s make it all fair.

Kate:
Yep, I agree. And let’s get some transparency and integrity in those campaign funds as well. Now I’m going to just push the envelope and say, I just want to say this, what would your pledge be for this International Women’s Day? And I actually just want to be able to say this to you wherever possible, whenever possible, just vote for a woman. If a woman’s put a hand up to something, chances are she thinks she’s qualified, she thinks she’s capable, and she’s determined to do a good job. So when in doubt, vote for a woman. It’s really not that hard.

And please, in this federal election, can you cast your vote, when you cast your vote, apply the same standard to a woman as you do a man. Like, not a double standard. Please don’t put women to be twice as good as men, but please, be reflective on your standard and are you applying the same standard to a man and a woman? So when in doubt, vote the man out.

And so I promised… my pledge is that I will vote for a woman every time I get the opportunity. And I’m really grateful to every woman that stands in this federal election. Shout out to Sarah, and Libby Coker, and to Emilie who is standing again this year, and maybe there’ll be a couple more added to the list. We’ll just see.

But thanks everyone. It’s been an absolute pleasure to have each and every one of you here. I love the work you do every day, every week, every year. Stay strong, stay proud, keep moving forward.

The podcast is available on The Sustainable Hour’s website and on the ClimateSafety website. And I challenge everyone to embrace equality so that together we can make our community better, fairer and our region more livable and more sustainable. So thank you and have a fantastic International Women’s Day Week life. Yeah, I think you should all say goodbye out loud.

Louise:
Thanks so much, Kay. Thanks so much, Aleta.

Emilie:
Thanks for having us, Kate and Aleta.

Maddie:
Bye-bye!

Aleta:
Thanks everyone and good luck and solidarity for the next election. Let’s keep marching on.

Kate:
Excellent. Thank you. Thanks, everyone.

. . .

SONG
‘Put a Woman in Charge – Just Begin’ (AI Rap God Remix)

(Lu)
Yo, it’s time — no more askin’, we takin’ the throne,
Clean up the system, they rattlin’ bones.
They playin’ the game, but we rewire the code,
Misogyny’s dead — throw it out on the road!

[Verse 1 – Ludi]
I step in the booth, got ‘em shook like a riot,
Turn up the heat, watch ‘em fold in the fire.
Too many clowns in positions of power,
Tickin’ like bombs, but they runnin’ on coward!

Man-made mess, now they drown in the flood,
Lyin’ through teeth while they sippin’ on blood.
We comin’ in swingin’, no fear, no shame,
They tighten the noose, but we snatchin’ the chain!

[Chorus – Group]
(Yeah!) Too strong, too loud, too bold,
(Yeah!) One shot, one mic, we cold!
(Yeah!) No match, no chance, we win,
Put a woman in charge — let’s begin!

[Verse 2 – Lu]
I seen ‘em gaslight, gatekeep, stack the deck,
Preachin’ respect, but they leave us in wrecks.
Talkin’ in circles, tryna keep us in check,
We shatter the ceiling, now show some respect!

She’s runnin’ the business, she’s holdin’ it down,
She’s settin’ the pace while they runnin’ around.
From boardrooms to courtrooms, we takin’ the space,
Outta the shadows — straight to the stage!

[Chorus – Group]
(Yeah!) Too strong, too loud, too bold,
(Yeah!) One shot, one mic, we cold!
(Yeah!) No match, no chance, we win,
Put a woman in charge — let’s begin!

[Bridge – Ludi & Lu]
(Ludi): I ain’t here to play, I ain’t here to smile,
Kick in the door, run up the miles.
Been fightin’ for centuries, runnin’ the show,
If you don’t get it, then get up and go!

(Lu): Get out the way — move, step back,
Time’s up, and that’s a fact.
Smear campaigns? We laughin’ through,
We changin’ the game — now whatcha gon’ do?

[Outro – Group]
(Yeah!) No cap, no slack, we rise,
(Yeah!) Too fierce, too sharp, too wise.
(Yeah!) No match, no chance, we win,
Put a woman in charge — let’s begin!

Quotes in the song:

Mary Robinson:
We are literally talking about whether we have a livable future. For Goodness’ sake!

Jane Fonda:
The fact is that there are so many things that people can do, starting with talking about it.

Greta Thunberg:
To solve this problem we first need to understand it. It has its roots in racist oppressive extractivism by the sacrificing people and nature to maximise short term profit for a few fortunate.

. . .

Zoe Daniel: Press Club speech:
People elected independence because they wanted an alternative kind of leadership. Something braver. Something truer. Something direct. Something real.

Dr Sophie Scamp’s speech in Parliament:
The community independent movement has reinvigorated democracy in this country. In the New South Wales election last weekend, people again voted in droves for independent representation. In the state seat of Wayakirst, in my electorate, for the first time in history there will be independent representation across all three levels of government. In the other half of McKellar, in the state seat of Pitwater, the race is still so tight that it’s too close to call.

Why are these once extremely safe seats moving? Well, more and more ordinary Australians have been feeling cut out and shut out of their democracy. Instead, they want someone who will listen and genuinely represent the views and values of their community, rather than simply towing a party line. They want their representatives to work constructively across the political spectrum to find solutions to the major challenges that face our nation.

The respectful and solutions-focused approach of community-independent MPs is working. In the last 10 months already, we have seen improvement in strengthening and passing of major bills that will vastly improve the future of our nation, including the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Climate Change Target and this week the Safeguard Mechanism Bill. Although teal is a lovely colour, it does not do justice to the essence of this powerful and positive movement, the community independent movement. Thank you.

Zoe Daniel: Press Club speech:
A balanced parliament isn’t just possible, it’s absolutely necessary. This election is not just about who sits in the Prime Minister’s chair. It’s about whether we keep settling for a system that serves itself, or whether we demand something better. More of the same will only give us more of the same.

The real risk isn’t change. The real risk is expecting the same people to fix the problems they created. That’s why I’m here. Frankly, it would be much easier to be watching this speech than giving it.

I’m inviting you to rise to this moment too. Because independence works. And in 2025 we have the power to make it work for all of us. And finally I say to our young people, your independence are here for you. Have hope. We will be your backbone in the people’s house. You have my word. Thank you.

Jane Fonda:
The fact is that there are so many things that people can do, starting with talking about it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Events we have talked about in The Sustainable Hour

Events in Victoria

The following is a collation of Victorian climate change events, activities, seminars, exhibitions, meetings and protests. Most are free, many ask for RSVP (which lets the organising group know how many to expect), some ask for donations to cover expenses, and a few require registration and fees. This calendar is provided as a free service by volunteers of the Victorian Climate Action Network. Information is as accurate as possible, but changes may occur.

Petitions

→ List of running petitions where we encourage you to add your name

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