Gimmicks: perfect marketing to hide a bad idea? 23 March 2022
Campaigning, advocacy, and philanthropy, by their very nature, demand a certain degree of innovation. If we want our cause to have reach and attract attention, creativity and a level of marketing are fundamental. Politically speaking, while short messaging devoid of nuance or policy detail tends to be met with derision by the Insiders crowd, there’s […]
Advocate spotlight: Debbie Kilroy 23 March 2022
Debbie Kilroy OAM is an Australian human rights activist, prison abolitionist, keynote speaker and the only convicted drug trafficker in Australia to be admitted as an Australian lawyer and a Council member on the Queensland’s Sentencing Advisory Council. As a former prisoner, Debbie understands firsthand what it is like to go through the Australian judicial […]
Ask Muriel: mentoring for an advocacy career 23 March 2022
Holly Bollz on Instagram asked: “Are there any organisations that facilitate mentoring if you want to step into a formal advocacy role?” Thanks for your question! Mentoring, given its very nature, is something that does not necessarily come with formal arrangements as our greatest mentors are often friends, family, and others we admire in their […]
Advocacy 101: The division of powers: where to start? 23 March 2022
Knowing where to turn to and identifying what policy portfolio or what level of government you need to approach when beginning your advocacy journey can be a difficult first challenge. Having worked in the Legislative Assembly, it wasn’t unusual for members of the public to contact the wrong representative at the wrong level of government […]
Wins and reflections: The YES Equality campaign for marriage equality 23 March 2022
After 13 years of campaigning for marriage equality, the 2017 postal survey took a lot of people by surprise. But although those advocating for marriage equality didn’t have much time to pull a campaign together, they were successful, with 62 per cent of respondents voting ‘Yes’. The YES Equality movement by Equality Campaign had a […]
Ask Muriel: Starting a policy and advocacy career 2 November 2021
Keanneelyse on Instagram asked: “Where do you start if you want to change your career into policy/advocacy?” Thanks for your question! Advocacy and non-government policy work can be truly rewarding. It gives you the opportunity to blend skills in writing, researching and critical thinking alongside your values. The work is constantly evolving and responding to different […]
Advocacy 101: How to make sure your advocacy is intersectional of different voices 2 November 2021
We’ve all heard the advice to ‘look around the table and see who is not present’. It’s a question that asks us to reflect on how representative we are of diverse experiences, and challenges potential unconscious bias. While this is good advice and should be something we actively reflect on, it can take a little […]
Advocate spotlight: Kimberlé Crenshaw 2 November 2021
Although the term ‘intersectional’ is now a common part of our feminist vocabulary, it was only coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 in a landmark study on gender and race-based discrimination. An American lawyer, civil rights advocate, philosopher and scholar, Crenshaw cites her inspiration for her work in intersectionality as the chance discovery during her […]
What the suffrage movement can teach us about intersectionality today 2 November 2021
Recent years have seen some popular reflections on the path to women’s enfranchisement. The centenary of women winning the right to vote in America (1920) and Britain (1928) were celebrated. Films like Suffragette allowed us to appreciate the movement’s composition and, in doing so, forced us to acknowledge its shortfalls and be mindful of them […]
Action MATTERS October 2021: Editor’s note 2 November 2021
Welcome to the first edition of Action MATTERS. You asked and we’ve delivered. We know that many in our community are drawn to our movement because it offers a collective approach to feminism and the opportunity to be part of change for the better. And we know that for many, advocacy isn’t just something you […]