Ideas at the House

What if ageing wasn’t something to avoid, but something to embrace?Right now, a revolution is gathering force. Middle-aged and older women are refusing to fade out, shrink back or apologise for taking up space.Jacinta Parsons’ new book, A Wisdom of Age, was sparked by conversations with women across the country who are rewriting the rules and living with unapologetic confidence.Jacinta is joined by some of the formidable women whose humour, tenderness and rebellious wisdom shaped the book. This uplifting talk is a celebration of ageing with agency, and we’re just getting started.

When Emily Maitlis grilled then-Prince Andrew in that now-infamous BBC interview, she ignited “the worst PR crisis for the royal family since the death of Diana”. Ending the Duke’s royal career, the encounter also inspired several television adaptations including Amazon Prime’s A Very Royal Scandal (with Ruth Wilson as Maitlis).Since then, she’s only turned up the heat – challenging political spin, dismantling “both-sides” journalism, hosting one of the UK’s most-listened-to podcasts and putting pressure on the US Department of Justice to release the “Epstein Files”.Maitlis brings her signature fearlessness to All About Women to talk politics, power, journalism’s critical role in seeking justice and holding power to account – and what it takes to expose the truth when the stakes couldn’t be higher. 

When justice is redacted, women pay the price.The Epstein Files are not just about one man’s crimes, but about the systems that protected him and failed women — and girls — for decades. American journalist and writer Amy Wallace collaborated with Epstein survivor Virginia Roberts Giuffre on her memoir Nobody’s Girl, published months after her death, while British journalist Emily Maitlis famously put Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on the record about his involvement with Epstein’s dark world. Join them for a critically important discussion that looks beyond spectacle to examine the institutions that turned a blind eye, the lawsuits now seeking redress and what justice looks like when perpetrators evade consequences but survivors live with lasting harm.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court sent shock waves around the world. And while abortion rights seemed to be settled in Australia, there have been attempts - on both sides of politics - to undermine them here. Abortion restrictions were proposed in at least two Australian states, while debate continues about whether publicly funded hospitals can refuse to perform the procedure. In this podcast, Jane Caro, Summer May Finlay and Charlotte Mortlock canvass the current state of debate in Australia and examine how seriously to take these recent threats. Could it really happen here?  This event was hosted by Gina Rushton and recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025 

An inspirational force for positive action, Nyamal woman and renowned psychologist Dr Tracy Westerman is making waves in the treatment of Indigenous women’s trauma. As the first Aboriginal person in Australia to complete a PhD in Clinical Psychology, Dr Westerman has opened the floodgates, inspiring others to follow her into a professional field truly in need of community-based Indigenous psychologists.Drawing from her decades working with clients, Dr Westerman explores the deep racial trauma affecting Aboriginal women across generations. In this powerful talk, she reveals how hope and optimism fuel the resilience of the world’s oldest living culture.This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025.

Rachel Kushner’s latest novel Creation Lake, a French noir eco-espionage thriller, was an instant New York Times bestseller, shortlisted for the Booker, and hailed as a blend of John le Carré’s intrigue with the wit of Kill Bill and the style of Killing Eve.It’s the latest in a career that has dazzled her fans - whether she is taking on the art and radicalism in 1970s New York (The Flamethrowers), the horrors of the US carceral system (The Mars Room) or American expatriates caught up in the Cuban revolution (Telex from Cuba).Find out how this author creates stories and characters that always feel so brilliantly and bracingly alive.This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025.

From the Matilda’s Effect to the AFL commitment to close the gender pay gap, cross-code support for female athletes is at an all-time high. With record attendance, huge broadcast viewership and glass ceilings shattering, elite players are finally being taken seriously. None of this happened overnight. How far off is something that looks like parity?Join Kirby Bentley, Bec Goddard, Ann Odong, Lydia Williams and Tracey Holmes from on and off the pitch to hear first-hand experiences of the peaks and pitfalls that have come with the growing emphasis on women’s sport, and learn about the role intersectionality needs to play.This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025.

After spending their early years together in conflict zones as foreign correspondents, Geraldine Brooks and her husband Tony Horwitz settled down for a quiet life. This came to an abrupt end on Memorial Day 2019 with the sudden death of Brooks' beloved husband. Without space to grieve, her loss became a yawning gulf. Her profoundly moving memoir, Memorial Days, is a portrait of a larger-than-life man and a timeless love between intertwined souls that captures the joy, agony and mystery of life. In this touching talk, Brooks is joined by Jennifer Byrne to discuss how to honour a person, endure their absence in ways both new and old, and rebuild a life after loss.This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025.

Despite decades of legislative reform and workplace protections in other industries, some claim there is a persistent shadowy underbelly in Australian music, with female artists alleging bullying, harassment as well as sexist and racist abuse. Speaking from lived experience, Australian artists BARKAA and Jaguar Jonze argue for their rights at work and challenge the lack of accountability from those at the top.This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025.