The Women's Agenda Podcast

Binaifer Nowrojee is the first female president of the Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, and the source of more than $24 billion in funding to human rights causes worldwide.A human rights lawyer by training, her early work documenting sexual violence in Rwanda helped secure the first ever convictions for rape as a weapon of war.Open Society is now itself a target of the Trump administration's attacks on US civil society. If those attacks become illegal restrictions on their rights, she says, they'll see the administration in court.Binaifer offers a strong and compelling take on the manosphere, the moment we're in globally, and the opportunity for Australia to play a leading role. She is fiercely determined, even while at the centre of an organisation under sustained attack. She speaks with Angela Priestley for this conversation, recorded live at Women Deliver in Melbourne in April 2026. You can check out more of our 'Backlash Conversations' in the Women's Agenda Podcast feed. Check out more from Open Society Foundations here. The Women's Agenda Podcast is produced by Agenda Media, also publisher of Women's Agenda. You can sign up for our free daily news update here.

She's here to hold the line on big tech power, and the world's first eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is showing no signs of backing down. Julie Inman Grant features in our latest series of Backlash Conversations, recorded live at Women Deliver in Melbourne. She shares why she believes the social media ban in Australia is a long game, the success achieved and the work that's still to be done. And she outlines what she describes as "outrage", a vicious cycle of content online that sucks in people of all ages, but is especially problematic for young people. As for how the regulation is working to hold tech platforms to account, she says: "Some companies will come to the table, and some will see us in court." Women's Agenda is running Backlash Conversations all week, featuring short interviews recorded from our exhibition space at Women Deliver in Melbourne in April 2026.

Just six weeks ago, Maria Antonieta Alcalde stepped up to take on one of the toughest gigs globally: leading the International Planned Parenthood Federation at arguably one of its most challenging times in history. But with three decades of successfully fighting for women's rights across Latin America, she's got the experience and energy to take on the role, as funding cuts, the Trump administration, and a well-funded network globally are pushing to roll back hard-fought rights. Maria was recently in Melbourne for Women Deliver 2026, where she met with Women's Agenda's Angela Priestley to record this conversation live. This is the first of our Backlash Conversations, featuring some of the biggest global leaders fighting for women's rights. Maria shares what the world can learn from Latin America's grassroots playbook, why she rejects the term "backlash" to describe the global rollback of women's rights, and what Australia's $49 million in family-planning aid is actually achieving across the Pacific. Plus, the incredible gains she believes Australian women can help achieve for our sisters across the Pacific. The Backlash Conversations is a Women's Agenda Podcast series, recorded live at the Women Deliver conference in Melbourne. New episodes drop across the next week. The Women's Agenda Podcast is produced by Agenda Media, the publisher of Women's Agenda. Sign up to our lunchtime daily news update here.

This week at Women's Agenda, it's all about money, power, and who's moving it.We celebrate a major reform win for sexual assault survivors in, and FIFA's landmark decision to formally recognise the Afghan women's national football team in exile, marking a rebirth of hope after years in limbo. Plus, we examine what was said about the global pushback against women's rights at Women Deliver, including how Julie Gillard and Dr Maliha Khan responded to questions on how to respond. Also, we look at the $5.4 trillion intergenerational wealth transfer underway in Australia, and what it means when around 65% of it is heading to women. Finally, we close with friction-maxxing: the viral wellness trend telling everyone to make their lives harder, which… have a word with us about that one.This week's discussed stories include:'Major win': Georgie Purcell, Brittany Higgins secure reform to reduce courtroom harm for survivorsAfghan women's team allowed to compete internationally after years in limboThe backlash against women is well funded. Why isn't the fightback?Giving to transform with women set to inherit trillions in next decadeSubscribe to our free daily newsletter, become a member, and get the full stories at womensagenda.com.au.

We unpack a week of wins, warnings and what-the-actuals.The landmark pay rise putting more value on women (but still not enough). How Hungary issued a blow to the anti-feminist, pro-natalist regime of an autocrat, Victoria's first Minister for Men and Boys, and what it means. And an historic appointment: Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, the first woman to command the Australian Army in its 125-year history. But of course, the "DEI hire" talk begins.Plus, Melania Trump has issued a rare public denial of any friendship with Jeffrey Epstein: unprompted, unasked, and in a way that left everyone scratching their heads. This week's discussed stories include:NSW nurses secure landmark pay rise after years-long fight over "undervalued" workA strongman’s defeat sparks optimism for women’s rights globallyTrump ally Viktor Orbán defeated in Hungary as voters reject strongman politicsVictoria now has a Minister for Men and Boys. Now where's the Gender Equality Minister?'Deeply significant': Susan Coyle becomes first woman to command Australian armyMelania Trump denies ties to Jeffrey Epstein in rare public statementSubscribe wherever you get your podcasts and head to womensagenda.com.au for our latest news.

Cardiovascular disease kills around one in four Australian women, yet it’s still widely misunderstood as a “male” health issue.In this episode, Assistant Minister for Health Rebecca White joins Women’s Agenda’s Editor, Tarla Lambert-Patel, to unpack the federal government’s new Ministerial Expert Panel on Women’s Health, and why heart health is its first priority.They discuss what’s driving this shift, why women’s symptoms have been historically overlooked, and what it will take to close the gap in diagnosis, treatment and care. The Women's Agenda Podcast is produced by Agenda Media, publisher of Women's Agenda.

This week, we take stock of a week that had plenty to celebrate, and of course to interrogate. The Matildas are in the Women's Asian Cup final on home soil, and Kyle Sandilands has been officially terminated by ARN after nearly three decades on Australian radio. Then the bigger stories: the Trump delegation's humiliating defeat at the UN's Commission on the Status of Women, the double threat of ageism and AI facing women over 50, and Louis Theroux's manosphere doco, including what it gets right, what it misses, and why the real story is about who is harvesting boys' attention, and why.Stories discussed this week include Matildas / Women's Asian Cup finalKyle Sandilands terminatedCSW70 / Trump delegationWomen over 50, ageism and AITheroux / manosphere, "misses the story"The manosphere and boys in an attention economy

A new political leader wanting Australia to be great... just like the past. Only this time, a hyper Australia! Plus, progress on the lack of women in leadership globally is slow, who could possibly tell? Also some big wins for the week, including changes to superannuation that will get more money in women's pockets. And the Iranian football team, which showed the responsibility we have for those who silently speak truth to power. Key stories discussed this week: ‘More Australian babies!’ New Nationals leader Matt Canavan has a vision for Australia to help us return to the pastGlobally, the rate of cabinet posts held by women has decreased as political leadership overwhemingly dominated by menTwo more Iranian football squad members granted humanitarian visas, will stay in AustraliaThe Women's Agenda Podcast is produced by Agenda Media, publisher of Women's Agenda.

Today we're bringing you the first episode of There Will Be Dancing, from our friends at the Women's Environmental Leadership Australia (WELA)!Women's Agenda is thrilled to partner with WELA on this series, sharing a wide range of environmental and climate conversations that are anchored in optimism (hence the dancing).Hosted by WELA CEO Victoria McKenzie-McHarg, alongside publicist Odette Barry and clean tech policy leader Sanaya Khisty, There Will Be Dancing explores the motivations, strategies and experiences of women and gender-diverse leaders shaping Australia’s environmental movement. Alongside hard-won lessons from the frontlines of climate advocacy, the podcast also makes space for joy, humour and the human side of driving change.The series features a range of guests spanning grassroots activism, global diplomacy, community organising and cultural leadership.They share practical insights into their work, and also remind us why joy has a place in climate work.First up is Kelly O’Shanassy - former Chief Executive of the Australian Conservation Foundation, with more than a decade leading one of the country’s most influential environmental organisations through political volatility and institutional reform. In this episode, Kelly shares what a decade at the Australian Conversation Foundation taught her about endurance.Each episode also includes a contribution from one of our community members, such as a poem, essay, or audio profile. Today we’re pleased to include a reflection from Anna Hutchcroft, who will be reading a piece called When Language Returns. There Will Be Dancing is available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major podcast platforms.