The world, hey? Screaming, crying, throwing up
Calling on the international bad vibes community to stop giving
In this edish:
— Hello
— the main bit of the newsletter — women’s rights under threat globally
— Smart things — links and shares on important issues
— Distractions — recipes, online shopping, podcasts, shows
Hello
Well… things just keep happening, don’t they?
One minute you are pottering around the house on the weekend, the next minute a new war has kicked off.
I am not going to pretend I have the regional knowledge to provide any Middle East commentary here, and I have no idea what Trump’s end game is. But I am alert, alarmed and doom spiralling, as is my late Millennial birthright.
(…and wishing I could afford an EV instead of my stupid petrol dependent car right now! EV people were smug enough already!)
From what I am hearing, a large part of Australia’s foreign policy resources have been manning the crisis call centre at DFAT. Non-essential travel is off the cards… possibly so that staff can’t escape from doing a shift at the crisis call centre. I don’t think that the wider public understands that no matter how many degrees you may have, a career in international affairs always carries the risk of ending up working in a call centre like you’re in an AAMI insurance ad.
Quips aside, consular assistance is very important but often thankless work, and a lot of people are very stressed and uncertain right now.
Hoping for peace, expecting the opposite, and thinking of everyone tied up in the mess.
Domestically, the upcoming Farrer byelection is my Roman Empire. Many readers might know I grew up in Farrer, my family has long been engaged with Albury politics, and I have long-running personal feuds/grievances with many local political figures. I go back to Albury for a stint a few times a year just to keep angry and informed (but mostly for my family, let’s be real). Most Farrer commentary I have read in the national media so far has only been lightly informed. Stay tuned for a Farrer form guide sometime in the next two months where I spill some local tea. Even Antony Green would be racing to the giant touchscreen to open his emails.
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Don’t look away: amid global chaos, women’s rights are under threat
Last weekend marked International Women’s Day.
In Australia, we were transfixed on the deeply troubling plight of the Iranian women’s soccer team. While some defected and were granted protection visas while in Australia, the massive pressure on these young women, including threats towards their families, meant they were facing near impossible choices.
Sadly, too many women across the globe face similar impossible choices every day, often sacrificing their own safety, wellbeing and rights to care for those around them. It shouldn’t have to be a trade-off.
Personally, I’m proud that Australia continues to take a principled stand on gender equality internationally, particularly as other nations reduce their funding and support. Our work is being watched. We cannot afford to be complacent.
Globally, we are facing a well-funded, coordinated and deliberate pushback on women’s rights. Leaders at the UN are calling it the most serious threat to gender equality in a generation. And Australia is not immune.
Some fast and blunt facts:
Global funding cuts are putting 90 percent of women’s organisations at breaking point.
A quarter of countries reported pushback on gender equality in 2024.
In 2026, women worldwide still only have 64 per cent of the legal rights of men.
The women’s rights situations in some countries, particularly Afghanistan, are barbaric.
Sexual violence in conflict is rapidly increasing.
Women are among those most affected by the impacts of climate change.
Extremist backlash is growing, including in Australia. New studies show 17% of the population believe feminism should be resisted with violence. It was the second most supported extremist view. 40% of boys aged 13 to 17 agreed that women lie about domestic and sexual violence.
Gen Z men in Australia are more likely to hold sexist views than previous generations.
At the UN last week, we saw what it means to have one of the most powerful nations in the globe roll back their support for gender equality and aggressively push conservative agendas into the women’s rights space.
The US blocked adoption by consensus of the Agreed Conclusions at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW): the first time ever in the 70 year history of CSW that an outcome wasn’t adopted by consensus.
Thankfully, the overwhelming majority of states supported the final text on women’s access to justice, with 37 out of the 45 CSW member states of the Commission voting in favour, 6 abstaining, and only the US voting against.
It was still a watershed moment though: even the things we have taken for granted are no longer safe. It shouldn’t be controversial to argue that women and men should have the same access to fundamental rights such as justice. But these are the debates we are now finding ourselves in.
Holding these international forums in a country that is now openly hostile to the UN, women and free speech also raises a whole host of other questions: this piece by Asha Clementi highlights some of the new or more pronounced barriers being faced by international civil society, including visa denials.
In a world where so much is happening, it can be easy to be distracted by new crises. But we need to work hard to ensure the important gains we have made on gender equality do not slip away amidst the chaos.
Gender equality is in everyone’s interest: this isn’t just a women’s fight, and we need everyone on board to beat the pushback.
Smart stuff
A super interesting social experiment is about to take place in Marshall Islands — a world first Universal Basic Income scheme to stem outward migration. Read about it here and here.
This is such an interesting read on how movements can fail once institutionalised, how governance structures can hinder, and how incentives, including donor behaviour, can be far more powerful in shaping behaviour than the ‘mission’ if an organisation lacks political grounding.
If you missed Gordon Peake’s diaries on his Antarctica trip with Sea Shepherd, check it out.
This ABC article on Timor-Leste that shows why ‘development’ detached from reality is never a good idea.
What the world needs now is healing. My former colleague and storycraft queen Belinda Lopez is sharing a new series on her Substack on books that can heal us in these challenging times.
Little distractions
These social posts by the National Gallery of Art in DC where older curators talk about art entirely using Gen Z slang are a masterclass in comms. Funny, engaging and educational.
This creator’s videos showing how dumb, self-serving and ego indulging AI bots can be is maddening, funny and important. I’m not anti-AI by any means, but we still need critical thinking.
‘Wuthering Heights’ really was bad and smooth-brained. They should have set it in Queensland just for laughs, it couldn’t have been much more ridiculous.
The hanging rail in my wardrobe completely collapsed under the sheer weight of fabric I was begging it to hold up (storage is constantly in shortage here, crying in single old Millennial in the housing market), so I’ve got a massive wardrobe clearout on my Ebay account — share with anyone you know in the market for plus size clothes, wide shoes, or fabric.
I have not been able to cook much this month thanks to trying a new med that comes with introductory nausea and other suffering, so no recipe recommendations (I’m fine btw, just always trying to be marginally closer to normal with my collection of chronic illnesses). To survive, we’ve been revisiting all the pre-prepared meal companies. In Canberra, despite the aggressively sporty name, we like Gym Meals Direct. For vegan options, Iku is good (but the serving sizes are small for some). Soulara is another option. The freezer is super full so we haven’t done Dinner Ladies this time, but it is always reliable. Blakeaway is a good splurge option. Macros is also on the list to try, recommended by a friend who recently had surgery. My cooking is definitely tastier if I do say so myself, so hopefully I can get back to it soon.
Great as always - I am here for the Farrer form guide!
Thank you for that (horrifying) round up on women's rights. I feel like a new coalition is required locally (asia-pacific locally!)