Clementine Ford is a self-described "feminist killjoy to the stars". As a Daily Life columnist, speaker and activist, Clem is a proudly outspoken advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and a staunch critic of rape culture and all that entails.
Our conversation covered the perceptions of and challenges faced by modern-day feminism, society's attitude towards the perpetrators and victims of rape and sexual assault, men's role in feminism, checking one’s privilege, "rape jokes" and more.
Please note this discussion comes with a strong trigger warning; details of sexual assaults and victim blaming are mentioned.
Clementine’s TED Talk: Your Vagina Is Not A Car
Opinion piece: It Was Easy For Bayley To Stalk, Rape And Murder
Article: Comedian Ray Badran Tells Audience Member To Die For Objecting To Rape Joke
My blog on rape jokes after the Daniel Tosh controversy
Opinion piece: There’s Nothing Funny About Misogyny
Opinion piece: How the Offence Debate Misses The Point Of Comedy by Helen Razer
triple j’s Hack program: Are rape jokes ever OK?
Cause of the Week: Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre (safesteps.org.au)
Journalist and comedy writer Richard Cooke has worked with the likes of The Chaser, The Checkout, The Saturday Paper, The Guardian and The Monthly.
He gave me some of his time to sound off on Aussie hip hop, Australian political satire, the theory of "mutual obligation" and tax evasion and the role of polling in today's politics.
Article: Why I Have Resigned From The Telegraph
Article: The People Versus The Political Class
Cause of the Week: Doctors Without Borders (doctorswithoutborders.org)
Ben Riley describes himself as a classical liberal, a Queenslander and a larrikin. He's a former president of the Young Liberals and the current Vice President of the International Young Democractic Union.
We came together to find out exactly where we do and don't agree on things like the privatisation of public assets, the State's role in our lives, puppy farms, same-sex marriage, diversity in politics, the environment and our Prime Minister's character.
Plus we laughed about that time he got drunk and was a bit silly.
Cause of the Week: The Young Liberal Movement of Australia (youngliberal.org.au), Oxfam Australia (oxfam.org.au)
Adelaide's Welcome Centre is an initiative of Welcome To Australia, an organisation dedicated to changing the conversation around Australia's immigration policies and to providing support to asylum seekers, refugees and new arrivals.
My guests were Kate Leaney, the Centre's manager, and Ali, an Iranian refugee who was kind enough to share his story of fleeing his homeland and coming to Australia by boat. We discussed the notion of being welcoming, faith, children in detention, fear and hope.
My Brisbane Festival blog for The Daily Review
#youarewelcomehere
The Welcome Centre on Facebook
Article: Turning Back The Boats Is A Moral And Legal Failure Say Academics
Article: Goodwill Letters To Asylum Seekers On Nauru Returned Unopened
Cause of the Week: Welcome To Australia (welcometoaustralia.org.au), @welcome2aussie
The one-and-only Arj Barker is hilarious on stage, but serious when it comes to reports and lore surrounding Unidentified Flying Objects. He told me about the cases and evidence that have influenced his thinking, the philosophy surrounding the idea of extra-terrestrials and the nature of belief.
We also covered his interest in meditation and his former life as a bit of a stoner.
Arj investigates UFOs for The 7PM Project
Jacques Vallée’s Passport To Magonia
President Jimmy Carter on his UFO experience
Cause of the Week: The RSPCA on the greyhound racing industry (rspcavic.org/)
Jimblah (aka James Alberts) is a producer, MC and vocalist based in Adelaide, SA. He hails from the Larrakia Nation and on his two albums to date, Face The Fire and Phoenix, he’s produced smart, self-aware, passionate and original music.
Our conversation covered his recent philosophical evolution and the focus for his new album, pervasive racist systems, Australia/Invasion/Survival Day, love, power and eating meat.
Jimblah performs "March" live on triple j
Article: Hip Hop A Poor Cop In A White Man’s World
Cause of the Week: The Hilltop Hoods Initiative (hilltophoods.com), AIME (aimementoring.com)
Quentin Kenihan is a movie star, a TV presenter and producer, friend to celebrities, disability advocate and enthusiastic Jewel fan.
Brought into the national spotlight as a 7-year-old boy with osteogenesis imperfecta (or "brittle bone syndrome"), the Q has experienced the dizzying heights (and lows) of fame, sex and drug use. As he brings his autobiographical show I'm 40...Now What? to the Adelaide Fringe, we chatted about everything from sex workers to inspiration to the late Stella Young to the death penalty to his own funeral.
I even met his dog.
Frances Ryan on actors "cripping up"
Stella Young's memorial service
Quentin on the Osher Gunsberg podcast
Medium article on young paedophiles
Cause of the Week: The Attitude Foundation (attitude.org.au)
Comedian, writer, TV & radio host and outspoken activist Nazeem Hussain escaped the watchful gaze of ASIO to join me in my house for a chat.
The creator and star of Legally Brown discussed comedy, the white media landscape and his intense martial arts training, as well as reflecting on his approach to Islam and his single mother's role in fostering his commitment to helping other people.
The Lupe Fiasco Alien Abduction Interview
Aamer Rahman on reverse racism
John Safran's article on Musa Cerantonio
My opinion piece on children in detention
Cause of the Week: RISE (riserefugee.org)
For an in-depth breakdown of what exactly is going on with Australia's immigration policy and exactly how many laws we're breaking, I talked to academic and advocate Senthorun Raj.
Currently completing his PhD in law at Sydney University, Senthorun has worked extensively with the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, Amnesty International, ACON Health and many other organisations. Hear us discuss how his Tamil family background (and a TV show) influenced his passion for human rights, our society's tendency to ignore certain kinds of violence and how Australia is complicit in state-sanctioned torture.
Senthorun's writings for The Guardian
Cause of the Week: Amnesty International (amnesty.org.au), The Pinnacle Foundation (thepinnaclefoundation.org)
You probably know Dicko best as that arsehole judge from Australian Idol, but there's a lot more to the old codger than that. He's been a window washer, a music journalist, a radio host and more, all the while retaining his trademark unflinching honesty.
Here we discuss his father's remarkable story, the political colouring of his youth, stories from his time working with everyone from Pearl Jam to Rage Against the Machine, political correctness and why he's found himself in hot water with Quentin and Paulini.
Dicko's story about Quentin is on ABC iView
Cause of the Week: The Australian Children's Music Fund (acmf.com.au)
Kate Doak is a freelance investigative journalist who runs her own current affairs website (thedeadlynewt.com) and writes and reports for numerous publications.
She is a proud transwoman who's passionate about confronting transphobia and other forms of discrimination facing the LGBTIQ community. Listen to hear about her coming out story (both of them), the physical threats trans people still face and the importance of language and visibility.
Cause of the Week: The Safe Schools Coalition (safeschoolscoalition.org.au)
For more info check out The Gender Centre & short film In My Shoes
Samah Hadid is a human rights and social justice campaigner who's worked with the Global Poverty Project, the UN and grass-roots organisations all over the world.
She very kindly sat down with me in a Bankstown cafe to talk about being called a terrorist, wearing (and not wearing) a veil, Charlie Hebdo, foreign aid and being addicted to warzones.
Cause of the Week: The Global Poverty Project (globalpovertyproject.com)