Women on the Line

Produced at Community Radio 3CR

This week : Women out of prison

	Producer: Elanor McInerney Broadcast: Friday 2 May 2008 We hear from prison activists, and from two women who have experienced prison from the inside. Prisoners cannot speak easily about conditions inside or about the impact of imprisonment on their own lives. Only some of us get to see the inside of these institutions to weigh up the costs of keeping people out of sight and out of mind. But we can hear from those who have been inside, and those who advocate on their behalf. Today we will hear about the continuing fallout from the mass protests that met the G20 meeting, of twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, in Melbourne in November 2006. And Kerry Tucker and Jeanette Purkis will talk about life in and out of prison. 3CR’s Doin' Time prison issues program spoke to Liz , a coordinator of the ongoing G20 Arrestees Solidarity Network. Kerry Tucker spent nearly five years as an inmate in Victoria’s maximum security prison for women, the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, during which she completed her Master of Arts degree. She has been a free citizen for six months, and is now in the first year of her PhD research on women in prison as a community, from the perspective of a “participant/observer”. She spoke with 3CR’s Lizzie Jakob. Jeanette Purkis, author of “Finding a Different Kind Of Normal: Misadventures with Asperger Syndrome”, relates her prison experience first at Victoria’s Fairlea Women’s Prison and then at a privatised prison that later became the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre. Listen or download (right click and save target as)

	Special programming
		On the Record: 20 Years of Women's Radio This is a special project funded by the Victorian Women's Trust and it marks the 20th Anniversary of Women on the Line. Go to projects to download the 8 part series On the Record. CBAA Highly Commended for Best Special Broadcast 2007.
	Recent past programs
	Beyond detention: refugee policy under Rudd Producer: Maja Graham Broadcast: Friday 25 April 2008 Refugee and asylum seeker issues have faded from recent political and media conversations and delegates to the recent 2020 Summit in Canberra said they also noticed that there was a clear lack of discussion around issues to do with refugees. The recent change of federal government, in combination with the closure of several detention centres, might make some people think that everything is okay, but the situation for refugees in Australia is still less than desirable. Fundamental human rights abuses are still continuing in the name of border control and the new $500 million detention centre on Christmas Island is soon to be opened. Both Pamela Curr, Campaigns Coordinator at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, and Anna Samson, the National Policy Director for the Refugee Council of Australia, spoke at a recent Refugee Action Collective (Victoria) public meeting in Melbourne, where they outlined what has and hasn't changed under the Rudd Government, and more specifically what needs to be done in the future. Links Refugee Council of Australia Listen or download (right click and save target as)

	Who is that woman on the $10 note? Producer: Jaye Hardy Broadcast: Friday 18 April 2008 Today on Women on the Line we hear Dr Jennifer Strauss speaking about the life of one of Australia’s best known feminists, activists and poets, Dame Mary Gilmore. Listen or download (right click and save target as)

	Make yourself at home Producer: Damaris Baker Broadcast: Friday 11 April 2008 Australia is facing a housing crisis, but what does that mean for those without mortgages? Could housing cooperatives offer some answers in these troubled times? Today we speak to Rachel about her experience living in a Mexican housing cooperative, Carly tells us the pros and cons of thirty years in a rural Australian commune. We then hear Monique Wiseman, indigenous activist, outline the housing crisis in Bagot Town Camp in Darwin, then south to Victoria as Jinny Mc Grath, Program Manager of the Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau, gives her perspective on housing issues in Melbourne. Listen or download (right click and save target as)

	Defending Human Rights and Oil Rights Broadcast: Friday 4 April 2008 Producer: Elanor McInerney Today’s program looks at defending human rights and oil rights. We hear from Hina Jilani, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on the situation of Human Rights Defenders. And Kathy Black, from US Labor Against the War, invites us to join Iraqi workers fighting to stop the privatisation of that country’s oil reserves. Hina Jilani has practiced law in Pakistan since 1979 – a year in which martial law was imposed. In 1980, with her sister, she co-founded Pakistan ’s first all-female law firm. She is also one of the founders of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. As a lawyer and human rights activist, she has for 30 years campaigned to defend the human rights of the disadvantaged, particularly women, children, minorities, and prisoners. In 2000, she was appointed as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on the situation of Human Rights Defenders. Hina Jilani spoke at Melbourne Law School on the 1st of April. Iraqi workers are campaigning to end the occupation and stop the privatisation of Iraq ’s oil reserves. Kathy Black, the convenor of US Labor Against the War, was recently in Melbourne, where she talked about the importance of solidarity links with Iraq ’s outlawed trade unions. LINKS: US Labor Against the War Listen or download (right click and save target as)

	The World of Teaching Broadcast: Friday 28 March 2008 Producer: Maja Graham Today's program looks at the national teacher shortage and the experiences of beginner teachers. We hear from Anne Gisborne, the President of the State School Teachers' Union of Western Australia, about the consequences of the teacher shortage for schools, teachers, students and the community. She outlines why more funding is desperately needed and encourages new teachers to become more active within their unions. The results of the 2007 Australian Education Union (AEU) Beginning Teacher Survey show that of the 1,732 participants, nearly half do not see themselves teaching in ten years time, and workload, pay, behaviour management and class sizes were cited as the top four concerns. On this show, four beginner teachers share their perspectives on work demands, professional support and the ever-expanding role of a teacher. Links Australian Education Union (AEU) Listen or download (right click and save target as)

	The Listening Tour & Centenary of Suffrage Broadcast: Friday 21 March 2008 Producer: Jaye Hardy This week on Women On The Line we hear from the Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, speaking about the issues being raised during her Listening Tour around Australia. 2008 is also the centenary of Women’s Suffrage in Victoria, and we hear Professor Marilyn Lake discuss the power of the vote during her speech at the Victorian Women’s Trust IWD event. Links HREOCblog Victorian Women's Trust Listen or download (right click and save target as)

	Celebrating International Women's Day 2008 Broadcast: Friday 14 March 2008 Producer: Damaris Baker On today’s show we'll hear from Sue Leigh, an Australian woman travelling in South America, about IWD in Lima, Peru. We'll also hear from Margarita Windish, from Green Left Weekly and the Socialist Alliance, who was in Sydney for the IWD march and discusses the current state of feminism in Australia. Malarndirri McCarthy, with the Northern Territory Labor Party, puts forth a proposal to refund women's centres in rural indigenous communities, and the idea of women's forums. Listen or download (right click and save target as)

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