Domestic abuse and suicide: a hidden tragedy
Illawarra Mercury – Laura Brooks When I was 12 my grandmother suicided. Throughout my early years, when she was alive, and after she was gone, I sought to understand why she did not want to stay among the living. When I was seeking answers, I never once stopped to consider the impact the ongoing abuse […]
Police and our justice system have got to pass the pub test and quickly
Illawarra Mercury – Karen Iles Reading the media coverage of the Police and Department of Prosecutions Inquiry into the handling of the trial of Bruce Lehrmann one thing jumped out at me this week. The submissions of Mark Tedeschi SC in his representation of Shane Drumgold, the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions. Tedeschi pointed out […]
Illawarra Women’s Health Centre up for the fight on behalf of all women
Illawarra Mercury – Judy Daunt For over 35 years, the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre has supported girls and women to understand and address their health needs. We provide this service in a professional, caring and empowering way. We assist all women who walk through our door, regardless of age, ethnicity, sexuality or ability and they […]
2023 requires grit, and where there’s grit there is a sprinkling of hope
Illawarra Mercury – Sally Stevenson AM It would be easy to start 2023 feeling pessimistic about the world, especially the future for women and girls. Let me count the ways. Firstly, this year we saw women’s and girls’ human rights continue to be crushed in Afghanistan. This month, the Taliban added a ban on women […]
Does unpaid work count in NSW budget?
Illawarra Mercury – Sally Stevenson AM The 2022-23 NSW Budget will be handed down on June 21. Will it be a good budget for women? What does a good budget for women mean? Broadly, national and state budgets are developed (and governments are judged on) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or Gross Domestic State Product (GDSP) […]
Young women want a voice in consent education
Illawarra Mercury – Georgie Igoe Australia, we need to listen; to the yes and the no of what young women want. The opening line of a video posted on the eve of International Women’s Day 2022 reverberates powerfully, “Australia, we need to talk…” This is the voice of Grace Tame who is an unwavering force in her commitment to […]
Why mothers in crisis need compassionate support
Illawarra Mercury – Rachael Humphris You don’t need to have children for your stomach to drop at the thought of a baby being taken away from their mother. If a state child protection agency deems a child to be at ‘risk of significant harm’, they can remove them from the care of their mum, even if the […]
Why it’s time we listened to young people
Illawarra Mercury – Georgie Igoe The staggering exposure of sexual violence in the media, parliament and across our community is leaving many of us examining our own wounds of violence and wondering what we can do about this harm on such an endemic level. The young women that I work with in group and individual […]
Female invisibility – a challenge for 2021
Illawarra Mercury – Sally Stevenson AM Following a NSW Health directive last Tuesday I, like hundreds of others, lined up to be tested for COVID-19. As I waited in line for over six hours, I had time to consider the past year and my good fortune – a loving family, wonderful friends, a purposeful job, […]
Domestic and family violence services underfunded at a time of need in COVID-19 pandemic
Illawarra Mercury – Sally Stevenson AM The Illawarra Women’s Health Centre is nationally accredited, annually audited, and has been government funded for over 30 years. We are about to sign a new three-year contract, and every quarter we meet or exceed our key performance indicators. We are a small, highly regarded community organisation. Government services […]
