In order to address the fictions about other women, I had to also address the fictions about myself. One of those fictions is that I am ‘Teflon Tara’ and nothing has chinked my armour; my life has been as smooth and unmarked by pain and loss as one of those shiny advertisements I posed for over the years while making my living as a fashion model.
In February I was contacted by one of my long-standing crime research contacts. He explained that he is currently stationed at Manus Island, and that the information being made public about the violence that took place there was not correct. I came forward with this information at his request, once I was able to fully verify his account.
‘I would put forward the idea we should have an advocate whose job it is to be the guardian for those kids because at the moment their guardian and their jailer are the same person and I don’t think that’s right.’
On this election day, I am grateful to be a working, voting citizen of Australia, a democratic and lucky country. I owe thanks to the women before me who made this possible. Edith Cowan believed that if you wanted something changed, you had to run for parliament. I’ll be raising a glass to her today.
Like many people, I am not comfortable walking through bush alongside armed recreational hunters, some as young as 12.
Sunday, November 25th is White Ribbon Day and the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. We can make a difference together, and we must, because according to the largest study ever done on the problem of violence against women – a study conducted in 70 countries over 40 years – violence is ‘a bigger danger to women than cancer’.