Today I am honoured to be announced as the Patron of the Full Stop Foundation for ending domestic and sexual violence, Full Stop. Here is a full transcript of my speech at the Parliament House launch.
Under The Skin
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.
Q&A, Refugees and Children In Detention
‘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.’
I’ll be raising a glass to Edith Cowan today. This is why.
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.
Dear Barry O’Farrell, Please Keep Guns Out Of Our National Parks
Like many people, I am not comfortable walking through bush alongside armed recreational hunters, some as young as 12.
Why White Ribbon Day Matters
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’.
Q&A
I appeared on my first Q&A this month, hosted by Tony Jones. Topics included cyberbullying, education reform, super trawlers, asylum seekers and people smuggling. I spoke for the first time about my refugee family history and my Opa's escape from a Nazi work camp....
For Mum
For many years, Mother’s Day was a day I tried to ignore. In May each year I tried not to hear about my friend’s plans for this day. I tried to avoid the ads, tried not to see the cards, the flowers, the news headlines.