Show Notes
Today’s episode (and the last ep for 2025!!) is an incredibly special one. We are joined by a woman whose work has shaped not just Australian feminism, but the national story of who we are and who we still aspire to be. Anne Summers AO is one of Australia’s most influential feminist thinkers, writers, and activists. She’s a celebrated journalist, a Walkley Award–winner, a former political adviser to prime ministers Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, and the trailblazing editor-in-chief and co-owner of Ms. magazine in New York during one of its most defining eras. Her landmark 1975 book, Damned Whores and God’s Police, fundamentally reframed Australian history through the experiences of women. It exposed the deep social structures that shaped — and constrained — women’s lives, and it remains one of the most important feminist texts ever published in this country. Nearly fifty years on, its influence hasn’t faded. If anything, it feels even more urgent. And today, she joins two brilliant Gen Z feminists on our team who you know well — Allie Daisy King and Sunny Adcock — for a deeply intergenerational conversation. They dive into everything from the early days of the Women’s Liberation Movement and Anne’s friendship with Gloria Steinem, to contemporary feminist debates, the rise of the manosphere, sex positivity, deepfake porn, the U.S. political crisis, and what a feminist utopia could look like. It’s rare to have a thinker who helped build the foundations of modern feminism sit down with two voices shaping what comes next. This interview is sharp, generous, challenging, and full of the kind of wisdom that only comes from a life spent pushing for change. So buckle up - it's one of our favourite chats EVER!! This episode was brought to you by NewSouth Publishing.
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