News, events and media

In the news: Candidate interview with Joy FM
April, 2022: Hear Yolanda's interview with Saturday Magazine, Joy FM Radio

Hormonal elephant in the room: Menopause Policy needed
May 8 2022: The Reason Party is calling for all employers and governments to address menopause in order to get more women into leadership and/or retain them in managerial roles across all industries.

Look up: The Senate should be attractive
May 2022: Did you know, the Senate is more likely to have more independent and minor parties elected than the House of Representatives? Part of the reason is that the voting system for the Australian Senate combines both preferential voting and proportional representation counting.

How to fix the childcare crisis
April 13, 2022: Reason Party is calling for fully publicly funded universal childcare and the phased integration of early childhood education with schools, the first such policy in Australia.

Education: All things being equal
April 12, 2022: We are told we are “The Lucky Country.” But who needs luck when we could be “The Clever Country,” and “The Creative Country” and “The Innovative Nation.”

Who cares about the senate?
April 26, 2022: The Federal Senate is the powerhouse of Australia’s democracy. However, our federal government is formed by people elected to the Lower House. Yet it is the elected into the Upper House, our Senators, that hold the real power!

Speaking your language
All votes matter - that's why we've created 11 multi-lingual videos to explain how to use your vote to build a strong Senate. If you know someone who speaks Arabic, Viet, German, Hindi, Mandarin or more check out our video page and share the links with others.
I'm running for the Federal Senate because this is the most powerful arm of the Australian Government. It's where final decisions are made about our laws. Many politicians make politics too hard or too boring to understand. I'm keen to speak the same language and work together to make sure we all get a say on who runs the country.

Time to step up: why I'm running in this year's federal election!
Head to my video page for a clip explaining why I'm running as a candidate with the Reason Party for the Senate. A huge motivator for me has been Reason Party leader, Fiona Patten MP, who's labelled as 'Australia's most effective legislator'. Fiona has a track record of making equitable and meaningful laws, and I stand ready to do the same. My research, professional experience and life experiences mean I will work hard to negotiate - with all people and parties - to get the work done.

Fixing the childcare crisis
Check out our new video, showcasing key points on the childcare crisis. In running for the Senate this Federal election, Yolanda will take forward Reason Party policy - the first of its kind in Australia - which aims to make childcare free for all Australians. Reducing the strain on both parents – specifically, mothers and low income and rural families who are already inside a stretched system.

School speaking engagements
An absolute pleasure to have had the chance to speak with so many young people at Auburn High School on March 10 and Canterbury Girls' Secondary College on March 11. This week has lifted my spirits with deep discussions, quizzical minds and big thinking. Thanks to both schools for hosting me and being open to bold conversations about gender equality, breaking stereotypes, female leadership and just societies.

Blog: Can 'femship' be a catalyst for change?
In the absence of a female equivalent of ‘mateship’, I will introduce to you the premise of ‘femship’. If mateship can exist, why not femship as well? Whereas, mateship supposedly applies only to males, femship can start where mateship left off and focus on encouraging women to work together. Femship advocates equality, friendship and solidarity between women. In a way it closely resembles the concept of sisterhood, the difference here is that femship encourages women to work and live together and bring about a collective change. We need to see ourselves as equals amongst our own gender, before society will treat us as such. Perhaps, if femship were added to the dictionary, this change would reflect a positive change in the status of women in our society. We all know what mateship is, so if women were to unite under the ideals of femship, could it not too serve to strengthen the sisterly bonds between us and rise to the heights of mateship, if not higher?

Article: 'Every policy needs to look at how it affects women'.
March 7: I summarised my PhD research, including this quote and many other great ones, in a new article for the Conversation. As we mark another International Women’s Day and enjoy breakfasts and uplifting speeches about girl power, let's also be reminded of the appalling rates of violence against women, the stubborn gender pay gap and pervasive sexism that is seemingly entrenched in our society. An imbalance remains: women do the vast bulk of unpaid work at home while men make the bulk of the laws and policies that affect us all.
Nothing seems to change - or change fast enough. But there are concrete things we can do to fix it. My research offers practical ideas to fix gender inequality in Australia from those at the very centre of federal government policy-making. Read the whole article for more!
Media and speaking events
Recent events and media
Joy FM interview, April 2022
Meet and Greet event, Port Fairy, April 2022
Meet and Greet event, Warrnambool, April 2022
Passion, Pride and Protest Art Exhibition, April 2022
The Age: Old Is New Again on The Campaign Trail, April 2022
Professional Migrant Women event, April 2022
Broadsheet: article on Yolanda's PhD research, April 2022
Auburn High School, March 2022: Speaking event for International Women's Day
Canterbury Girls' Secondary College, March 2022: Speaking event for International Women's Day
The Conversation, March 2022: New research asked government insiders how to fix gender discrimination in Australia - this is what they said
RTR Radio, February 2022: Could professional women decide the upcoming Federal election?
Melbourne University Centre for Workplace Leadership Conference, February 2022: Australia's International Opportunities & Obligations to Gender Equality and LGBTIQ+ Rights
Past media
SBS TV: Is Australia Sexist? 2018
First Five Years: How to balance motherhood and business, 2018
Sky News: Gender Pay Gap with Patricia Karvelas, 2017
ABC Radio National: Departure sparks gender wage gap debate, gender pay gap and sex discrimination at work, 2017
ABC The Wrap: Gender pay gap and nanny uniforms
ABC TV Q&A: Sochi, Inquiries & Subsidies, 2014
Sky News: State of the Nation, 2014
ABC Online: Effective child care policy is not child's play, 2013
2GB Radio: July, 2014
Marie Claire: July Issue, 2014
Perth Now: They are smart, don't have much cash, but more women are living the dream of starting a small business, 2013
Yahoo: Child care costs prohibitive for women returning to work, 2013
Australian Financial Review: Women find small business perfect fit, 2013
Dare out Loud: Women leaders to watch in 2013
Women and the Economy Forum passes with flying colors, 2012
The Age: Money crunch forces women back to work, 2012
ABC Online: Women finding their niche in small business, 2012
AWCCI: GFC puts new careers in picture for women, 2012
AWCCI: At the first APEC Women's Economic Summit, 2012
Past events
Pathways to Gender Equality Conference, American University, Washington DC, 2018
Tunisian change-makers and leadership workshop (DFAT & Deakin University), 2016
Australia Awards Fellowships (DFAT) - Hosted by QUT for Women in Mongolia, 2015
Training for Business Women from Nepal and Bangladesh (DFAT/UQ), 2015
UN Women: Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Summit, 2014
CMAA Leadership Summit, 2014
IWIB Long Lunch & Expo Day, 2014
He Said, She Said: Challenging our Thinking Series, 2014
Gender Economics Summit Global Conference, 2014
Australian Women's Leadership Symposium, 2014
YWCA Canberra Debate - She Leads Conference, 2014
Precedent Productions Champion Awards, 2014
NAB National Small Business Summit, 2014
Proctor and Gamble (P&G), 2014
Access to Capital Workshops, 2014
Strategic Marketing Workshops, 2014
National Rural Women’s Conference, 2014
Women in Aviation, National Summit, 2014
Champion Awards by Precedent Production, 2013
DFK Accounting Group Conference, 2013
Business Women’s Network Forum, 2013
APEC Women’s Economic Summit, 2012
Australian Association of Angel Investors, 2012
The Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA), 2012
Armidale Business Chamber, 2012
NAB National Small Business Summit, 2012
Enterprise Connect: Resilient Business: Magic or Planned Progress? 2012