It's highly likely that Australians will soon be called to the polls to vote in a federal election. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has indicated that a stalemate on several bills before parliament will lead him to ask for a double dissolution of parliament and send us to vote, probably mid-2016....

A few years ago, I had never heard of the term 'fitspiration'. Or 'fitspo'. I certainly had never contemplated a kale smoothie or a detox tea. My Instagram feed was filled with sunsets, make-up and decadent meals in fancy restaurants. The only food afforded 'superfood status' was broccoli. We still...

Who remembers free-dress days? It was usually a gold coin donation so you could wear your own, uniform-free outfit one Friday at school. Under the guise of charity, girls would try and out-fashion each other, wearing their best outfit.

It was just one of the many times girls were...

The Sydney lockout laws have caused a significant amount of controversy since they were introduced in an effort to reduce alcohol-related violence in night life districts like Kings Cross.

The laws have their supporters and detractors. There are plusses and there are drawbacks. NSW Premier Mike Baird copped a...

Celebrity is everywhere. Not only are we inundated with films, magazines and television shows, social media allows us to 'connect' with stars. We can see what they eat, where they go on holiday and how they're working out.

We can directly tweet our favourite movie star and see what...

Several years ago, getting out of bed seemed like a monumental task. In a new job in a new city with no friends or family, I was both flailing and failing. I would come home from work and sit on the steps outside my front door and cry until I...

It has often struck me how one-sided the doctor-patient relationship can be. Doctors often know the most intimate details about a patient: their life, their health. For those of us who are lucky enough, we can even touch their hearts in the literal sense.

But how little do our...

Looking back on 2015, I cannot help but think it was some sort of rising up for strong women. Whatever their cause or background, women stood up with strong voices and argued for equality.

It really felt that there was a sort of zeitgeist for positive change towards women...

There's something about the end of the year. It's a time for reflection, whether we like it or not. We look back on the year, judging it as 'good' or 'bad', or perhaps defined by a big event. A birth, a death, a marriage or maybe a new job.

I didn't exactly cover myself in glory, academically speaking, in high school. I wasn't all that interested in the subject matter and cemented myself as an under-achiever. This was confirmed by my year 10 maths teacher telling my parents that I would never amount to anything good, like a doctor...

Last week a woman jockey won the Melbourne cup. There is an all-female space team from Russia. Women have more degrees than ever. Fifty percent of medical school graduates are women. We are uniting against female genital mutilation, reproductive rights and Malala Youseff survived being shot and now advocates for...

"I'm gonna let you finish" -- Kanye West

Kanye is a real icon for our times; fashion, music and mansplaining. Or manterrupting. Whatever the neologism may be, Kanye telling Taylor Swift at the 2009 Video Music Awards to just hang tight while he told the world she was undeserving of...

Kitty Genovese was murdered in Queens, New York in 1964. She was attacked in an alley, walking to her apartment. The murder was witnessed by at least 12 people that night, hearing her screams for help.

It was only after the final attack, where she was fatally stabbed, that the...

Before you read any further, I want to ask you a question. What is the leading cause of death for Australian women?

If you answered breast cancer, close but not quite. Shockingly, the leading cause of death for Australian women is heart disease. Breast cancer doesn't even make the top...

Growing up, I had no idea about the power of gender. None.

I did not know that I would be deemed a mother or wife first and a contributor second. I did not understand that sometimes purely being female is enough to preclude me from jobs or sports or...