Gina Rushton

The West Australian • 19th September 2020

The smirking ‘psychologist’ who might change WA law

Victims speak out about Tyson Vacher, the Perth man accused of being a fake psychologist.

Crikey • 6th September 2020

Women facing violence need protection — and their visa status shouldn't matter

Women affected by domestic violence should have access to all the social support they require. Visa status shouldn't get in the way of that. Anjali* had to make a terrifyingly quick decision in 2016 when her husband held a broken glass and threatened to kill her.

Ideas at the House • 19th August 2020

Abusive Cultures at All About Women 2020

Jess Hill and Sanam Maher, expert journalists on gendered abuse, come together in a cross cultural discussion about the universal emergency of violence against women. Hosted by Gina Rushton, as part of All About Women 2020.

13th August 2020

Changing the conversation on violence against women from WalkleyTalks Podcast

Statistics show that in Australia, on average, one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner. With gender-based violence at such critical levels, how influential can the media be in educating Australians, and ultimately changing behaviours to prevent violence? In this episode you’ll hear from journalists who are leading the way in this space: * Gina Rushton, Buzzfeed News, 2019 Our Watch Fellow * Sarah Malik, SBS Life, 2019 Our Watch Fellow * Alison Dance, 10 Daily, 2019 Our Watch Fellow.

Crikey • 29th July 2020

Talks: Me Too, cancel culture and the chilling effect of the Rush case

Crikey invited journalists Jacqueline Maley, Gina Rushton and Inq's Georgia Wilkins to discuss whether Australia is likely to see more Me Too stories emerge. The Me Too movement has uncovered horrific tales and outed high-profile abusers. With survivors feeling more confident to come forward, how should journalists cover these stories ethically? What makes a story stand up, and how should journalists mitigate the risk of defamation and allegations of cancel culture?

Crikey • 28th June 2020

NSW victims of crime now have a new obstacle to collecting compensation

Thanks to cost-cutting, victims of crime will essentially take on the work of public servants. This month the NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman passed landmark reforms to child sexual assault proceedings. He declared the changes could never take away a survivor’s pain, but they would help “deliver justice for survivors across NSW”. But on Friday, the government announced a controversial change to the state’s Victims Services scheme.

Crikey • 21st June 2020

Employers have a duty to keep staff safe, no matter where they work

A landmark ruling has brought into sharp relief the potential responsibilities of Australian employers to workers experiencing violence. As the line between work and home continues to blur during the coronavirus pandemic, a landmark ruling has brought into sharp relief the potential responsibilities of Australian employers to thousands of workers who are experiencing violence.

7am • 7th June 2020

Killed during the pandemic

From the beginning of the lockdown, domestic violence workers warned of the heightened risk of abuse – especially for women on temporary visas. Last month, a woman was killed in exactly that situation. Gina Rushton on how the sector has responded. 7am is a daily show from The Monthly and The Saturday Paper.

The Saturday Paper • 30th May 2020

Temporary visa holders at risk

“I think of it as a Choose Your Own Adventure book where every door is locked,” says Diana Sayed, chief executive of the Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights. She describes the path offered to women in Australia on temporary visas who are seeking to leave a violent relationship. It’s a stark reality that was brought into focus last week when Kamaljeet Sidhu, a 27-year-old international student living in Sydney’s north-west, was fatally stabbed in her home. Her husband, Baltej Lai

Buzzfeed • 28th April 2020

Victims Of Violence Will Now Have To Gather Evidence Themselves To Get Compensation In NSW

Victims of crime in the Australian state of New South Wales will have to gather their own evidence to support claims of violence under a controversial change that has taken community services by surprise in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. If you have been the victim of a crime and are seeking counselling or compensation in New South Wales, the long-standing process has been that you submit a form outlining when you think the crime occurred and what the injury was, whether that is physical

Buzzfeed • 1st April 2020

Violent Perpetrators Are Using The Coronavirus As An Excuse For Domestic Abuse, Frontline Workers Say

There has been an uptick in women accessing family violence services since the coronavirus outbreak began, and perpetrators are using the pandemic as an “excuse” for violent and coercive behaviour, according to frontline workers in the Australian sector.

Buzzfeed • 12th March 2020

Every Day 63 Women Fleeing Violence Are Turned Away From Services In New South Wales

There are two big events on the calendar today for Australian domestic and family violence organisations. The first is the Council of Australian Governments where federal and state governments will discuss the domestic and family violence crisis. A letter authored by the Australian Women Against Violence Alliance and Fair Agenda has been signed by 84 groups, and sets out five interventions they say can and must be locked in at the meeting.

Buzzfeed • 2nd March 2020

Would It Be Easier To Say Awful Stuff About Women In The Workplace Under The Government's New Bill? Lawyers Say Yes.

You’re a woman in the workplace and a colleague says that women should be obedient or subservient to their husbands, that single mothers are sinners, or that abortion is murder. You try to make a complaint to your state or territory anti-discrimination tribunal, or to the Human Rights Commission under the Sex Discrimination Act.

Buzzfeed • 21st February 2020

Is The Australian Media Victim-Blaming Or Being Legally Cautious? We Asked A Lawyer.

Fox Sports Australia ran the headline: "Ex-NRL player Rowan Baxter dies alongside his three kids, estranged wife in Brisbane car fire tragedy". The headline was later changed: "Wife dies hours after her children were killed in car inferno lit by league player father".

Buzzfeed • 18th February 2020

The #MeToo Movement Has Reached One Of The World's Most Remote Workplaces: Antarctica

Women scientists face enough barriers to conducting polar research in Antartica, says professor Meredith Nash — the clothing is ill-fitting and managing menstruation discreetly is near impossible. "It is a place set up for white men," Nash told BuzzFeed News. But it is also a uniquely isolated and intimate workplace to navigate sexual harassment. "There are a lot of really difficult power dynamics because if you're out in the field for say six weeks, you can't leave and it is really hard to

Buzzfeed • 18th December 2019

She Can't Forgive A Newspaper For Focusing On A Broken Sex Toy After Her Boyfriend "Viciously" Assaulted Her

That was the headline on a story about how Northern Territory woman S. was violently assaulted in 2015 by her ex-boyfriend, who narrowly avoided jail time. Years on, she still remembers how it felt to have her assault reported in that way. "I was 21 and traumatised and the sensationalist chuckles and jokes of irresponsible media reporting made me feel humiliated and furious," the now 25-year-old told BuzzFeed News. "Once the anger faded I just felt exhausted and violated, and that's still what I

Buzzfeed • 6th December 2019

This Sexual Assault Survivor Decided Not To Press Charges. Then Police Took Away Her Other Option.

Marie — a pseudonym to protect her privacy — is a cautious online dater. “I usually go through a long vetting process of talking with them online first,” the 32-year-old told BuzzFeed News. “I like to think I’m really careful with people and I don’t do one-night stands.” Marie lives in a sharehouse of single women who always share a man’s details, sometimes even licence plate numbers, with each other before going on dates. But safety measures were of no use to her when she was allegedly sexual

Buzzfeed • 21st November 2019

Pregnancy Is A Risk Factor For Violence. Midwives Have Known This For Years.

Hannah Dahlen will never forget when she was a student midwife and a woman came to the hospital, the imprint of a studded football boot on her pregnant belly. “We got him out of the room and we said [to her] ‘we need to report what he did to you and you need to find safety for yourself and we can help you with that, and think about the child coming into this’,” Dahlen, now a professor of midwifery and director of higher degree studies at Western Sydney University, told BuzzFeed News.

Buzzfeed • 18th November 2019

A Journalist, Editor, Survivor, Lawyer, And Academic Weigh In On What's Holding Back #MeToo In Australia

In the United States, allegations against Harvey Weinstein propelled a flood of investigations and the downfall of more than 200 public figures, but there has been a relative dearth of #MeToo stories published in Australia — even accounting for differences in population — where an astonishing 85% of women have experienced sexual harassment. Most high profile #MeToo stories in Australia, excluding allegations made about celebrity gardener Don Burke, have been overshadowed by legal proceedings.

Buzzfeed • 12th November 2019

The Identities Of Rape And Assault Survivors Were Accidentally Revealed In A #MeToo Documentary

Australia’s public broadcaster has been forced to apologise after it distributed to journalists a documentary about the #MeToo movement that identified survivors of rape and assault without their consent. The names, images and harrowing stories of two women were clearly visible in a preview copy of Silent No More, a three-part documentary series produced for the ABC by Southern Pictures, and presented by journalist and author Tracey Spicer.