Powerd NewsWrap 11th March 2026

Vision Australia ID  0:00  
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Speaker 1  0:21  
on the Vision Australia and reading radio networks. This is hard news.

Speaker 2  0:25  
Rap, well, hello, I am Uzi Eastham filling in for Sam Rickard today. It is the 11th of March, and of course, the articles that we are discussing today can be found on Powerd dot media. We're joined by Emma. Hello, Emma, how are you today?

Speaker 3  0:40  
I'm very well. Liz, how are you? I am good. So these articles

Speaker 2  0:43  
were released in the lead up to International Women's Day, and the theme, of course, for International Women's Day was balancing the scales. What does that mean to you?

Emma Myers  0:52  
I don't have a lot of balance physically. It's so um, tricky to say what balancing the scales means for me, but I guess it just, it's just another way of saying we deserve equality.

Speaker 2  1:07  
Now, you wrote two articles in the lead up to International Women's Day, putting the spotlight on two incredible women. So first up Naz Campanella. Well, I guess what I want to know is, how did you find these two women, and what was the process that you went through to choose these two women in particular to write about?

Emma Myers  1:24  
I think it's pretty safe to say that Naz campanelle is a household name. Many people who watch or listen to the ABC would know her voice and know her as the National Disability affairs reporter, and so she's kind of been a trailblazer for many people with disability entering the media field, because you know, before her, there wasn't someone you could look to to say, I Want to be just like her when I grow up. Yeah, she's she's really good at what she does, and I'm inspired by her every day. And I use the term inspired by in the correct way to be it's

Speaker 2  2:15  
absolutely so what were some of the highlights in your interview with Naz that you you know, it stood out to you in particular, I think,

Emma Myers  2:22  
just her work ethic and how far she goes to accommodate the accessibility requirements of the people that she interviews. You know, a lot of the work that both myself and as to relates to disability and people with lived experience of disability. And as we know, disability is a spectrum, and so we do have to be flexible when deciding how we're going to get the interview, of

Speaker 2  2:58  
course, and we will cross to Gwen Phillips, who will be reading that article

Speaker 1  3:03  
this International Women's Day. Powerd is shining a spotlight on some remarkable women with disabilities who have made a positive impact across their chosen fields of interest. The first Trailblazer is a journalist well known to many Australians for her dedication to highlighting key issues faced by the disability community nurse. Campaniella is the ABCs inaugural disability affairs reporter, and has worked for the national broadcaster since 2011 speaking with Powerd. Miss. Campaniella recalls being fascinated by the world from an early age. I was always really curious as a kid, I loved read. I loved radio. It was mostly radio that I was particularly interested in. I got a natural kind of curiosity and skepticism about people and places. So it was quite interested in journalism. From that perspective, though, she says she didn't come across many challenges with studying. Having completed a Bachelor of Communications at the University of Sydney, the now seasoned journalist explains how challenging she found the job market. I particularly chose not to disclose my disability because, in my opinion, I'd done the degree, and I had four or five years of unpaid internships and a lot to show for the experience I had. It certainly didn't reflect whether I could do the job, but I found that when I went for interviews, people would realize that I had a disability, and their interest changed very quickly. Ms Campanella recalls that they would either become hostile or it was just very clear with the interviews that I wasn't going to get the job. So it took quite a while to get one a lot of kind of tears and feeling hopeful, and then not so hopeful, but thankfully, I got the cadetship at the ABC Miss campagnalbo believes that there is plenty more the employment industry can do to improve job accessibility, starting with recruitment processes we need to follow. Focus on different ways for people to put in their applications. Is it an application that needs to be written? Is it something that can be done via video? Employers need to signal that the websites they're using are actually accessible to a range of people with disabilities? The disabilities affair reporter argues that there should be an update to the way job interviews are conducted. There are a myriad of ways that we can make the actual hiring process accessible. Is it I come and actually work in the space for a week, and then we'll see whether you're a positive candidate? Miss Campanella says, I think we also need employers to fix their internal structures. There's no point in having someone who works with a disability within your organization if they can't actually get in the door, if they can't apply for annual leave, or if they can't read their payslips because the systems are not accessible. Ms Campanella explains how important it is to learn from people within both professional and personal circles. That's how you can get a wealth of experience and knowledge behind you to keep in your back pocket. She claims, in my role as a disability affairs reporter, there's so much more that goes into my job than just a general journalism role. I have to work out how to support people based on their specific needs. I have to take the time to ensure that I am getting to know talent. The ABC reporter gave a prime example of the lengths she goes to provide accessible adjustments, outlining the scenario of filming with a family with autistic children, I might have to do some face time calls with them first so they can get to know me. I might have to create a storyboard so that they can get to know what my role is and what the role of my crew is, and how we'll operate, what we'll be doing this. Campanile explains, a lot of it is journalism, but a lot of it is also just basic humanity of care, compassion and ensuring that people feel comfortable and safe and confident when we do interviews or when we film together, and that they know what they're in for when they say yes. When asked about the women she is inspired by most there is one person who stood out from the rest. One of the women, I would say that I look up to you is probably my mum, someone who's taught me to take the time to sit and listen to people, to actually call and check in, just being a basic, decent human being. I think that's something you need to learn over time. I've learned that from the women in my family, especially mum. Sophie cusworth is the CEO of women with disabilities Australia, the peak advocacy body for the rights of women, girls and gender diverse people with disabilities. Speaking with Powerd ms cusworth recalls what it was like to grow up as a child with undiagnosed autism and ADHD I was chronically shy. When I was a kid, I would speak in whispers. I was incredibly anxious. I always felt really different. I could see everyone around me, but I couldn't reach them. I just felt like I was behind a bit of a barrier or behind a window pane. She says, When Miss cusworth received her diagnosis at 27 she claims it was a transformative and revolutionary experience. It just made sense of my whole life, and I think that was the impression my family had as well. They were not surprised having the autism diagnosis and understanding the ways in which I see relationships differently, or I socialize differently, or experienced empathy and connection differently, really made sense of that. Like many other neurodivergent teenagers, I also had a strong attachment for some of the teachers at my school. I remember my English teacher had such an influence on me. She introduced me to feminism and feminist theory, and that really sparked a passion for me. When asked what led the disability advocate to study law at university, Ms cusworth revealed that her own experience of sexual and gender based harassment had instilled in her the desire to create impactful change in the community. I can remember the first time I made a police report, actually about a man following me and engaging in sexual activities. I was a kid, it was terrifying. I really felt the profound impact of gender based violence and violence against women from an early age. Miss cuthworth explains, but I was really motivated by social justice, by what I felt was right and ethical, and really saw myself becoming a lawyer and an advocate, particularly working in the Human Rights space. Because of that understanding, the intersections of feminist theory and gender and law really stood out to me. It was why. At law school that Miss Caswell first encountered the phrase forced sterilization. It's such a horrific practice that has been diagnosed in the United Nations treaty monitoring bodies as a form of torture and a form of gender based violence. You're in an environment that sees the law as benevolent, protecting people's best interests and protecting against harm. Realistically, that's just not the case for many of our experiences as women with disabilities. The CEO explains, people are really shocked to find out that forced sterilization is still lawful and that it's still happening. It's additionally terrifying that we don't have this as a part of our conversation and a shared knowledge that this is happening, the women's rights advocate believes that while there has been progress made in the feminist movement, the disability community have been left behind in the area of sexual and reproductive rights, things haven't gone backwards for many women with disabilities, because So many people are denied their sexual and reproductive rights every day. It hasn't had the chance to go backwards, because we never made the progress. Ms cusworth claims, for many people in the disability community, there is a sheer and violent assumption that a person shouldn't have children, or won't want to or won't be capable of having children, it's incredibly challenging to just wrap your head around this denial of choice and control in your sexual and reproductive health care in the many ways that it manifests for us. On a positive note, the woman with disability CEO says the most rewarding element of her job is the ability to impact change at a policy level. When advocating for women with disability, I work at a member based organization, and the ability to go into a public forum or a government meeting and say, This is what our community is talking about, these are the various concerns around our community, is really rewarding. And I think being able to see changes, when you do see those changes, it's incredibly exciting.

Speaker 2  12:06  
Thank you. Gwen, now that article about Sophie Cosworth, it's so interesting, especially the part about forced sterilization, I didn't know that was still a thing. Yeah.

Emma Myers  12:17  
Liz, many, many people don't know that. It's still very legal, and it does continue to happen to people with disability, but predominantly women with disability.

Speaker 2  12:31  
If these people are, you know, they can give consent to, you know, having sexual intercourse, then surely they also have the right to have a say as to whether they want to, you know, go through with the pregnancy or not, right?

Emma Myers  12:47  
And look, I agree with you wholeheartedly on this issue. If you can consent to sex, you should be able to consent to pregnancy.

Speaker 2  12:58  
Now, how long has Sophie cusworth been the CEO of women with disabilities?

Emma Myers  13:03  
I think it's just going on two years. Is that this interview I did quite a while back, and the reason I used it was because it's still incredibly relevant, and nothing has changed within what we spoke about. And at that time she wasn't CEO, but about two weeks later she became CEO. So yeah, I'd say, going on two years.

Speaker 2  13:31  
So since you conducted that interview back in 2024 Do you know if there are any, you know, policies being changed at the moment, or any debates happening, like, is there any change being driven at the moment, or any change being enacted to this law?

Emma Myers  13:47  
I know that the Disability Discrimination Act is getting an update, and I know that multiple disability advocacy organizations are continuing to put forward submissions to the government to change this law or make it tighter, or just improve the overall protection of the human rights in general. So but as for a standard answer, No, nothing's changed legally.

Speaker 2  14:21  
Well, that's a wrap for this week's Powerd news app. Emma, what are you currently working on? What are some of the projects on the go for you?

Emma Myers  14:28  
I've been teasing this for quite a few weeks now. Next week, we will finally be having a look at the outdoors, the great outdoors, and how people with disabilities can get involved towards physical activity, and I'm also looking at the improvement of thoughts.

Speaker 2  14:50  
Well, Sam will be back with you next week. Thank you. Bye, for now. Bye.

Speaker 1  14:55  
You can find these articles and more by going to Powerd space. P, O, W, E, R, D, dot media, along with the podcast of this show, the Powerd news wrap was brought to you by disability media Australia. This show was produced by Sam Rickard in Adelaide studios of Vision Australia radio.