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Our Bodies

with Madison Griffiths, Tanya Hosch, Tara Rae Moss and Grace Tame, moderated by Jamila Rizvi

10 March 2024

In theatre and livestreamed

It’s a source of both strength and vulnerability, of pleasure and pain, of empowerment and trauma; and a contested site of political control. Join these trailblazing thinkers for this agenda-setting conversation about the body. Who controls it, who judges it, and what it tells us about ourselves.

How does it feel, how do you behave, when you own your body, when you are fleshly your-self?

Toni Morrison

In some ways, it was always about the body

It’s judged and pre-judged. It’s targeted and pursued. It’s loved and abused. And from almost the beginning it has been at the centre of our thinking about our rights and our freedoms. 

Join this high profile agenda-setting conversation about our bodies. From the deep connection between trauma and health disorders, to the consistently poor health outcomes for First Nations bodies regardless of social and economic status. From the contest of rights around reproductive freedom to disabled people’s fight for access and respect. From the underdiagnosis and under-treatment of chronic illness among women to the body as a consistent site of the extremes of patriarchal control. 

Join Grace Tame, Tanya Hosch, Madison Griffiths and Tara Rae Moss as they tell Jamila Rizvi about their own experience and find difference and connection across a wide range of issues to do with our bodies and, indeed, ourselves.

Sydney Opera House Presents

 

Madison Griffiths (she/her)

Madison Griffiths is a writer, artist, and producer based in Melbourne. She is the co-producer of Tender, an award-winning Broadwave podcast that follows what happens in the aftermath of abusive relationships. Her essays have been published widely in The Guardian, SBS, VICE, Meanjin, Kill Your Darlings, and more. In 2022, she won the Our Watch Award as administered by the Walkley Foundation for Excellence in Reporting on Violence Against Women and Children.

Tanya Hosch (she/her)

Tanya Hosch is the Executive General Manager of Inclusion and Social Policy at the Australian Football League and in 2021 South Australian – Australian of the year.

Ms. Hosch has a long and distinguished history in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy, advocacy, governance and is an accomplished public speaker. 

Before joining the AFL as the first ever Indigenous person and 2rd woman in their executive ranks in August 2016, Tanya was the joint campaign director of the Recognise movement for constitutional recognition.

At the AFL Tanya’s portfolios include – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues, Gender Equality, Sexuality and Gender Diversity, racism and sexism.  Tanya is tasked with the implementation of the AFL’s enhanced Indigenous strategy, advising the AFL National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council, maintenance of the Respect and Responsibility Policy, 2017, the AFL’s Gender Action Plan and the Gender Diversity Policy.

Tanya is a Co-Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group of the National Australia Bank, a Director of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, was a former board director of Circus Oz and was a member of the Referendum Council that led the process and final recommendation that resulted in The Uluru Statement from the Heart in May 2017.  A career highlight was contributing as a consultant on the ABC drama, Total Control where she later appeared in a cameo part in Season 2.

In 2021, Tanya was listed at number 6 on the Australian Financial Reviews list of Australian Cultural Influencers. In December 2022, Tanya was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Flinders University.

 

Tara Rae Moss (she/her)

Tara Rae Moss is one of Australia’s most iconic authors. Since 1999 she has written 14 bestselling books, published in 19 countries and 13 languages, including advocacy handbook for women and girls Speaking Out, her number one non-fiction bestselling memoir The Fictional Woman, and the internationally bestselling postwar historical crime novels The War Widow and The Ghosts of Paris featuring feminist PI Billie Walker and her disabled war vet assistant Samuel Baker. Her fifteenth book is due for release in 2025.

An experienced documentary host and interviewer with a passion for research and human stories, Moss hosted the true crime documentary series Tough Nuts – Australia’s Hardest Criminals for two seasons on the Crime & Investigation Network and Amazon Prime, Tara Moss Investigates on the National Geographic Channel, and the author interview show Tara in Conversation on 13th Street Universal. She was also the host, co-executive producer, and co-writer of Cyberhate with Tara Moss on Australia's ABC, examining the phenomenon of online abuse, and most recently a reporter and host of the true crime podcast, The Man in The Balaclava, for Audible.

 

 


 

Grace Tame (she/her)

Grace Tame is a leader of positive change. She is a survivor-advocate for victims of sexual assault, particularly those who were abused as children.

In 2019 Grace was assisted via the #LetHerSpeak campaign who obtained a court order on her behalf, so she could speak out publicly, under her real name as an abuse survivor. 

Now 27 and based in Hobart, Grace is a regular guest speaker for high-profile events and television programs. She uses her media profile to advocate for other vulnerable groups in the community. She is also a passionate yoga teacher and visual artist, having toured the United States with John Cleese in 2018 (Monty Python) as his personal illustrator. 

On the 30th of October, 2020, Grace was named Tasmanian Australian of the Year for 2021. 

On the 25th of January, 2021, Grace was named Australian of the Year. This award has supported Grace in advocating for, and bring awareness to, survivors of child sexual assault, empowering individuals to come forward with their stories after years of silence and pain.

Grace has since started The Grace Tame Foundation, which is a not-for-profit philanthropic organisation that campaigns for and helps to fund initiatives that work to prevent and respond to sexual abuse of children and others.

In 2022 Grace wrote and published her memoir, The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner.

Jamila Rizvi (she/her) Moderator

Jamila Rizvi is a best-selling author for adults and children, as well as a columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald where she writes about gender, diversity, politics and family. Jamila is the Deputy Managing Director at Future Women, where she champions gender equity in Australian workplaces through professional development, community and advocacy. Previously, Jamila advised the Rudd and Gillard Governments on gender, early childhood education, media and employment participation. She is a board member of the Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas, and an ambassador for PLAN International and the Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation. 

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