50 years of feminism, politics, power and change, witnessed by one of Australia’s most influential voices. What does it take to make sense of the world we live in?

For 5 decades, Anne Summers AO has been watching, questioning and challenging it. Trailblazing feminist, journalist, commentator and author, Summers has chronicled the people, politics and cultural shifts that have transformed Australia and the world. Now, in Witness, she brings together her most powerful reportage, essays, interviews and articles in a remarkable first-ever collection.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear one of Australia’s great feminist voices reflect on five extraordinary decades of change.

Anne Summers AO will appear in conversation with Deputy Director of the Global Institute of Women’s Leadership, Dr Elise Stephenson, exploring the people, events and ideas that have shaped our past and what they can tell us about our future.

This event is in partnership with Canberra Writers Festival.

About Witness

From Cate Blanchett and Robert Caro to Germaine Greer and Monica Lewinsky, Faith Bandler and Rosie Batty, Summers introduces us to the people behind the headlines and the stories that continue to shape our lives.

She revisits the bitter politics of the Julia Gillard era, examines the unexpected legacy of Malcolm Fraser and reveals how John Howard transformed the agenda for women’s equality. She takes us from the Mexican patron saint of drug runners to the aftermath of the Ariana Grande concert bombing, and from women marching against rape in war on ANZAC Day to deeply personal reflections on family, memory, grief and identity.

Provocative, personal and sharply observant, Witness is more than a collection of journalism. It is a portrait of the last 50 years and an essential lens through which to understand the tumultuous world we inhabit today. 

About Anne Summers AO

Anne Summers AO attended the University of Adelaide before moving to Sydney, where she became active in the women’s movement and began her writing career. In 1975, after the publication of Damned Whores and God’s Police, she joined The National Times as a feature writer. In 1979, she was appointed political correspondent for the Australian Financial Review. During her 5 years in the Canberra Press Gallery, she was also Canberra correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review and Australian correspondent for Le Monde. 

In 1983, Summers was appointed to head the Office of the Status of Women. She rejoined the Australian Financial Review in 1986 as US editor and was also the North American manager for John Fairfax Ltd. From 1987 to 1989, she was editor-in-chief of Ms. Magazine and co-owner of Matilda Publications Inc., which owned Ms. and Sassy magazines. She returned to Australia in 1992 to become a political consultant to Prime Minister Paul Keating, a position she held until just after the 1993 federal election. 

From 1993 to 1997 she was editor of Good Weekend Magazine. She is the author of 8 books, including Gamble for Power, Ducks on the Pond, The End of Equality, The Misogyny Factor and Unfettered and Alive. She is Professor at the UTS Business School, where she continues her research on domestic and family violence. 

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