The Scarlet Letter podcast

Season 1 | Episode 1 | Rosemary Hunter Part 1

Have you ever wondered what a case decision might look like if it were written from a feminist perspective? In this special episode of The Scarlet Letter, host Dr Tamara Wilkinson introduces the first part of an eye-opening presentation by Professor Rosemary Hunter of Queen Mary University, London. In her many years of challenging the idea that legal judgments are set in stone, she co-organised the Feminist Judgment Projects. This was a project in which academics and practitioners gathered to imagine themselves as a judge sitting on the court of a case, rewriting the final case decision from a feminist perspective. Professor Hunter began her academic career in Australia at the University of Melbourne, then at Griffith University in Brisbane before moving to the UK in 2006. In the UK, she was a Professor of Law at the University of Kent and then moved to Queen Mary University in 2014. As of 2025, Professor Hunter has since returned to Kent Law School as a Professor of Law and Socio-Legal Studies.

Season 1 | Episode 2 | Rosemary Hunter Part 2

Professor Rosemary Hunter kicks of the second part of her presentation with a compelling discussion on the intersection of gender and law, shedding light on the often-overlooked influence of feminist perspectives in the judiciary. From it's roots, the legal system is unfair. Through better courtroom management, procedural justice, and problem-solving approaches, she highlights how the system could be more inclusive and fair to marginalised groups. Professor Hunter illuminates how the legal system also works against feminist judges, including challenges like judicial neutrality, legal precedent, and that it is only when feminist arguments are 'put' to judges, that judges can actually make feminist change.

Season 1 | Episode 3 | Patrick Emerton

Ever wondered what happens when a constitutional law expert, a feminist legal studies group, and a couple of very sharp podcast hosts walk into a recording studio? Today’s hosts Dr Azadeh Dastyari and Dr Ronli Sifiris sit down with Dr Patrick Emerton – who at the time of this podcast recording, was an Associate Professor in the Monash Law Faculty and a member of the Faculty's Feminist Legal Studies Group. He shares his thoughts on feminism, liberation, and why men can’t just sit on the side-lines sipping coffee when it comes to making feminist change. Dr Emerton discusses his perspective on feminism as a liberation movement, comparing it to other social justice movements like racial and industrial liberation. A light is shined on the unique challenges of feminism, particularly the ongoing coexistence of men and women in society, and the role men must play in fostering non-oppressive structures.

Season 1 | Episode 4 | Azadeh Dastyari

Plot twist! In this episode, we shake things up by putting last episode’s co-host Dr Azadeh Dastyari in the hot seat. Our co-hosts Dr Tamara Wilkinson and Dr Ronli Sifris welcome Dr Dastyari to talk about her journey as a feminist, a scholar, and an advocate for asylum seekers. She shares powerful childhood memories of growing up in a politically active family, including being arrested as a toddler at a protest in post-revolution Iran. From there, she traces how Virginia Woolf, Simone de Beauvoir, and some incredible teachers helped shape her feminist identity. Dr Dastyari unpacks her research into feminist issues, such as Australia’s offshore detention system, the horrific treatment of refugees, and the urgent need for change. Heavy stuff, but crucial listening.

Season 1 | Episode 5 | Ronli Sifris

As of September 2023 when Western Australia decriminalised abortion, the procedure has officially become legal nationwide. But it begs the questions – why has abortion only been fully decriminalised now? Who was making those decisions about women’s bodies? And what was being done about it? From her family’s legacy of resilience, to her cutting-edge research on reproductive rights, Dr Ronli Sifiris takes the mic and shares her journey through the legal landscape of feminism. We dive deep into abortion laws, involuntary sterilization, and the heated debates around surrogacy. She also shares insights from her empirical research on abortion clinic protests and the impact of safe access laws.

Season 1 | Episode 6 | Renata Alexander

Family law isn’t just about courtrooms and contracts—it’s about real people, real emotions, and real challenges. In this episode, we sit down with Monash Law alumna Dr Renata Alexander. Growing up in a home of Holocaust survivors, Dr Alexander learned early on about resilience, justice, and the strength of the human spirit. These values have shaped her career in family law, where she helps people navigate some of life’s most difficult moments with compassion and clarity. Dr Alexander offers insights on the complexities of family relationships, the legal protections that matter most, and the emotional weight of legal decisions.

Season 1 | Episode 7 | Kate Seear

Dr Kate Seear takes us on a deep dive into the unexpected ways law shapes our understanding of addiction, gender, and power. We break down how legal systems reinforce outdated ideas, why addiction laws often miss the mark, and how sport is its own battleground for equality. We also explore her role as co-host of The Outer Sanctum, a ground-breaking podcast that’s shifting the conversation in Australian football. As of 2025, Dr Seear is a Professor and Australian Council Future Research Fellow based at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University.

Season 1 | Episode 8 | Tamara Wilkinson

Tampons and condoms – remember when only one of these were GST-free? In this episode, Dr Tamara Wilkinson breaks down the hidden biases in finance, taxation, and venture capital, revealing how these systems often go unnoticed and quietly shape our lives. She also shares what feminism means to her – why it’s not just about equality, but about challenging the power structures that hold people back. Please note this episode was recorded before GST was finally removed from menstrual products in 2019.

Season 1 | Episode 9 | Stephanie O'Leary

This one’s for anyone who believes the law should protect the vulnerable—not punish them. We’re joined by future legal powerhouse Stephanie O’Leary, who spills the tea on how outdated welfare rules are quietly punishing women fleeing abusive relationships. Fresh from her honours thesis, Stephanie dives into the dark side of economic abuse, a form of control that’s as common as it is overlooked, and how Australia's Cohabitation Rule is making things worse. She shares the real-life moment that kickstarted her research, exposes the flaws in the system, and drops bold ideas for how we can actually fix it.

Season 1 | Episode 10 | Richard Joyce

It’s a big-picture, no-easy-answers kind of chat with Dr. Richard Joyce this episode. He takes us on a brain-tingling journey through sovereignty, power, and feminist critique—with a good dash of self-reflection along the way. Dr Joyce talks about how feminist theory has shaped his perspective as a scholar, teacher, and as one of the few men in the Feminist Legal Studies Group. From his early influences to the gendered roots of legal authority, he unpacks how patriarchy, politics, and personal responsibility all intersect in his work. Tune in for an episode that challenges assumptions and celebrates the joy of questioning everything.

Season 2 | Episode 1 | Alexandra Saltis

What happens when assisted reproduction meets law? Monash Law alum Alexandra Saltis, a once curious high school ethics student, shares her journey toward her role as a Compliance and Legal Support Officer at the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA). She unpacks how she found her way into the world of reproductive law and what it’s like helping regulate IVF clinics navigate shifting donor conception laws. She also reflects on feminism in her daily life, the impact of working in an all-women office, and the legal twists of modern surrogacy.

Season 2 | Episode 2 | Marcia Neave

Professor Marcia Neave AO has spent her life challenging injustice — and changing the system from within. In this episode, Professor Neave joins Becky Batagol to reflect on her journey from law student to trailblazing judge, feminist reformer, and Royal Commissioner. She dishes on everything from legalizing sex work to taking on the boys' club of the judiciary. Hear her powerful insights on feminist judging, the fight against family violence, and why mentoring the next generation matters now more than ever.

Season 2 | Episode 3 | Rosemary Hunter

This episode spans decades, disciplines, and feminist breakthroughs. From her party-debate awakening in the '80s to becoming a trailblazer in feminist legal scholarship and judgment rewriting, Professor Rosemary Hunter reflects on the moments and mentors that shaped her career. She shares what it’s like rewriting judgments through a feminist lens, why real-life research matters, and how we could reimagine the university if we started from scratch.

Season 2 | Episode 4 | Jessica Lake

Stolen faces, revenge porn, and robot clones – the kind of stuff horror movies are made of. In this episode, Dr Jessica Lake takes the stage and shares the history of women fighting for privacy rights, the strange loopholes in today’s laws, and the creepy rise of robots that look a little too human. Jessica shares how growing up with feminist historian Marilyn Lake shaped her worldview, and how a passion for justice and new technologies led her from film studies to law. She shares how feminism, technology, and the law collide in weird and powerful ways.

Season 2 | Episode 5 | Margrit Shildrick

In this mind-expanding episode you'll hear from Professor Margrit Shildrick — a feminist philosopher shaking up how we think about bodies, prosthetics, and what it means to be human. From heart transplants to microchimerism, she explores the messy, fascinating intersections of feminist theory, bioethics, and posthumanism. It's deep, it's weird, and it might just change how you think about yourself.

Season 2 | Episode 6 | Caroline Morgan

Ever thought about how fairness might sometimes be a double-edged sword? Caroline Morgan, from the Legal Services Board and Commissioner's Office in Victoria, shares her journey into feminism and how procedural fairness can sometimes hinder broader goals like consumer protection. She questions whether this fairness has gone too far, potentially affecting the operation of law. This episode blends legal insights, personal anecdotes, and feminist theory, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in law and gender equality.

Season 2 | Episode 7 | Sonia Lawrence

Dive into the fascinating world where feminism meets constitutional law! Sonia Lawrence, who directs the Graduate Program and the Institute for Feminist Legal Studies at Osgoode Hall Law School, shares her journey into feminism. She delves into her research on the critical analysis of equality and how it intersects with race and gender. Sonia's insights are both profound and relatable, especially when she discusses the challenges of balancing doctrinal scholarship with feminist perspectives.

Season 2 | Episode 8 | Janet Mosher

In this episode, we're graced with Professor Janet Mosher from Osgoode Hall Law School where she speaks about her incredible work in gender violence, poverty law, and access to justice for marginalised communities. She takes us on a journey from her grade eight feminist awakening to her passion for helping vulnerable populations. Revealing the tangled web of multiple legal systems, Professor Mosher shares her current research on access to justice for survivors of domestic violence.

Season 2 | Episode 9 | Angela Cameron

Law school may have forced her to work instead of organise protests, but she’s more than made up for it since - now she's running conferences, shaping policy, and mentoring future feminist lawyers with serious flair. In this episode, we welcome Dr Angela Cameron, an Associate Professor from the University of Ottowa's Faculty of Law. This episode dives into the ignition of Dr Cameron's feminist flame and shines a chandelier of insight on Canada's legal landscape. She covers bilingual legal education, surrogacy receipts, and building feminist communities from law school basements to national boards.

Season 2 | Episode 10 | Ashley Chow and Christian Lane

In this delightfully honest and uplifting episode, Monash Law students Ashley Chow and Christian Lane talk with Tamara Wilkinson about A Reasonable Standard (ARS). ARS is one of the teams that comprise the Law Ambassador Program, one of the Faculty's flagship programs. It's a student-ran team founded to tackle mental health, failure, and everything law school forgets to mention. From failing Property A to surviving campus culture shock, the duo dives into what it really means to be a law student today. There's feminism, intersectionality, sexual violence awareness, and a bold rejection of the “LinkedIn perfection” law school myth.

Season 2 | Episode 11 | Jane Bailey

Turns out being filmed by your high school teacher with a pen camera isn’t an automatic slam-dunk in court. In this episode, Jane Bailey, a Professor from the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law joins us for a lively chat about the Jarvis voyeurism case, why it ended up in front of the Supreme Court, and how she dusted off her courtroom robes to fight for girls’ rights to bodily privacy and digital dignity. She dives into her research on how tech platforms, despite their shiny promises of digital empowerment, often corral girls and young women right back into old stereotypes, all while mining their data for profit.

Season 2 | Episode 12 | Paula Gerber

This episode we welcome the woman behind the organization that spans an entire industry, bringing together everyone from tradies to architects. Professor Paula Gerber from Monash's Faculty of Law did just that with the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) in Australia. She shares her experiences growing up in a feminist household, her adventures in the male-dominated field of construction law, and her efforts to promote gender equality. She also talks about her involvement in setting up NAWIC, which has become a lifeline for many women in the industry. Closing the gap on Indigenous birth registration and advancing LGBTIQ rights are a couple of the many important feminist topics addressed in this episode.

Season 3 | Episode 1 | Debra Parkes

A prison protest might seem like a moment of rebellion, but for Debra Parkes, it’s a window into a much bigger story about justice, rights, and power. In this episode, legal scholar Debra Parkes unpacks the deep structures of power and punishment, why prisons operate as “accountability-free zones,” and how legal wins don’t always translate into real-world change. She challenges us to reimagine a system grounded in care rather than control, flipping the script on how we think about rights, responsibility, and the role of law.

Season 3 | Episode 2 | Lucy Nadj

Landing an internship in LA before even finishing uni is an ambitious career move, but Lucy Nadj has never done things by the book.In this episode, Monash Law alum Lucy Nadj takes us on a journey from her early days studying psychology to managing clients across fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. She shares how the glitz of LA internships, the real talk of early career struggles, and a knack for networking landed her at the helm of her own PR agency.

Season 3 | Episode 3 | Mary Pirozek

What started as a few portraits at McGill University turned into a nationwide movement in Canada and now, thanks to Monash Law student Mary Pirozek, it’s making waves at Monash. This episode dives into how the Law Needs Feminism Because campaign is giving students and legal professionals a platform to share personal, powerful truths. The campaign features law students, staff, and their unapologetic reasons for believing the law needs feminism. Host Dr Tamara Wilkinson and Mary unpack what it means to be radical and accessible, and why feminism in the law isn’t just necessary, it’s transformative.

Season 3 | Episode 4 | Maddy Ulbrick

Turns out “what’s mine is yours” hits differently when economic abuse is in the mix. In this episode, you'll hear from Maddy Ulbrick, a doctoral candidate in Monash's Art Faculty. Her PhD A Man's Home is a Castle and Mine is a Cage: Pathways to Remedy for Economic Abuse in Victoria tackles the murky world of money, power, and control in relationships. Maddy lifts the lid on why the legal system needs a serious feminist makeover, how financial control keeps women trapped, and what happens when you mix policy research with personal fire.

Season 3 | Episode 5 | Asher Flynn

It’s not about revenge, and it’s definitely not porn - it's image-based sexual abuse. In this episode, you'll hear from Associate Professor in Criminology Asher Flynn from Monash's School of Social Sciences to unpack why the term "revenge porn" doesn’t cut it. She dives into her research on image-based sexual abuse, exposing just how widespread and damaging this digital form of violence really is. She breaks down Australia’s world-leading legal responses, new tools being piloted by Facebook, and the quiet revolution happening in how we talk about consent, tech, and abuse.