A new initiative, launched Wednesday 20 November 2024, challenges the masculine bias inherent in the reporting and recording of Australian speeches.

Madam Speaker is a pioneering digital archive showcasing women’s significant contributions as public speakers and community advocates over decades. Madam Speaker fills a critical void by addressing the longstanding underrepresentation of women’s voices in the public record, showcasing impactful orations from women across various industries, including arts and culture, disability rights, gender issues, and military service.

“Australian women have been speaking out on their own terms and in their own styles for a long time. Yet, books of speeches, and forums like the prestigious National Press Club, privilege the voices and interests of men,” said Mary Crooks AO, Executive Director of the Victorian Women’s Trust. “It’s as though it is mainly men who exercise authority and thought leadership. With Madam Speaker we ask, why is this so? And what can we do to challenge and erode this bias?”

Born from a collaboration between the Victorian Women’s Trust and leading digital agency, Your Creative, Madam Speaker is intentionally disruptive. “Our goal is to set the public record straight and challenge the invisibility that is accorded to women and gender diverse people,” said Your Creative founder, Lauren Crystal.

Image: Your Creative co-founder, Lauren Crystal, pictured on left with content strategist Cara Shrivastava.

With an archive of over 200 speeches ranging from pre-World World 1 to present day, Madam Speaker has great potential as an important educational tool for academics, students and teachers. “Beyond a clear desire to elevate women’s voices, Madam Speaker is a highly-accessible, open source tool that will grow over time,” said Lauren Crystal, from Your Creative. “This isn’t a standard campaign; we’re activists and technologists using tech to redefine what women’s leadership actually looks and sounds like in practice.”

Both Lauren and Mary agree that Madam Speaker’s relevance depends on growing the archive. “Madam Speaker features some incredible examples of public speaking, but we know there are even more yet to be added to the archive,” said Mary Crooks. “That’s why we are inviting Australians to get in touch and submit their favourite speeches given by women or gender diverse people.

Image: Your Creative

“We want Madam Speaker to be the most representative archive of women’s voices in the country. By 2026, we aim to have at least 800 speeches listed,” adds Lauren. “The hope is it will have enough material to analyse and learn from our collective history. We’ve got big ambitions to build a learning tool for women.”

“Ultimately, this project is about reshaping ideas around authority and leadership, showing that these qualities are not the preserve of men in our society”, Lauren continues. “We want to provide the next generations of women with the practical tools to speak with confidence and fearlessly take up leadership positions.”

Learn more: www.madamspeaker.org.au
Want to contribute? Visit Madam Speaker and nominate your favourite speech by an Australian woman. Read the submission guidelines here.