Not Now, Not Ever

I first met Karen Jacobson, a little bit before Julia Gillard became the first female Prime Minister of Australia. 

Let’s just say it was in the same era of history, I was a journalist and Karen had returned to her home town from New York, to share her story and wisdom with the students at Mackay North State High School. 

More than a decade later, I watched Karen perform live for the first time, at the Misogyny Opus Not Now Not Ever with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. 

Her piece of musical work is based on Julia Gillard’s Misogyny Speech, more than 10 years on.

Karen at a piano is where her heart and soul thrives, it is where magic is made.

Not Now Not Ever, made history on stage at the MECC after almost two years, bringing Julia’s words to life in a new way. 

I was humbled to be asked to be an ambassador for this project and to attend the world premiere last Saturday was a real treat. 

But it wasn’t just a treat, it was revealing the truth of misogyny, sexism - the treatment of women and how we all deserve a better standard, when it comes to respect, equality and kindness. 

Karen’s music and performance was powerful and did the job that art is meant to do - evoke discussion. 

As I sat listening to the words of Julia Gillard’s speech and the music, it created a space to provoke thought and how we can be the change, call out bad behaviour and find the words and strength to stand up for ourselves and others.

I remember writing a newspaper column on Julia Gillard, while she was Prime Minister, calling out the bad behaviour from the public about how she was a woman , but  even more ridiculous a redhead. The voting public had already made judgements, on her sex, marital status and her hair colour. Why is it when it comes to bringing down a woman, the trolls, misogynists, go straight to our sex, appearance and relationship status? 

As I listened to Karen sing, I thought about that column I wrote. It reminded me of the newspaper articles, the general public’s comments on Julia, once she was in office.  A lot of the banter and ridicule was about her marital status, appearance, voice, even her red hair and how they never wanted a ‘ranga’ leading the country.

In my column I wrote “ Who knows maybe  Julia’s locks will set fire to parliament and will be her advantage amongst her ‘grey’ counterparts.

At the time I was thinking this isn’t fair, they wouldn’t care about any of this if she was a man. 

As an older woman, I think, we need to keep making changes, stir up the waves, call out misogyny and bad behaviour.  Women don’t have to put up with sexism, because they are women, no, we need to be seen as equal because we are women - because what we have to say must be heard. 

And that is what was the match that Julia lit all those years ago and it is up to us to keep that fight burning. 

And Karen Jacobsen is lighting the torch from that fire, from one of the country's formidable leaders. 

In Julia Gillard’s book ‘Not Now, Not Ever’ she writes:  “As these essays have revealed misogyny is both as old as time and as modern as a tweet.” 

We must keep creating art and words for equality and kindness. We are all about cancel culture, it's not about muting misogynists, it is about education. 

This piece of music is just that education that evokes change for the better. 

I hope Karen has the opportunity to grace the stage with her show again and turn the volume up on how we always learn from a moment in time and rewrite a better history for the future.  

Big love 

Fallon xoxo