Missing Perspectives

TW: Discussion of sexual assault It goes without saying that in the past two weeks, three high-profile matters involving allegations or reports of sexual assault have generated significant media attention in Australia. Across the coverage of these stories, much of the public conversation has quickly turned to consequences for the boys and men involved or connected to the cases: What will happen to their futures? Where wrongdoing is established, accountability matters. So does due process.

Another month is upon us friends, and I don’t know about you, but I for one am chomping at the bit for some new releases. Whether it be a festive-season themed collection of 12 short love stories to the feminist answer to Fifty Shades of Grey, this list had got you covered for all of the best stories platforming women’s stories and voices this month. Enjoy our September selects, and remember – when shopping at QBD Books you can use the code BOOKSMART for 5% off your order (what’s not to love?!).

CW: Discussion of sexual assault My childhood was all about the Swannies. For 15 years, we went to almost every home game. I knew every player’s name and number, went to fan days for photos and autographs, and spent weekends revolving around the footy. This was, of course, before the AFLW existed, not that it fazed me back then. Who knew a professional women’s competition was even possible?

There is a dangerous idea at the heart of the debate over the NDIS: that some parts of the lives of people with disabilities are essential, while others are optional. Too often, activities like playing sports, or participating in the community, are treated like extras. But they are not. And as a para-equestrian myself, I know just how critical community participation is.

Content warning: gender discrimination and sexual assault According to the World Health Organisation, there are an estimated 2.1 billion people menstruating worldwide. Menstrual health remains a leading health issue around the world, which is why Days for Girls Nepal (DfG) are working to create a world where periods are never a problem. Since it was founded in 2015, the non-governmental organisation has reached more than 70,000 women and girls across 44 local districts.

Sisonke Msimang is a South African-Australian writer, activist and political analyst based in Perth, whose focus is on race, gender and politics. She is the author of Always Another Country: A memoir of exile and home, and The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela, and has been published in The New York Times, Al Jazeera and The Guardian. Missing Perspectives chatted with Sisonke ahead of her headline appearance at Sydney’s Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

Like all career-focused women in their mid-twenties, I spend a lot of time daydreaming about disconnecting from the growing demands of my adult life with an extravagant overseas adventure. A trip where I’d meet the version of myself I might be if I wasn’t worried about rent or work deadlines. I had no travel on the cards for this year and assumed I’d be doomed to live vicariously through everyone else’s Instagram posts.

As we enter the second half of the year, Booksmart’s Sunny Adcock and Allie Daisy King are back with their July book club: Muñeca by author Cynthia Gómez. The short novel comes in at under 200 pages, but nonetheless provides plenty of captivating twists and turns to grip readers. It’s set in 1968 Oakland, where we find protagonist Natalie Fuentes, a queer, Latine, working class witch who sets out to rescue Violeta Miramontes.

Data in the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2022 National Health Survey (NHS) indicated 61% of females were living with at least one long-term health condition in 2022. Yet, women’s health is a space that doesn’t receive nearly as much attention as it deserves. We’re talking about a lack of awareness about particular conditions to the underfunding of support services, and women feeling comfortable to talk about their bodies and minds without feeling judged or shamed.

This year marks 50 years of NAIDOC Week. In honour of this milestone, the 2026 theme is ‘50 Years of Deadly’ – paying homage to the “community, culture and leadership across generations” over the past five decades. As the National NAIDOC Committee explains here, the week pays attention to the “stories, the marches, the languages, the art, the leadership” of Indigenous people over the years, and also “the strength it took to get here” across various generations who “refused to be silenced”.