Ms TRISH DOYLE (Blue Mountains) (15:59): I acknowledge the efforts of Gleebooks at Blackheath in partnership with the Varuna Writers Centre in Katoomba in organising a fantastic literary event featuring feminist author Tara Moss in the Blue Mountains this winter. Held at the iconic Carrington Hotel ballroom, and in conversation with the author, musician and academic Kate Fagan, the feisty and articulate Tara Moss discussed Speaking Out: A 21st-Century Handbook for Women and Girls. Tara addressed a room full of locals, many of them schoolgirls, in response to the question, "How can I speak out?" providing practical advice on negotiating public spaces—sometimes in the face of savage trolling, backlash and critics.

With a focus on social media and online safety, Tara offers tips on how to research, form arguments, deliver confidently, find support and handle criticism as a girl and woman. Tara is accessible, funny, passionate and lucid. She has been described as "a serious thinker" and her book as "intelligent, riveting and invigorating". I commend Speaking Out and its message: Here are some simple and necessary strategies to cope with the often disproportionately aggressive response women receive when they speak out.