If This House Could Talk

Women’s House has been addressing incest and family and gendered violence for generations. Their approach is supportive and nonviolent, honed through the dogged application of feminist and Indigenous political theory through the years of disregard during the Bjelke-Petersen era, Queensland. In those days, Women’s House workers are seen as an enemy of society. In contrast, the current acceptance of their work is evidenced through the influence of Women’s House on government policies and procedures and the slow but steady expansion of their services. Yet their work is getting harder in this time of housing shortages and economic shifts: “Whenever it gets harder to leave an unsafe environment, women and children get hurt.” Waiting times for counseling are growing and are now at six months: “We’ve never had a queue before. People could walk in off the street.” These growing existential threats in our communities are scrutinised as the workers flex their efforts toward new solutions.

This documentary supports the Women’s House vision of “a just, sustainable, violence-free world, in which power and resources are shared equally”. Since 1975, over 150 workers have functioned collectively resisting hierarchical systems of power and control which they believe drive and uphold gendered violence. This documentary follows Women’s House workers reflecting on their heritage and the impacts they have had on the lives of over 3000 women through the fifty years of their work. Women’s House workers examine their vision and how it has helped sustain their collective to become a strong, successful stand for justice and equality against a background of misogyny, which continues to drive gendered violence that threatens the well-being of communities. Then they dream a new future. This is 50 years of legislative and social progress for women in a nutshell. It exposes the position of women and children in our society in high relief to embolden communities to demonstrate their support.

This film offers audiences a glimpse of what it takes to alter the course of lives. From the times before Human Rights were recognised, up to our contemporary world where equality is sometimes on the table, Women’s House workers have organised not only by sharing decision-making within the organisation, but with each and with every woman who enters. We want to show that, no matter what the circumstances, people can respond positively to the offer of agency over their own lives. As well as working with individuals, Women’s House has a strong presence in the political world to challenge “polices, structures, processes and behaviours that treat women unjustly”. This documentary sets out to examine how this all transpires while casting a critical eye on the social and political landscapes from the heady days of the 1970s street marches to the shifting, fragmenting communities emerging today. Women’s House looks to the future, building on a solid community base where people come first.

In 2025, I worked with a new documentary collective at Women’s House to collect oral histories for their 50th anniversary celebration. During the video workshops I met several keen and talented individuals who can work with the Women’s House collective to find a way to video activities while protecting vulnerabilities.
I have known this organisation since the mid-seventies and have supported their many street actions and parties over the decades. I share an understanding of the organisation’s objectives, having been a woman working in the man’s world of the film industry since the 1980s. I have also known the painful constraint of gendered abuse.
I have worked with Karin Cheyne on several community film projects, including the above-mentioned oral histories. As a long-term worker, Karin is one of the holders of historical and contextual information about Women’s House and has agreed to be our representative to the collective. Karin is just back in Brisbane after a break away.

We will ask our audiences
– to refer to organisations like Women’s House
– to consider that there are options when life feels restricted
– to consider more equitable ways to organise
– to lobby their governments for justice
– to support the education of men in non-violence
– to donate to organisations like Women’s House
We will ask governments
– to fund organisations like Women’s House so that women can be free to live prosperous lives
– to refine policies to include goals defined by survivors
– to support survivors in constructive, sustainable ways
– to supply and prioritise housing for people affected by family and gendered violence.
– to support the education of men in non-violence