In 2003, when I introduced myself as an MP with my maiden speech in parliament, I articulated my centralist, small ‘l’ liberal principles. I argued that values are not something to be on display in the morning and forgotten in the afternoon. 

As a little girl nothing compared to the smell of a new Barbie. It smelt like love and ambition. It smelt like a new job. Independence. I remember the pink of the box. The shine of her blonde hair stapled to cardboard. Her tiny pointy feet pushed into stilettos. Her giant nipple-less breasts screaming to the world that she was an unashamed sexual icon who clearly wouldn’t be breastfeeding. It seemed like a very sexualised toy for a kid. I think that’s why I love her so much.

Becoming a feminist changed my life. For me it was like finding home. It was fiercely intellectual. Fiercely compassionate. It was fiercely just. Feminism showed...

How much do you talk about your vagina? And if you do, what do you say? A group of local women have been gathering weekly...