2025 Barton Pope Lecture

Jess Hill is a Walkley Award–winning investigative journalist, author, and public speaker who specialises in coercive control and gendered violence. Her groundbreaking book See What You Made Me Do won the 2020 Stella Prize and was adapted into SBS’s highest-rating documentary series. Jess has also produced the podcast The Trap, the SBS series Asking For It, and the Quarterly Essay The Reckoning on #MeToo in Australia. She has spoken at over 300 events and is widely recognised for her advocacy and education on domestic abuse and systemic reform.

Professor Manjula Datta O’Connor is a psychiatrist and academic with a focus on migrant women’s mental health, family violence, and trauma therapy. She holds honorary positions at the University of Melbourne and UNSW, and is the former Chair of the RANZCP Family Violence Psychiatry Network. As Executive Director of the AustralAsian Centre for Human Rights and Health, she led successful campaigns to criminalise dowry abuse in Australia. Her bestselling book Daughters of Durga explores cultural dimensions of abuse, and she is a frequent speaker at national literary and cultural events. Prof. O’Connor has received numerous awards for her advocacy and service, including the Victorian Senior Premier’s Award and induction into multiple honour rolls.

Stacey Nelan is a Survivor-Advocate Consultant driven by lived experience and a deep commitment to ending domestic, family, and sexual violence. She champions survivor-led change, safe workplaces, and gender equality, placing lived experience at the heart of policy and practice. Stacey’s work inspires hope, resilience, and a national movement toward justice and respect.

Cassie Bouyer-Sanderson is a senior public servant with over 20 years’ experience in health and human services. She currently serves as Assistant Director in the Office for Women, Department for Human Services, overseeing portfolios in women’s leadership, domestic and family violence, and intergovernmental partnerships. Cassie brings deep expertise in mental health, disability, child protection, and policy reform, with a strong focus on driving systemic change.