What Women Are Talking About
Deep breath: Ali France, victorious Albo, Defeated Dutton, JoJo Siwa, Kath Ebbs, Valerie the feral bush sausage, Michelle Obama, telepathic kids, Gwyneth Paltrow...
Welcome to What Women Are Talking About – your weekly curation of news and pop culture from Australia’s #1 women’s podcast Mamamia Out Loud. We’re all over the internet so you don’t have to be.
What a week! Here we GO…
Ali France survived the unthinkable. Now she’s taken Peter Dutton’s seat.
In one of the most jaw-dropping moments of the 2025 election, Ali France did what no one’s ever done: toppled a sitting Opposition Leader from his own seat. After three cracks at Queensland’s Dickson, France unseated Peter Dutton with a 10.6% swing — ending nearly 25 years of Liberal reign and helping secure Anthony Albanese a second term.
But this win isn’t just political. It’s deeply personal.
A former journalist, France’s life changed in 2011 when she lost her leg after a horrific accident. Since then, she’s battled not just physical trauma but heartbreaking loss — her children’s father in 2023, and her eldest son, Henry, in 2024.
A disability advocate and single mum, France ran on cost-of-living relief and a stronger NDIS — connecting with voters through lived experience, not slogans. And when the result came in, she tearfully dedicated her win to Henry, saying, “I carried your courage with me.”
Ali France is now etched in history — not just as the giant-slayer who brought down Dutton, but as the face of persistence, purpose, and unimaginable resilience.
Her win is more than symbolic. It’s a sharp, clear message: the game is changing, and it looks a lot more human.
Who is Ali France? Read more of her incredible story here and watch her acceptance speech below. ⬇️
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We asked Australian women what they wanted the new PM to know. This is what they told us.
We sat down with Albo. These are the three things he wants you to know.
Peter Dutton said he’s not who you think. This was his pitch to you.
Erk. Cheating on live TV is a thing now.
JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes have finally addressed those very flirty Celebrity Big Brother vibes — and whether it was more than just friendship.
Viewers were quick to accuse JoJo of “emotional cheating” on Aussie partner Kath Ebbs after she and Chris shared a bed and formed an intense bond. Things escalated when JoJo dumped Kath at the CBB afterparty. Kath confirmed the split on TikTok, saying the emotional cheating and boundary-crossing “was not fabricated.” Oof.
Inside the house, JoJo opened up about her sexuality saying she no longer identifies as a lesbian but simply as “queer.” Her words — and her connection with Chris — raised eyebrows.
Now, both stars say it’s just a deep “soulmate friendship.” Chris called it “hard to explain.” JoJo added, “Whatever life does, life will do.”
Mate or more? No clue. But this messy, modern entanglement has reality TV fans fully hooked.
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So what’s actually going on between Chris Hughes and his ‘soulmate’ JoJo Siwa?
Hours after leaving Big Brother, JoJo Siwa and Kath Ebbs split. Now, Kath has spoken.
There’s one thing JoJo Siwa and Kath Ebbs’ breakup has taught us.
🎧 Listen to the full episode below where we discuss if there’s a right way to break the news to your partner that your relationship is over.
Michelle Obama is sick of being a shock absorber. So, she stopped. 🤷♀️
Valerie the bush sausage is alive and well.
Picture this: you're a sausage dog on a camping trip with your mum and dad on Kangaroo Island when suddenly, everything goes wrong.
You're lost in the bush with predators, and your tummy scraping along the ground because your legs are comically short, goddammit.
But read the headline and rejoice: for after 529 days solo, Valerie was captured and returned home to her parents and is physically…fine?
Valerie's survival has baffled experts, the internet and her family alike. At under 4kg, she's managed to evade eagles, snakes, and the harsh Australian elements since 2023. Imagine what you were doing in 2023. Probably not living off of dam water and roadkill.
Well, sweet Valerie was, and the expedition to capture her was extensive – taking more than a year to pull off. Now will this wild sausage struggle to re-enter society? Only time will tell…
Read Valerie’s full story here.
The children who can read minds.
Buckle up: we're about to break down The Telepathy Tapes — the podcast that went viral without you needing to press play.
Hosted by doco filmmaker Ky Dickens, the series explores the idea that non-verbal autistic kids are communicating telepathically with their parents. The method? “Spelling” — pointing to letters on a board with help from a parent. Dickens claims these kids access metaphysical realms and chat mind-to-mind.
Wild? Yes. Popular? Absolutely — the podcast has clocked over 15 million downloads. But not without backlash. Critics say Dickens skips key facts — like the fact that spelling as a communication method has been widely debunked.
Others call out the podcast’s use of the “super-crip” trope — framing disability through mystical or extraordinary abilities in ways that can actually do harm.
So, are we opening up important conversations, or falling into old, ableist traps? That’s the question critics — and listeners — are still debating.
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Katie was told her son would never speak. Then she realised he was reading her mind.
An open letter to the parents of autistic children, from Hugh Van Cuylenburg
Michelle and her two sons have autism. This is what she needs you to understand.
🎧 Listen to our full discussion about The Telepathy Tapes below.
BREAKING: Gwyneth Paltrow just ate a carb.
Now, THIS is a news story.
On her Goop podcast, Gwyneth was talking (for 36 minutes – ouch) about her relationship with food.
The actor and Goop founder discussed how she’s always been a foodie, did all the usual drinking and smoking and coffee years, and then when her father became ill with throat cancer in her mid-20s, she became obsessed with food as medicine.
She, Madonna and celebrity trainer Tracey Anderson used to skip around London with their yoga mats, trailed by stories of requesting only lentils and brown rice at events.
Gwyneth ran through the gamut of her diet history including paleo, grain free, oil pulling… it all sounds like so much work and frankly? We’re bored of it.
Obviously, it’s a big step for Gwyneth to be loosening up her strict food regime, but what we really want to know is whether you’re sick of celebrities talking about their food intake too. Go on then, spill.
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