Receiving and responding to harm | The Relationship is the Project turns one

Plus my February reading recs and laps for life

On receiving and responding to harm

When boards and orgs don’t provide the accountability each other needs, it may fall on us to do so.

This month's 'and another thing' vlog was inspired by Creative Australia, whose self-combustion over last few weeks has made international news headlines for rushing through a dodgy governance decision that seems to have gone directly against their purpose and values, and used ‘social cohesion’ as an excuse to censor artistic expression, harm individual artists and the broader sector (as well as its own reputation, peers, board members and staff), while setting a terrifying precedent in the lead-up to the upcoming federal election.

Which has got me thinking, amongst many other things, about power and powerlessness, and how we receive and respond to harm – not just within organisations (which is what most of this series has focused on so far), but as individuals, those of us on the receiving end of bad decision-making who rely on the funders, governments and organisations whose actions, increasingly, seem to harm us and our sector as much as they help. A reliance that also makes it really very scary for many of us to speak out.

Here’s Part 1:

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And Part 2:

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These vlogs are usually exclusively for my Patreon followers. You can access the full versions and archive by joining me as an advocate, ally or accomplice from just $2.50/month). With huge thanks to Tricie for joining my Patreon crew this month.

The RITP turns one

It’s been a year since we launched the second edition of The Relationship is the Project and we couldn’t be prouder.

It’s been called ‘powerful,’ ‘accessible,’ ‘compulsory reading’ and ‘a super important book for anyone working with communities,’ and has been put on the recommended reading lists of university courses and organisations all over the country (and beyond).

Huge thanks to all of our amazing contributors, readers and NewSouth Publishing for making it happen.

If you haven’t already, the team would hugely appreciate it if you could leave a review on Storygraph or Goodreads, or post and tag us on socials (@The_RITP). Or ask for a copy of the book at your local book store or library.

February reading recommendations

I read 16 books in February (for a total of 38 books in 2025 so far), including one Blak Book, two books for BookRiot’s Read Harder Challenge and four for The Diverse Baseline. My highlights were:

• With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo, thoughtful and lyrical YA about a young foodie mum following her dreams from Philly to Spain and back again;

• Comfort Food by Ellen van Neerven, accessible and gently insightful poetry about the everydayness of food, travel, family and fleeting moments;

• Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin, a sweet contemporary Pride and Prejudice reimagining and opposites-attract MF romance set in Toronto’s Muslim community; and

• Mimosa by Archie Bongiovanni, a funny and frank graphic novel about queerness and ageing, found family and changing friendships.

REMINDER: Museum Management webinars

AMaGA Victoria’s Museum Management series kicks off next week with Ian Simpson’s seminar on Building a Strong Foundation (Legal and Ethical Frameworks).

Ian will be followed by my own online workshop on Tuesday 27 May, which will look at rethinking governance beyond the status quo, purpose and values-led practice and planning, and meeting our duty of care to our leaders (including culture, alignment and succession).

You can book your place for my standalone session on the AMaGA Victoria website, or get a discount by opting for the entire four-part series.

Laps for life

In Australia, more young people die by suicide each year than car accidents or from cancer. So I’m swimming 5km this month to help make sure young people get the urgent mental health support they need - an issue that’s close to my own broken heart.

Read more on the Laps for Life website.