1
00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,760
Speaker 1: Good morning and welcome to the Daily Oz. Today is Friday.

2
00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:06,040
Speaker 1: It's the fourth of March and I am joined by

3
00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:09,039
Speaker 1: Mariah Laddis to take you through the day's news. Mariah

4
00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:09,799
Speaker 1: kick us off.

5
00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:14,200
Speaker 2: An investigation has been launched by the International Criminal Court

6
00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:16,680
Speaker 2: into whether the potential war crimes have been committed in

7
00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:20,560
Speaker 2: Ukraine after Russia has been accused of bombing civilians. Thirty

8
00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:24,600
Speaker 2: nine countries, including Australia, called for the investigation to be opened.

9
00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,120
Speaker 1: According to the UN, one million people have fled Ukraine

10
00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:30,920
Speaker 1: since Russia's invasion just one week ago. Most of the

11
00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,159
Speaker 1: individuals who have fled from Ukraine have crossed into Poland,

12
00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:37,680
Speaker 1: with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees tweeting, in

13
00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:40,680
Speaker 1: just seven days, we've witnessed the exodus of one million

14
00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:42,919
Speaker 1: refugees from Ukraine to neighboring countries.

15
00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,960
Speaker 2: Victorian survivors of the Stolen Generation who were removed from

16
00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,320
Speaker 2: their families before nineteen seventy seven are set to receive

17
00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,320
Speaker 2: one hundred thousand dollar payments. The payments are part of

18
00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:56,360
Speaker 2: a one hundred and fifty five million dollar package announced

19
00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,800
Speaker 2: by the Victorian government yesterday. The government will also issue

20
00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:02,080
Speaker 2: a personal apology to those survivors.

21
00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,360
Speaker 1: Finally, some good news for your Friday. One hundred and

22
00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,600
Speaker 1: seventy three countries, including Australia, have agreed to begin negotiations

23
00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:13,880
Speaker 1: on an international agreement to tackle plastic pollution. The resolution,

24
00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,400
Speaker 1: which was agreed to at the United Nations Environment Assembly,

25
00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:20,919
Speaker 1: will look to develop a legally binding treaty on plastics,

26
00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:24,400
Speaker 1: with the UNA describing the agreement as the most significant

27
00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:32,320
Speaker 1: environmental deal since the Paris Accord. Mariah, I think you

28
00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:35,080
Speaker 1: would agree. There is a lot happening in the news

29
00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,479
Speaker 1: at the moment. But to give you a break from

30
00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:40,280
Speaker 1: the intensity and to provide you with a bit of inspiration,

31
00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:43,640
Speaker 1: we wanted to bring you an interview with Manal al Shariff.

32
00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:47,160
Speaker 1: She's a Saudi women's rights activist who helped to start

33
00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,320
Speaker 1: a right to drive campaign in twenty eleven. She saw

34
00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:52,440
Speaker 1: the injustice of women not being able to drive in

35
00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:55,200
Speaker 1: Saudi Arabia and got behind the wheel of her car

36
00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,360
Speaker 1: and protest. When thousands of other women joined her, a

37
00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:02,240
Speaker 1: movement began and today women can indeed drive in Saudi Arabia.

38
00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:05,680
Speaker 1: Manala is speaking at this weekend Social Good Summit, and

39
00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,359
Speaker 1: earlier today she spoke to Sam.

40
00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:12,280
Speaker 3: Manw I'd love to start right at the very beginning

41
00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,200
Speaker 3: of your story. What was it about driving in Saudi

42
00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:21,320
Speaker 3: Arabia that made you so compelled to use that as

43
00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,480
Speaker 3: your pillar for changing Saudi Arabian society.

44
00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:28,720
Speaker 4: Well, that's a big question. It was a personal necessity,

45
00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,160
Speaker 4: which is so funny. It wasn't that big issue. I

46
00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:36,280
Speaker 4: needed to drive my car as a divorced mother of

47
00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:40,919
Speaker 4: one boy that I couldn't take him to his hospital

48
00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,680
Speaker 4: or school, and I needed constant need of a driver,

49
00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:47,680
Speaker 4: and living in the States, I got my driver's license,

50
00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:49,760
Speaker 4: so I knew how to drive, and I had a

51
00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,560
Speaker 4: car that I couldn't drive. So it's purwed necessity, a

52
00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:57,040
Speaker 4: personal necessity. And by the way, I hate driving. I

53
00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,480
Speaker 4: never liked driving. I was scared. We know I was

54
00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:02,000
Speaker 4: driving the first time. But I think what happened is

55
00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,160
Speaker 4: when I posted the video of me driving when I

56
00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:08,720
Speaker 4: knew there was no law inside Arabia, the preventters and

57
00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,600
Speaker 4: we were just the out of spring was huge. So

58
00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:14,239
Speaker 4: we found oh my god, we can use social media

59
00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,040
Speaker 4: to make this issue heard. And I wanted other women

60
00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:20,880
Speaker 4: to join me and drive their cars if they have

61
00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,360
Speaker 4: driver's license. So I posted a video of me driving

62
00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,400
Speaker 4: on YouTube. I had no clue would be number one

63
00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:30,040
Speaker 4: trending video in all of Saudi Arabia that day. And

64
00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:31,880
Speaker 4: I had no clue I would be sent to jail

65
00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,280
Speaker 4: for that video and for driving wild female. And I

66
00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:38,760
Speaker 4: think that would made medialize how big of an issue

67
00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,920
Speaker 4: because of the action of the government and the society.

68
00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:46,600
Speaker 4: It's the most public display of empowerment for women is

69
00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:50,080
Speaker 4: to have to just sit behind the driving in a car.

70
00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,320
Speaker 4: That's something you didn't see in public inside Arabia. Women

71
00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,360
Speaker 4: are supposed to be invisible, and so driving was really

72
00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:00,880
Speaker 4: for us the key for change the whole society Sabia

73
00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:02,600
Speaker 4: and you can see that today.

74
00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,240
Speaker 3: And how quickly was it until you had support from

75
00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:08,480
Speaker 3: other Saudi women instantly.

76
00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,920
Speaker 4: That's the funny thing. When we posted the event in Facebook,

77
00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:14,040
Speaker 4: we had one hundred and twenty thousand people joining that

78
00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:18,080
Speaker 4: event in a week. It was just unheard of. And

79
00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:21,240
Speaker 4: then when we moved to Twitter. I remember the first

80
00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:23,960
Speaker 4: night in Twitter, we got ten thousand followers in Twitter.

81
00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:27,239
Speaker 4: It was huge and everyone was talking about it until

82
00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:29,719
Speaker 4: I was sent to jail. In one way, it held

83
00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:32,160
Speaker 4: us when I was sent to jail because it even

84
00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:36,200
Speaker 4: gave it international publicity. I'm pretty sure even in Australia

85
00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:37,760
Speaker 4: you heard about the woman who was sent to jail

86
00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:41,200
Speaker 4: for driving. So that was actually the push that gave them.

87
00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:46,560
Speaker 4: Because Sadaabia there are a very conservative country, change happened slowly.

88
00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:50,479
Speaker 4: They don't want anyone to shake the grounds, and the

89
00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:53,120
Speaker 4: out of spring was happening. All eyes were on us.

90
00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:57,000
Speaker 4: So it was really the right moment to attract all

91
00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:02,080
Speaker 4: that international media attention. And so a lot of women

92
00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:04,800
Speaker 4: in the country supported the movement and a lot of

93
00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:08,039
Speaker 4: women outside the country, and I think it it made

94
00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:11,800
Speaker 4: big difference that we received international support from women around.

95
00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:15,560
Speaker 3: The world and so were now over ten years passed

96
00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:21,119
Speaker 3: that moment. What is the situation with driving for women

97
00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:22,440
Speaker 3: in Saudi Arabia today?

98
00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:27,680
Speaker 4: I published my book Dating to Drive in June twenty seventeen.

99
00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:33,440
Speaker 4: Three months later, the royal decree comes and announced lifting

100
00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:36,400
Speaker 4: the bank. I didn't say women were allowed to drive.

101
00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,719
Speaker 4: I'd say women won the right to drive because we

102
00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:44,080
Speaker 4: had to fight for that. The situation was in I

103
00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:47,480
Speaker 4: was happy, but at the same time, all the women

104
00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,880
Speaker 4: and I mean every single woman who was part of

105
00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:54,400
Speaker 4: the woman to Drive movement was targeted, was either imprisoned

106
00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:58,320
Speaker 4: or prevented from leaving the country. Her family was targeted too,

107
00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:03,159
Speaker 4: So it was very conflict emotions, Like in one hand,

108
00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,039
Speaker 4: we see these beautiful reforms when it comes to women

109
00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:09,160
Speaker 4: empowerment in my country and equality, and in the second hand,

110
00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:12,840
Speaker 4: women who fought badly and stelf fighting for that been targeting.

111
00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:16,680
Speaker 4: So it came hand in hand and it's conflicting emotions.

112
00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:20,360
Speaker 4: I'm very happy to see my country, women and men

113
00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:24,960
Speaker 4: celebrating a lot of progress when it comes to women's rights,

114
00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:29,640
Speaker 4: and women's rights really contribute to the whole society. They

115
00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:34,440
Speaker 4: had to pass the first anti harassment law inside Arabia

116
00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:37,440
Speaker 4: before women are out in the street. That's a law

117
00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:41,440
Speaker 4: that we fought decays for that. Women want to feel

118
00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:44,600
Speaker 4: safe in the street and men who harass them they

119
00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,800
Speaker 4: get no punishment. So for us there was like it

120
00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,520
Speaker 4: was like more of a domino effect. Women can now

121
00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:55,160
Speaker 4: do jobs, can drive herself. They're talking more about going

122
00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:57,600
Speaker 4: to school actually to get your driver's license, so men

123
00:06:57,640 --> 00:06:59,920
Speaker 4: and women have to go to school. Said Arabia had

124
00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:04,440
Speaker 4: most dangerous roads in the world. Number one fatality rate

125
00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:08,040
Speaker 4: comes because of accidents because women can't drive and I

126
00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:08,800
Speaker 4: believe me.

127
00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:10,360
Speaker 3: I wow, this is a.

128
00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:14,360
Speaker 4: Statement I make with full confidence. Because women didn't drive.

129
00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:18,400
Speaker 4: We had kids driving drivers who didn't come from overseas,

130
00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:21,640
Speaker 4: don't speak the language and understand the rules. Now it's

131
00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:24,120
Speaker 4: very strict. You have to go to a school to

132
00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:27,760
Speaker 4: get your driver license. You can't just drive, which is unbelievable.

133
00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:31,080
Speaker 4: So you have safer roads for us, for our society,

134
00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:32,840
Speaker 4: for our kids, and for women too.

135
00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:36,400
Speaker 3: Sounds like it was a pretty profound impact. You're now

136
00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:38,600
Speaker 3: based in Australia. Do you see yourself going back to

137
00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:42,480
Speaker 3: Saudi Arabia to continue to push further reforms and get

138
00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:44,840
Speaker 3: involved in the political system? Would you go that far?

139
00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:49,559
Speaker 4: On a self imposed exile in Australia for four years

140
00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:52,360
Speaker 4: now called Sydney, where I lived my little piece of heaven.

141
00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:56,160
Speaker 4: It's the most beautiful place and I'm happy here. I

142
00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:58,920
Speaker 4: don't think it can go back with the current political

143
00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:02,880
Speaker 4: regime insaid Arabia. They don't have anything promising. I haven't

144
00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:04,760
Speaker 4: been to my country for the last four years and

145
00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:08,119
Speaker 4: I'm spreading from my kid. I don't see political, civil

146
00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:12,960
Speaker 4: rights and human rights reforms happening. It's all distractions, like

147
00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,320
Speaker 4: they held this largest music festival. Used to be a

148
00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:19,640
Speaker 4: crime to listen to music, a crime like you can

149
00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:22,560
Speaker 4: be arrested if you listen to music in your car

150
00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:25,880
Speaker 4: by the religious police. Now they're doing all these things,

151
00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:27,760
Speaker 4: But for me, it's more of a distraction from the

152
00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:32,000
Speaker 4: main issue, that is, you can't run a country as

153
00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,600
Speaker 4: an absolute monarchy. It's one of the last standing absolute

154
00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:39,120
Speaker 4: monarchies in the world. You really need constitutional monarchy. And

155
00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:40,720
Speaker 4: I think then I might go.

156
00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:44,000
Speaker 3: Back one more question for you on the state of

157
00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:47,760
Speaker 3: play in the Middle East currently. What role do you

158
00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:53,000
Speaker 3: think the international community has to play to ensure women's

159
00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:55,960
Speaker 3: rights are upheld, particularly in a place like Afghanistan, which

160
00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:59,439
Speaker 3: has had a tumultuous twelve months. Of course, what's the

161
00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:02,400
Speaker 3: role of tries like Australia and the United States.

162
00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:06,760
Speaker 4: It's very complicated, Sam, this question can be answered. There

163
00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:09,120
Speaker 4: are a lot of historical backgrounds here that are going

164
00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,440
Speaker 4: to get through. When we look at the West, a

165
00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:16,440
Speaker 4: lot of things happen with it in Arabia, Saudi Arabia,

166
00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:21,160
Speaker 4: the Arabian Peninsula, the Arab Spring, Afghanistan and Iraq. We

167
00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:26,480
Speaker 4: don't look with faverism to all those interference. Unfortunately, it's

168
00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:29,600
Speaker 4: a story that's told from both sides. What's happening in

169
00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:33,720
Speaker 4: Yemen too, with the assistance of the West the m

170
00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:36,600
Speaker 4: in war. So it's very complicated question to say what

171
00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:40,360
Speaker 4: the word role these governments can play. I've talked to

172
00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:43,600
Speaker 4: the people. I'd say the people of these countries need

173
00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:49,040
Speaker 4: to hold their countries accountable for their interference or their

174
00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:54,320
Speaker 4: support to non democratic regimes, because democracy shouldn't be just

175
00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:58,079
Speaker 4: stops at your border. You don't check your values at

176
00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,600
Speaker 4: the door. I think that's the role that the people

177
00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:05,920
Speaker 4: need to be. Politically active. People need to ask and

178
00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:09,319
Speaker 4: question their governments, and I think that's the only way

179
00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:11,720
Speaker 4: that you can help yourself first and then the world

180
00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:12,240
Speaker 4: around you.

181
00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,280
Speaker 3: Big answer, Manal, I'll share you. Thank you so much

182
00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:18,200
Speaker 3: for joining us on the daily ours. Have a great weekend.

183
00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:19,000
Speaker 4: Thank you.