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Rowena Specht-Whyte

@rowena_sw

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Masters grad, writer, singer, songwriter, feminist, geek, queer, disability advocate, disabled, previously a lawyer.

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Excellent being on a panel today on “Disability Advocacy in the Age of Austerity” with some excellent speakers, including Bailey from SUFY and Danny from Amparo Advocacy today… and with this amazing human @orielaa !! 🔥🔥🔥 by @rowena_sw

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18 days ago

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22 days ago

Well that’s embarrassing. Dyscalculia strikes again. I calculated maths incorrectly! Sweep is actually just 19 years old! His date of birth I assigned with the vet was 10 September 2007, because I got him in early May 2008 as a stray and the vet assessed him as 7-8 months old.

Here are photos from the first day I met him in May 2008, and a couple from 2008 once we got him home!

Got too excited about him turning 20, and here it is just me miscalculating. 🫠 🫠 by @rowena_sw

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24 days ago

Look how frikken cute we are! Actually got to see @susannahmay_ in person finally and we have PROOF! 🤩 by @rowena_sw

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a month ago

Gentle purrs of a 19 year old cat. My Sweep, my heart on four paws. Sound up for deep soothing. by @rowena_sw

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a month ago

Happy 20th birthday to my darling Sweep! What a huge milestone for a cat! He has a great bill of health from the vet - all his conditions are managed with medications and the Solensia for his arthritis has been revolutionary - so I’m hoping for years to come, but I also acknowledge he is already older than most cats so I’m always aware we could move into End of Life. So I focus on all the snugs all the time; all the love; and appreciating every moment with my Heart on Four Paws. Love you my Sweep. He fills my soul. Best cat. 🐈‍⬛ 😻

(Sound up for first video to hear purrs!) by @rowena_sw

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a month ago

Happy 45th birthday TO ME for Monday just past! In this Birthday Month I have been fighting the government and doing a lot of Photo A whether in front of a crowd or behind a screen. This Birthday Week is a bit intense with the Senate vote post the report due on Friday deciding my future life… but I am proud of all the advocacy and support I have been able to give to folks around the country.

The fight is ongoing but I desperately needed to have a day like I did on Monday, focused on rest and spending time with Sweep and @glennchomp. 🥰🥰🥰 We watched “Project Hail Mary” and it was fantastic and so heartfelt and hopeful! I adored it. Some photos of me snuggling with Sweep over the past couple of months. I love that beautiful creature so much. He keeps me going, that soft furry king. Sweep, I mean - Glenn’s pretty great too though. 🤣 by @rowena_sw

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2 months ago

“The strength in vulnerability that disabled people show. This is what we do as disabled people, we share our story. And we do this to help you understand.” - Rowena Specht-Whyte, speaking to the crowd at the Brisbane/Magan-djin/Meanjin rally for the National Day of Action on Saturday 1 August against the NDIS cuts.

And we need your strength now!

The NDIS Bill will return to the Senate for a vote on Friday 14 August, and we need everyone who can to make phone calls to Senators and MPs before then to tell them to VOTE AGAINST THE BILL.

We need to call NDIS Decision Makers in the Liberal Party: Angus Taylor MP, Senator Michaelia Cash and Melissa McIntosh MP.

And we need to call Liberal, National and Independent Senators.

If you only have time for one call, call Angus Taylor!

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE DISABLED TO MAKE THESE CALLS! We need EVERYONE to make calls please!

We have prepared a Calling Guide to help you make these calls, and you can find that on our Linktree in our bio/comments.

And we have organised National Online Calling Parties so we can do this together!

We will run two sessions each day on Monday 10 August, Tuesday 11 August and Wednesday 12 August, so you can join together with one of our disabled volunteers to get help to work through the Calling Guide and MAKE THOSE CALLS.

Session 1: Join at 12:30pm AEST
Session 2: Join at 2pm AEST

Join us on Zoom at the links in our Linktree - just pick the day and time slot and click the link to join us. Have the Calling Guide up on your screen and your phone ready to go.

Can’t make calls, or work 9-5? Go to our Linktree to find other ways to make your voice heard before the vote on 14 August!

This is the time to make noise. This is the time to fight. We have to scrap the NDIS Bill!

Video description: Rowena is standing and speaking into a microphone. She is a white woman with blue-green hair and glasses, wearing a purple Tshirt and black jeans. Behind her is the disability pride flag. Next to her is an Auslan interpreter. Above the video is the text: “Rowena Specht-Whyte, Brisbane/Magan-djin/Meanjin rally.” Below, captions appear as the video plays.

Image Descriptions in comments. by @rowena_sw

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2 months ago

News coverage: Brisbane/Magan-djin/Meanjin rally for the National Day of Action.

This dangerous NDIS Bill should be scrapped. Oriela Williams discusses how this Bill will kill disabled people, due to losing supports.

Video description: An ABC news report. The video starts with a news presenter sitting behind a desk, then march footage of protestors with signs. Towards the end Oriela is shown speaking with other protestors behind them. by @rowena_sw

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3 months ago

“Stop, stop, stop the cuts!” “Let us live, let us thrive - funded supports keep us alive!” (Swipe for photos!)

Over 150 disabled people and allies hit the streets in Brisbane/Magan-djin/Meanjin today with @protectourndis.magandjin as part of the National Day of Action to fight against the NDIS cuts! And even more joined us online via our livestream. We rallied and marched for every disabled person who could not be there today. No one left behind. ✊

Community gathered with demands:
- Scrap the NDIS Bill!
- Stop the cuts, don’t put a price on our rights
- Don’t kick people off the NDIS, expand safeguards
- Tax the gas corporations and billionaires
- Expand disability services, human rights belong to all

Thanks to our speakers for sharing their stories and showing the real life impact of these cuts, and just how dangerous the NDIS Bill is:
- Jodie Hall @jodie__hall__
- Oriela Williams - @orielaa
- Finn Webb - @finn.with.a.wheelchair
- Alex Ellen - @alexandra.ellen
- Rowena Specht-Whyte (MC) - @rowena_sw

The fight isn’t over! We have until 14 August 2026 to make the Liberals and Nationals CHANGE THEIR VOTE!

From now until 14 August, when the NDIS Bill comes back to the Senate for a vote, we need EVERYONE to get on the phone and call Liberal and National and Independent Senators in your state or territory and tell them to vote against the NDIS Bill!

We have prepared a Calling Guide to help you, with all the phone numbers, key points, and a script to help: go to our Linktree in our bio! Once we have recovered from today’s Day of Action, we’ll be running online calling parties so we can do this together. Keep an eye out on our socials!

We CANNOT allow this Bill to pass! Let’s make the government feel our power!

The Magan-djin team are so grateful to all our volunteers for making this day possible, especially our marshal team! Thank you for all the support from the Greens MPs with marquees, funding for our Auslan interpreters, and AV equipment, Socialist Alliance with marquees and @masks4magandjin for our masks. PLUS the amazing Limited Edition “Protect Our NDIS” badges created by Cooper and his parents! Together we are powerful. Photo of speakers for rally, smiling and showing disabled joy. Left to right: Alex is a white woman with short light brown hair, wearing a jean jacket and sunflower overalls. Rowena is a white woman with dark brown, silver and green/blue shoulder length hair, and red cats eye glasses, wearing a purple Tshirt, black jeans and purple Converse sneakers. Jodie is an Aboriginal woman with short curly brown hair and geometric glasses, wearing a blue jacket over a white top and a “Protect Our NDIS” badge. Finn is a white trans masculine person with short brown hair and round glasses, wearing a patterned flowery top and a sunflower lanyard, in a wheelchair. Oriela is a brown nonbinary person with brown curly hair with blonde streaks, a small beard, wearing a kuffiyeh and in a power wheelchair. Finn and Oriela are at the front with signs in front of them: Finn has an artwork of a sunflower being cut with scissors that says “Stop the cuts”; Oriela’s sign lists the Protect Our NDIS Alliance Demands for the National Day of Action (listed in caption to this post). Alex, Rowena and Jodie stand behind, Rowena in the middle holding a sign saying the Key Messages of the Protect Our NDIS Alliance: Protect Our NDIS, Cuts kill people, Disabled people deserve dignity, NDIS benefits us all. taken in Queens Gardens, Brisbane by @rowena_sw

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3 months ago

ATTENTION MEDIA: We request media attend a Press Conference at 1pm AEST Saturday 1 August at Queens Gardens, Brisbane City, and media presence for the following rally and march and coverage following the Day of Action.

Our local Media Release is linked in our bio for all the information and contact details.

If the NDIS Bill passes when it comes back to a vote in the Senate on 14 August, disabled people will die. Disabled community, workers, families, and allies are joining around the country on Saturday 1 August to demand that the government SCRAP THE NDIS BILL!

Tag media in the comments to help us get the word out!

Check our @protectourndis.magandjin account for Accessibility information including Run Sheet and Speakers!

Image description in alt text. Protect Our NDIS Alliance - Magan-djin
National Day of Action
Attention media!
Press Conference, 1pm Saturday 1 August, Queens Gardens, Brisbane City
Photo of protestors at 9 May National Day of Action in Brisbane/Magan-djin/Meanjin holding a sign saying “Protect Our NDIS” as they march.
Media Release in bio/comments
@ProtectOurNDIS.Magandjin | Linktr.ee/ProtectOurNDIS

Purple background with black and white text in blue, green, yellow and white blocks. taken in Queens Gardens, Brisbane by @rowena_sw

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3 months ago

New phone, who dis? Thank you SO INCREDIBLY MUCH to everyone who helped me buy my new phone in time for tomorrow’s @protectourndis.magandjin protest! It’s not FREEZING anymore and I can take such beautiful photos too! Look at my glorious Sweep! All the detail. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me. 🥹🥹🥹 by @rowena_sw

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3 months ago