Good Weekend Talks Ita Buttrose on women, men and chasing dreams: 'You can’t waste a moment'
Oct 24, 2025
Ita Buttrose, a media trailblazer and former chair of the ABC, reflects on her remarkable six-decade career in journalism. She shares her early experiences of facing resistance in male-dominated newsrooms and the thrill of launching Cleo during a time of social change. Ita discusses contemporary challenges for working mothers and the evolving roles of young men in society. She also opens up about her new book, Unapologetically Ita, and the resilience needed to face aging while juggling career and family.
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First Taste Of Fame
- Ita Buttrose first realised she was famous after her father told her about a warm welcome in Bega.
- The moment made her aware of public recognition early in her editorial career.
Hissed At On The Newsroom Floor
- Ita describes entering testosterone-fuelled newsrooms where colleagues hissed at her as she walked the floor.
- The hostility was unnerving but she learned to carry on and earn respect from staff.
Whitlam Changed Career Expectations
- Gough Whitlam's government shifted social expectations and made it possible to build a career in Australia.
- Ita credits those reforms with opening opportunities women previously lacked.