THE WITCHES
The return of ‘the witch’ is neither a lifestyle trend nor a feminine aesthetic. It is a rational, radical rejection of the failed gods of the 21st century: neoliberalism, secular rationalism, and the colonial state. When the law, the economy, and the climate are failing, ‘magic’ becomes the reclamation of agency by the marginalised – especially by women. What does it mean to recognise witchcraft not as a metaphor, but as a form of political and social power operating outside traditional institutions? And will the rise of powerful female voices, cause reactionary forces to mount a new age ‘witch hunts’?
Emma Quilty
Emma Quilty is a feminist anthropologist and researcher based at Monash University. She studies the techno-politics of everyday gender violence and structural misogyny, and how these practices are facilitated by digital infrastructures and social structures. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian and The Conversation, and she often gives media interviews for media, including Radio National, ABC Brisbane, and RRR. She is the author of Witch Power: Hexing the Patriarchy with Feminist Magic which was published in 2025 by Polity.
Lucianne Tonti
Lucianne Tonti is the fashion editor of The Saturday Paper and the sustainability editor at large for Elle Australia and a contributor to The Guardian, where her column Closet Clinic has been read over 9 million times. Her new book, Good Witch: In search of our lost feminine power was published by Summit Books in July. Her first book Sundressed: Natural Fibres and the Future of Fashion was published in 2022 and is currently being developed into a docuseries by Tilt Media.
Caroline Tully
Caroline Tully is interested in the pre-Christian religions of the ancient Mediterranean, the demonisation of the Pagan gods after the rise of Christianity, and their re-appearance in modern mystery religions such as Paganism, witchcraft, and ceremonial magic. A practitioner of witchcraft for over forty years, she is an initiate of several magical societies. Caroline has written for numerous international Pagan publications, worked as a diviner in modern occult emporia, and regularly presents lectures and workshops on ancient religion and magic.
Natasha Mitchell
Natasha Mitchell is a multi-award-winning journalist and presenter of ABC Radio National’s flagship Big Ideas, hosted its popular daily Life Matters, was a founding host and creator of the blockbuster radio show and trailblazing podcast All in the Mind for a decade, and also of Science Friction. Natasha served as World Federation of Science Journalists’ vice president, was awarded a prestigious MIT Knight Fellowship, and has won the Grand Prize and four Gold World Medals at the New York Radio Festivals.
We acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation - the custodians of the country on which we meet - and acknowledge their Elders, past and present.
The views and opinions expressed by the Festival participants are not necessarily the views of The Ethics Centre and our partners.