Women and multicultural community radio – celebrating over forty years of Women’s Profile on Radio 4EB.

This blog was written by 2024 Rainbow Research Fellow, Associate Professor Heather Anderson. 

For over four decades, Women’s Profile has been a powerful voice for women on Radio 4EB, Brisbane’s premier multilingual community radio station.

Dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity and fostering community engagement, 4EB broadcasts 24/7 across South-East Queensland and online, offering programs in over 50 languages, including English. The station was established on December 1, 1979, and is operated by the Ethnic Broadcasting Association of Queensland Ltd. Located at 140 Main Street, Kangaroo Point, under the iconic Story Bridge, 4EB provides a platform for Brisbane’s multicultural communities to share music, news, and cultural stories. Listeners can tune in via 98.1 FM, the digital channel Global Digital, or stream live online through the official website.

In June 1995, 4EB launched a cassette that contains a short audio history of Women’s Profile, The launch was held at the ‘Women of the West’ exhibition at the Queensland Museum and was attended by approximately 90 people. A copy of the cassette can be found in the John Oxley Collection OH56, ‘Women's Profile - A brief history of the programme’, held at the State Library of Queensland and accompanied by a series of documents. This includes a copy of an invitation to the event and a short report, but what are most interesting are the copies of speeches given at the event. These were delivered by:

• Program producer and founder, Halina Netzel;
• Director of the Queensland Women’s Policy Unit and Women’s Advisor to the Premier, Carolyn Mason;
• Roisin Goss (philanthropist and wife of then-Premier Wayne Goss); and
• an unnamed representative of sponsor Finer Plants Pty Ltd.

The collection also includes a letter of congratulations from Senator, the Honourable Margaret Reynolds.

Thirty years later, Women’s Profile still thrives. At the heart of this enduring program is Irene Tavutavu, a community-minded broadcaster whose journey into radio started by accident and has grown into a life’s calling.

After migrating to Australia from England as a child and eventually settling in Brisbane, she stumbled into radio in the 1990s, initially helping a friend at the station. From dubbing cassettes onto mini discs to building a home studio, Irene has witnessed the transformation of radio technology—yet her commitment to creating space for women's voices has remained timeless.

"It's a program for women, by women, about women, girls, and families—which doesn't exclude men, but centres women’s lives."

At its core, Women’s Profile is about representation, respect, and relevance. Topics range from health, mental well-being, domestic violence, and birth control, to cultural expression, cooking, and craft. All are tackled in a welcoming environment, often featuring voices from immigrant communities who would otherwise go unheard in mainstream media.

While the number of contributors to Women’s Profile has fluctuated over the decades, the depth and diversity of the content have only grown. Irene has helped champion stories from Papua New Guinea to Macedonia, and from Brisbane to Fiji, where she recalls how taboo topics like domestic violence are finally being addressed publicly thanks to volunteer female broadcasters.

“The more confidence women have, the wider the variety of topics they’re willing to explore.”

In an era where anyone can record a podcast, Irene passionately defends the relevance of ethnic community radio.

“Community radio is your home of information—it’s local, it’s trusted, and it speaks your language.”

SBS, she notes, can’t match the grassroots power of 4EB, where over 50 language groups still gather, broadcast, and celebrate their cultures together. It's not just radio—it's family.

Irene Tavutavu is more than a radio host—she’s a convener of culture, a catalyst for women’s voices, and a living archive of Brisbane’s multicultural journey. Through Women’s Profile, she reminds us that inclusion starts with listening—and radio, in its quiet, persistent way, still holds the mic for those who need it most.

Associate Professor Heather Anderson, 2024 Rainbow Research Fellow.

Other blogs by Heather Anderson

• Celebrating Dykes on Mykes (4ZZZ) on International Lesbian Day
• Finding feminist voices in the early years of Queensland community radio
• Read other blogs by other Rainbow Research Fellows.