A Life Built on Country and Bravery
Virginia Tapscott lives on a quiet family farm in southern New South Wales, where she balances being a mother, an advocate, and a journalist in a way that fits with rural life. The sound of livestock and the hum of early mornings with her husband Rhys and four children make a background sound far from the newsrooms of the city. But from this quiet place, she has become one of Australia’s most important contemporary voices.
The work of Tapscott is about truth and love. She is an award-winning freelance journalist, podcaster, and the founder of the Parents Work Collective. She is dedicated to telling the stories that most people would rather not hear—those of abuse, care, and human resilience.
Australian News: Auburn Times
Family, Tragedy, and the Story That Changed Everything
Virginia’s family was very close when she was growing up in rural New South Wales. Her sister, Alexandra “Ally” Tapp, died in 2020 after years of trauma from being sexually abused by family members. The loss changed Tapscott’s goals and forced her to face family secrets that had been hidden for a long time.
Later, she talked about her own abuse and how hard it was to break the silence. She talked about how confusing childhood memories can be. By telling her sister’s story and her own, she helped other survivors understand that they weren’t alone. For Tapscott, telling the truth is not betraying someone; it is an act of love and fairness.
From the Newsroom to the Freedom of Freelancing
Virginia worked in media and communications before she became a mother. She built a career in professional journalism. She left the traditional newsroom to work as a freelancer when her first child was born in 2015. This was a decision that made sense both practically and philosophically. It let her keep writing while taking care of her kids and gave her creative freedom that daily deadlines never did.
Tapscott started writing for magazines like The Australian and Mamamia from her farmhouse kitchen table. She wrote in-depth articles about motherhood, gender, and rural resilience. Her stories are based on understanding and patience, which are two things that are often missing from the fast-paced world of city media.
She says that living in the country makes you see things more clearly: “Journalism doesn’t have to start in a newsroom.” It can start at a kitchen table with a question that no one else wants to ask.
Freelancing in Real Life – Staying Strong and Sticking to a Schedule
Tapscott has been freelancing for almost ten years, and he has turned being independent into an art form. She keeps her MEAA freelancer insurance, keeps track of her taxes and superannuation, and saves pitches that get turned down for future chances.
She once said, “Rejection is constant, but persistence pays off.” She is organised but adaptable in her work. She only works on stories that fit with her values, and she gives editors professionalism without being egotistical. She thinks that this discipline is what makes creative freedom possible.
“My Sister’s Secrets” – Making Pain Useful
The Australian started My Sister’s Secrets in 2022. It’s an investigative podcast made and hosted by Virginia Tapscott and journalist Steve Jackson, with help from the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.
The podcast has more than twelve emotional episodes, such as “Sugar Town,” “Sweating Bullets,” and “Toxic Love.” It talks about Ally Tapp’s life and death, the hidden reality of sexual abuse in families, and the systems that don’t protect victims. Tapscott combined journalism with vulnerability by using police files, interviews, and his own thoughts.
The series touched people all over the country. Survivors reached out to tell their own stories, and advocacy groups praised the project for starting conversations that needed to happen about healing and taking responsibility. People who didn’t like it called it “one of the most powerful pieces of narrative journalism in recent Australian media.”
Advocacy and the Parents Work Group
In addition to being a journalist, Tapscott started the Parents Work Collective, a nonprofit group that fights for unpaid care to be recognised as an important part of Australia’s economy. She says that parenting and caregiving are not “breaks from work” but important, skilled work that keeps society running.
This vision is at the centre of her next book, All Mothers Work, which will come out in 2025. It will be a mix of personal reflection and social commentary. The book argues against economic models that don’t value care work enough and calls for policy changes, such as superannuation for carers and structural support for parents.
Her work as an advocate has gotten more and more attention from both the media and policymakers, making her the centre of a national conversation about gender, work, and value.
Recognition and Awards
Virginia Tapscott is well-known for her bravery and clarity:
- 🏆 Caroline Jones Women in Media Young Journalist’s Award (2019) for fearless reporting and stories that make people feel.
- 🌟 Nominated for Australian of the Year (2022) for her work to raise awareness of sexual violence and give survivors strength.
These awards show how rare it is for a journalist to have both compassion and conviction. She writes with both heart and purpose.
Life in the country, reflection, and legacy
The simple life in the Australian bush still keeps her grounded. The smell of hay and the sound of kids talking woke me up in the morning. In the afternoons, you might record a podcast while doing chores around the house. She says that the bush teaches patience, which is important for both being a parent and being an investigative journalist.
Some people have said that family issues should stay private, but Tapscott disagrees. She thinks that the most caring thing is to tell the truth. Every word she writes and every episode she records keeps her sister’s memory alive.
Her bravery has changed how Australian journalists think about both trauma and being a mother. Virginia Tapscott has left a legacy that connects the personal and the political through her books My Sister’s Secrets, All Mothers Work, and her ongoing work as an advocate. She has shown that real change often starts far away from the noise of the news.
In the quiet of a country kitchen at dusk, with her family around her and the soft hum of rural life, she keeps writing stories that matter. She reminds Australia that bravery can mean many things, like speaking up, raising money, writing, and never staying quiet.
For more Australian News: Australian Magazine
