Louise Milligan will be in conversation with Virginia Haussegger on her second novel Shellybanks, a book with buried secrets, unimaginable trauma and how the love of family can pull you through to a brighter future.

On the sands of Shellybanks, where tides can quickly turn treacherous, journalist Kate Delaney once nearly drowned. Years later, reeling from a violent crime that has upended her life in Melbourne, she returns to Dublin to comfort her beloved aunt Dolores—only to discover Dolores has her own buried trauma. As a teenager, Dolores was drawn into a disturbing religious movement that stole her youth, her freedom, and so much more. With Kate's help, she is determined to confront the powerful network that made her suffer years of silence and shame.

Shellybanks is a haunting tale of secrecy and survival, charting how two women find strength in each other as they reckon with Ireland's hidden histories and the scars that endure across generations.

'So much more than a crime novel. I loved it. Beautiful. The humanity shines through. A stunning dive into Ireland's dark past.' Chris Hammer

Louise Milligan is a multi-award-winning investigative journalist for ABC TV's Four Corners. Louise's first novel, Pheasants Nest, was published in 2024 to wide acclaim, and was shortlisted for the Best Debut Fiction, Indie Book Awards and the Best Crime Fiction, Danger Awards. She also is the author of two bestselling non-fiction books: Cardinal, The Rise and Fall of George Pell and Witness, An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking Justice. Her books have been awarded multiple prizes, including the Walkley Book Award. the Davitt Awards Best Non-Fiction Crime Book and the Sir Owen Dixon Chambers Law Reporter of the Year Award. Born in Ireland to an Irish mother and Scottish father, Louise moved to Australia as a child.

Virginia Haussegger AM, a passionate women’s advocate and communication specialist, is an award-winning television journalist, writer and commentator, whose media career spans 30 years. Virginia is Deputy Chair of the media think-tank PIJI, the Public Interest Journalism Initiative and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Canberra’s News & Media Research Centre. She is also President of ACFID, the Australian Council for International Development. Her recent book, Unfinished Revolution: The Feminist Fightback charts women’s courage, collective action and national consciousness raising during Australia’s shakedown of the patriarchy.

The vote of thanks will be given by Dr Alice Grundy, Managing Editor of the Australian Institute Press

Books will be available for signing from 5.30pm and again after the event.

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A podcast will be made available after the event.

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