In this 2001 clip, Elba Cruz recounts her experiences working in a Canberra laundry.

By describing her unfair treatment under exploitative management, and the eventual strike that united the women and strengthened their bonds, Cruz's story shows how audio interviews can spotlight everyday Australians living on the margins. Cruz, who fled her home in Chile during the violent 1970s coup against President Salvador Allende, unpacks the lead-up to the strike in her own words. Intimate details and an emotional tone create a direct and arresting listening experience – a personal document of migrant workers at the turn of the millennium.

This oral history series focuses on the stories of working migrant women. It captures interviews with workers from diverse fields, from factory work to healthcare. Women from different educational and cultural backgrounds share their personal insights into leaving their homelands to build new lives in Australia.