Jo Cooper is an award-winning advocate, speaker, and creative force driving change across Australia. Her landmark case Cooper v The Owners – Strata Plan No 58068 reshaped legal and cultural conversations about power, voice, and justice, earning recognition as one of the Top 10 Influential Court Cases of the 21st Century.
As the Founder and CEO of The Good Warrior, Jo empowers individuals and organisations to challenge apathy, confront abuse, and support Clare’s Law—a policy designed to protect those at risk of domestic violence. Her unique blend of advocacy and artistry has inspired thousands to turn silence into strength. Through her music, message, and mission, Jo Cooper embodies what it means to call out injustice early, stand up for others, and help build safer, more compassionate communities.

What if silence was the most dangerous choice of all?

This Special Edition of the Healing Through Love Podcast features Jo Cooper, an award-winning advocate and musician leading Australia’s movement for Clare’s Law. In conversation with Sharlene Lynch, Jo confronts one of society’s toughest challenges: apathy and silence in the face of abuse.

Jo’s story is one of courage turned into action. Her landmark court case, Cooper v The Owners – Strata Plan No 58068, was named among the Top 10 Influential Court Cases of the 21st Century — a testament to her persistence in standing up for what’s right. Today, through her organisation The Good Warrior, Jo is transforming how communities respond to violence, bullying, and injustice.

This episode dives deep into:
• How silence fuels abuse and why speaking up can save lives
• The vital role of bystanders in preventing harm
• How every listener can help change the narrative through education, empathy, and action

Blending advocacy, music, and storytelling, Jo shares how one voice can create ripples of change that reach far beyond the individual. This conversation is more than awareness; it’s a roadmap for courage, responsibility, and collective healing.

If you’ve ever wondered how to move from empathy to action, this episode will show you the way forward.

🎯 Key Takeaways

1. The power of calling out injustice early before silence enables harm.
2. The vital influence of bystanders in creating safer communities.
3. How individuals can take meaningful action to change the narrative.

Letter template to write to your local Australian MP

• Jo’s New South Wales petition garnered 20,978 signatures while the national petition collected 112,245 signatures in just four weeks, with the national petition being referred to the Attorney General on November 3rd.
• Ministers from all around the country have 90 days from November 3rd to respond to the national petition as part of standard procedure.
• Jo believes the backlash against Clare’s Law stems from stakeholder organizations and charities that make careers out of survivor stories, with many lacking lived experience leadership.
• Current New South Wales Labor ministers relied on inadequate research including a small Monash University study of 12 individuals with lived experience and 11 individuals from a New South Wales report.
• Prevention efforts highlight system failures by default, which creates resistance from government and organizations that receive funding for current research approaches.
• Over 133,000 signatures across two petitions demonstrate strong public support for Clare’s Law despite lack of media or industry backing.
• No stakeholder organizations claiming to advocate for domestic and family violence are supporting Cooper’s Clare’s Law initiative.
• Business models in the domestic violence sector focus on crisis management rather than prevention, with 70% of victims not calling specialized services despite continued funding.
• Jo proposes a centralized data system for all states and territories so police records follow offenders regardless of which state they move to.
• South Australia already has a working disclosure scheme that is performing so well that the UK is looking to model their system after South Australia’s approach.
• Listeners can support Clare’s Law by writing to their local members and ministers in charge of women’s safety and domestic violence using the letter template  provided.
• Clare’s Law is designed as a preventative measure that gives people agency to choose whether to access information about potential partners, though Cooper acknowledges it’s not 100% foolproof.
• Jo runs The Good Warrior organization focused on transforming bystanders into warriors of change and empowering people’s voices to ignite impact.
• Jo is writing a controversial book about bullying in strata management with the ultimate aim of igniting an inquiry into widespread bullying and abuse in that sector.