7NEWS Spotlight - Season 7 / Year 2026

Liz Hayes fronts her first story for 7News Spotlight for 2026 this Sunday, "Bad Treatment: Changing Women's Healthcare".

Liz said: "This story was a bit of a reckoning for me. I was aghast to learn that for decades much of women's health has been based on the research of men. I was shocked by what that has meant and how far women have fallen behind.

"But I am buoyed by the amazing efforts to remedy that – some of it life changing. And suffice to say I'm hoping it's not too late for me to make some critical changes."

For about 14 million Australian women and girls, health advice has often been built on incomplete, and at times flawed and even harmful research and information, based on results taken only from men. The consequences have been significant, with experts warning women have been suffering and even dying unnecessarily for decades.

Now, in a deeply personal major investigation – coinciding with a significant milestone of her own – Liz puts herself through a series of confronting medical tests to understand what it all means, and what women can do about it.

From uncomfortable truths to cutting-edge breakthroughs, 7NEWS Spotlight examines how women's bodies have been misunderstood for centuries, and why change is finally underway.

Along the way, Liz meets the doctors, researchers and health experts working to close the gap, exploring new approaches that could help women live better, healthier and longer lives.