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They say it takes a village to raise a child, but that's not always possible on the land.

Stephanie Trethewey, a Tasmanian grazier, struggled with loneliness and isolation after the birth of her first child three years ago, and decided to act.

She created Motherland, a podcast exploring the lives of country mums, and an online platform, where rural women connect through virtual mothers' groups, bonding over the challenges and joy of parenthood.

Mrs Trethewey, a mother of two from Dunorlan in the state's northwest, has been recognised for bringing women together, winning the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday night.

"Motherhood can be isolating even for women in the city, let alone adding the additional pressure of rural life, which can mean you're geographically isolated from people, services and resources," Mrs Trethewey told AAP.

"It can be a perfect storm. I talked to rural women and realised there are so many things that go unspoken, so many struggles.

"But we need to talk about it and break those taboos and make everyone feel less alone."

Mrs Tretheway said women could speak about sensitive issues online, without worrying their stories would be aired in small town circles.

"It comes down to being authentic, that's where the magic happens.

"The moment I started showing my struggles and opening up and not being perfect and polished, that's when the community took off."

The support group, Motherland Village, is open to mothers of babies, children, and teenagers, recognising the work of parenting continues long after the first year.

"We need to change the conversation about 'postnatal' because it doesn't end."

The national award acknowledges the vital role women play in rural communities, industry and businesses, and grants $20,000 to the winner and $15,000 to the runner-up.

Kimberley Furness, the Bendigo-based founder of OAK Magazine, was named runner-up.

Mrs Furness produces the magazine, profiling regional female business leaders, and a podcast called A Friend of Mine, to highlight women making a difference in country communities.

"Visibility and storytelling are the most powerful tools we have to inspire women to pursue their dream and live without fear of failure," Mrs Furness said.

"I've come to realise my postcode isn't a barrier, but an opportunity and I want that for all of us in rural and regional areas."

She is planning to record her podcast on the road in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, capturing the stories of Indigenous women, those who work in mining and live far from the capitals.

The finalists were Rebecca Bradshaw, a child nurse from Jackson, Queensland; Josie Clarke, a NSW disability advocate; South Australian farmer and mentor Robyn Verrall; Northern Territory educator Kylie Jones and health worker Louise O'Neill from WA.

© AAP 2022

John McEnroe once lashed Nick Kyrgios for being a "bonehead" and a "clown". Now tennis's original super-brat is hailing the new-age version as a coachless "genius" as Kyrgios closes in on grand slam glory in New York.

Kyrgios enters his US Open quarter-final against Russian Karen Khachanov on Tuesday (11am Wednesday AEST) as the new men's title favourite following an electric fourth-round win over world No.1 Daniil Medvedev and the subsequent demise of second seed Rafael Nadal.

And McEnroe can barely believe the transformation in the Australian, who, at 27, is finally pulling it all together after years of being the sport's most prodigious - and unfulfilled talent.

"I am on a high, to see him be this professional," McEnroe told Eurosport at Flushing Meadows.

"He's 27 and potentially there are a bunch of years where he can do his thing, and boy did he do it last night.

"The guy is a genius on the court. He doesn't need a coach, he did an unbelievable job tactically.

"He played a lot of matches where he wasn't giving it his all and now you see what he is capable of when he does, when he trains, when he is in shape. The guy is phenomenal."

His eyes firmly on the prize, a home-sick Kyrgios teased said after taking down Medvedev about having "three more matches potentially, then we never have to play tennis again".

McEnroe said "it's not impossible to think that he could do that".

"We hope he doesn't do that because the phrase 'better late than never', that applies to Nick because he wasn't professional for a long time."

The former world No.1 and four-time US Open champion was rarely more critical of Kyrgios than during a first-round loss to Andy Murray in New York in 2015.

Seemingly more interested in entertaining the crowd, the flashy talent infuriated McEnroe for attempting a tweener instead of hitting a routine volley winner.

"I hope he learns from these bonehead moves. He should be a seed already, at least 20. You don't want to be remembered as a clown. You want to be remembered as a player.

"So he better step up. Otherwise he won't be talked about too much. He thinks he's a vaudeville entertainer. I don't know what's going on here."

Fast forward seven years and Kyrgios is the talk of the tournament, favourite to emerge from a quarter-final line-up devoid of grand slam champions to claim an elusive maiden major.

"If he plays like he did on Sunday night, he is going to win the tournament." McEnroe said.

If he beats Khachanov, at the very least Kyrgios will have earned a semi-final shot on Thursday (Friday AEST) against either world No.7 Casper Ruud after the Norwegian outclassed Italian 13th seed Matteo Berrettini 6-1 6-4 7-6 (7-4).

© AAP 2022

An estimated 70,000 children and families will be affected by planned industrial action by early childhood workers.

More than 1000 centres will be partially or completely closed on Wednesday as early childhood educators stage rallies across the country on Wednesday.

The United Workers Union has called on the federal government to guarantee wage increases and implement major reforms.

Workers will rally across the capital cities and some regional centres.

Union early education director Helen Gibbons said the sector was in crisis as the industry struggled with a worker shortage.

"They're exhausted, they're sick of being undervalued, and they're calling for change," Ms Gibbons told AAP.

"We estimate that 70,000 children and families will be impacted by the shutdowns, which means that they're not attending early education.

"Families won't be surprised by that. Educators will have been talking to them for weeks and talking to them about making alternative arrangements or joining them on the rallies."

Ms Gibbons said workers needed a solid commitment from the federal government that wages would rise.

"They need to know what this government's plan is to fix their wages and give them a reason to stay in the sector, but also to reform the sector," she said.

"The federal government cannot deliver on its promise of more affordable and more accessible early education if there's no early educators."

The minimum wage for a childcare support worker begins at $21.85 an hour, which is $830 a week before tax.

Goodstart Early Learning expects workers from about 200 of its centres to attend rallies but plans to remain open.

"All of our centres will be open. We have been working with the union to make sure there are enough educators on hand to care for all the children who will be in our centres tomorrow," Goodstart's head of advocacy John Cherry told AAP.

"We know that a lot of parents have opted to pick up their children early so that more of the educators can attend their rallies. A lot of parents are very supportive."

Mr Cherry said Goodstart believed wages need to be increased, pointing to "a huge gap between what educators are paid in the early childhood sector and what they're paid in government schools."

G8 Education said the company was aware some workers would be taking part in the industrial action.

"We will support this where we can while ensuring continuity of service is maintained for our families," a spokesperson said.

Minister for Early Childhood Education Dr Anne Aly said she will be at Parliament House tomorrow when workers stage a rally there and has been meeting with educators.

"I look forward to continuing these discussions to gain a deeper understanding of the issues faced in the sector and developing solutions to help us recruit, train and retain a high-quality early childhood education and care workforce," she said.

"We know that supporting and growing the early childhood education and care workforce is critical to delivering our landmark cheaper child care reforms."

The UWU describes the action as a "shut down" rather than a strike.

The federal government has also flagged a review into pricing across the system.

© AAP 2022