AAWAA brings to you ‘Local Action’, interviews with women getting it done across Australia. In this edition of Local Action we talk Janet Fraser. Janet is a mother, author, poet, and historian. Janet has been the National Convenor of the Australian homebirth network, Joyous Birth since 2004. She is a Spinifex author, the writer of … Continue reading Local Action with Janet Fraser
Author: AAWAA (Affiliation of Australian Women's Advocacy Alliances)
AAWAA is a peak body that co-ordinates national-level activities on behalf of our affiliated women’s action alliances and that also represents those alliances in national and international matters.
AAWAA affiliate groups are women’s liberation groups committed to the protection and advancement of women and girls on the understanding that sex is a biological fact with material consequences for females living under patriarchy.
Protecting women in custody: Why all must follow the NT’s lead on sex-based prison laws
The Northern Territory Women's Action Alliance (NTWAA) has written to Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro to thank her for confirming that males shall not be housed in NT female-only prisons and that placement shall occur by sex at birth. Her clear statement that there should be "no men in women's jails" and that this … Continue reading Protecting women in custody: Why all must follow the NT’s lead on sex-based prison laws
Time to act: The AHRC’s unused powers could tackle the uncertainty over women’s rights
Forty years after the Sex Discrimination Act was passed, Australia's anti-discrimination laws are facing significant challenges. The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (SDA) was enacted to give effect to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), prohibiting discrimination against women and authorising 'special measures' to promote substantive gender equality. Yet in recent years, confusion … Continue reading Time to act: The AHRC’s unused powers could tackle the uncertainty over women’s rights
No reform without women: Still time for WA parliament to reject process on surrogacy Bill
Western Australia’s Assisted Reproductive Technology and Surrogacy Bill 2025 (the Bill) passed through the Legislative Assembly on 16 September and is now before the Legislative Council. What might be framed as progressive healthcare reform is actually a case study in industry capture of legislative process, where those who profit from surrogacy are trying to write … Continue reading No reform without women: Still time for WA parliament to reject process on surrogacy Bill
Democracy in denial: How excluding women’s groups from consultation produces bad law
Across Australia, governments are enacting legislation that profoundly affects women's rights whilst systematically excluding us from meaningful participation in consultation. This not only violates Australia's international obligations but produces legislation that serves commercial and other interests rather than protects women and girls. Recent examples from New South Wales and Western Australia — as well as Queensland — show how exclusion from democratic processes doesn't just breach process requirements: … Continue reading Democracy in denial: How excluding women’s groups from consultation produces bad law
Accountability, not re-interpretation: Why we questioned the Sex Discrimination Commissioner
At the National Press Club on Wednesday, The Women’s Advocate put a direct question to the Sex Discrimination Commissioner about her powers and obligations under the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 and why women advocating for women’s sex-based protections and rights have not been properly consulted on the development of key sex and gender … Continue reading Accountability, not re-interpretation: Why we questioned the Sex Discrimination Commissioner
Tasmanian prostitution law enables male violence and exploitation: the link to child sexual abuse
The government of Tasmania has claimed to prioritise women's safety and dignity, yet the continued partial criminalisation of prostitution in that state delivers neither. The Women’s Action Alliance Tasmania (WAAT) has now formally written to the Deputy Premier and Attorney-General The Hon Guy Barnett MP, urging a comprehensive review of the Sex Industry Offences Act 2005 with … Continue reading Tasmanian prostitution law enables male violence and exploitation: the link to child sexual abuse
The Australian Human Rights Commission’s institutional drift on women’s rights
The Australian Human Rights Commission was established to promote and protect human rights for all Australians, with the Sex Discrimination Commissioner having a specific mandate to address sex discrimination and promote gender equality under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (SDA). However, the Commission's current apparent approach to sex-based rights has created widespread legal uncertainty for … Continue reading The Australian Human Rights Commission’s institutional drift on women’s rights
Supporting Scotland’s groundbreaking bill and the case for going further: Why Australia must lead on abolition and apology
Scotland's Prostitution (Offences and Support) Bill represents a watershed moment in global efforts to address sexual exploitation. AAWAA has formally submitted our support for this groundbreaking legislation to the Scottish Parliament's Criminal Justice Committee. The Bill's approach — criminalising buyers whilst decriminalising and supporting those exploited — offers a model that Australia must not only … Continue reading Supporting Scotland’s groundbreaking bill and the case for going further: Why Australia must lead on abolition and apology
Minister for Women: Who are the real stakeholders?
The Minister for Women, Senator Katy Gallagher, has referenced the range of stakeholders she engages with on a day-to-day basis when shaping policy that affects women’s health, safety, privacy, and rights. Yet, there is a glaring omission in this stakeholder landscape: the voices of women most directly affected are being ignored. Why are those of … Continue reading Minister for Women: Who are the real stakeholders?
Feminist coalition exposes gaps, calls for urgent amendments in Australia’s report on human rights to the UN
AAWAA has been part of a united coalition of independent feminist organisations from across Australia to strongly criticise the Australian Government’s draft national report to the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR), exposing serious gaps between government rhetoric and the lived experiences of women and girls. This coalition represents a significant alliance of long-standing, evidence-based advocates … Continue reading Feminist coalition exposes gaps, calls for urgent amendments in Australia’s report on human rights to the UN
False equivalence: Why ‘bundling’ fertility medicine with surrogacy puts women at risk
Policy-makers in Australia keep insisting that assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) and surrogacy belong under one legislative roof — a position that might suit industry and bureaucracy, but one that leaves women exposed to exploitation and harm. NSWWAA's latest submission to the NSW Legislative Council Select Committee on Fertility Support and Assisted Reproductive Treatment lays out … Continue reading False equivalence: Why ‘bundling’ fertility medicine with surrogacy puts women at risk
Restoring rights and realities: Reforming mental health policy for women and girls in NSW
The mental health crisis facing women and girls in NSW is urgent and largely ignored by current policy frameworks — and so the NSW Women’s Action Alliance has submitted a comprehensive response to the NSW Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy consultation, calling for reforms that actually address the root causes of women's mental distress. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1sflLWeCWEfbrugvlXQEFG … Continue reading Restoring rights and realities: Reforming mental health policy for women and girls in NSW
WA must withdraw its fatally flawed Surrogacy Bill: it needs genuine scrutiny, not industry-driven law
The Western Australian Women’s Action Alliance (WAWAA) has formally written to all Members of the WA Parliament urging each of them individually to support the withdrawal of the Assisted Reproductive Technology and Surrogacy Bill 2025 and refer it to the Law Reform Commission of Western Australia as well as parliamentary committee for full scrutiny and … Continue reading WA must withdraw its fatally flawed Surrogacy Bill: it needs genuine scrutiny, not industry-driven law
Why NSW anti-discrimination law must deliver safeguards for women and girls
The current review of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW) could reshape the rights and daily realities for women and girls in New South Wales for decades to come. The NSW Women’s Action Alliance has made a submission to the review, saying it is critical that law reform is grounded not in shortcuts or administrative expediency … Continue reading Why NSW anti-discrimination law must deliver safeguards for women and girls
A new national settlement on prostitution: It’s time for principled leadership and restoration — and a National Apology
AAWAA has been part of a coalition of Australian feminist organisations that has submitted a formal letter to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Women, advancing a substantive case for comprehensive national reform to prostitution law and requesting a National Apology for women and girls harmed and criminalised by past and present policies. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3JhobLm6aBNx9m5NnukSrk … Continue reading A new national settlement on prostitution: It’s time for principled leadership and restoration — and a National Apology
The Australian Government Guidelines on Sex and Gender: Administrative practices are not an easy way out of legal uncertainty
The NSW Law Reform Commission's consultation paper on the Anti-discrimination Act review has raised concerns that it might look to the Australian Government Guidelines on the Recognition of Sex and Gender to shape legal concepts of sex and gender in NSW. These administrative guidelines, however, do not provide a solution to the ongoing legal uncertainty surrounding … Continue reading The Australian Government Guidelines on Sex and Gender: Administrative practices are not an easy way out of legal uncertainty
Equality Australia and the Lesbian Action Group: contesting the meaning of ‘woman’ in women’s spaces
The Tickle v Giggle case has become a defining moment in Australian discrimination law, crystallising fundamental tensions around sex and gender. As an appeal to the Full Court of the Federal Court gets underway, two vastly different ideas have emerged about how women’s spaces should be defined and protected: Equality Australia’s, and the Lesbian Action … Continue reading Equality Australia and the Lesbian Action Group: contesting the meaning of ‘woman’ in women’s spaces
Striking the right balance: Reforming hate speech law for women’s safety and democratic freedoms in NSW
As the New South Wales Government considers reforms to criminal law protections against incitement of hatred, the stakes for women, freedom of expression and genuine social cohesion have rarely been higher. The NSW Women’s Action Alliance (NSWWAA) argues that any changes must carefully protect against serious harm, while not undermining the open debate and sex-based … Continue reading Striking the right balance: Reforming hate speech law for women’s safety and democratic freedoms in NSW
Scotland’s new prostitution Bill sets a standard: Why Australia must show courage and vision – and go even further
Australia stands at a critical juncture in how we respond to sexual exploitation and the safety of women and girls. While recent legal changes in some states and territories have normalised prostitution under the guise of ‘decriminalisation’, the reality is a fragmented and inadequate patchwork of laws, none of which genuinely place women’s protection, safety, … Continue reading Scotland’s new prostitution Bill sets a standard: Why Australia must show courage and vision – and go even further
Australia’s slide backwards on women’s rights: what we told the CSW at the UN
Every year, advocates for women and girls from across the world make their case in communications before the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)—the highest global forum on gender equality. The CSW exists to monitor countries’ performance under treaties like the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women … Continue reading Australia’s slide backwards on women’s rights: what we told the CSW at the UN
Introducing the AAWAA Women’s Advocate podcast: voices for women’s protections and rights
We are proud to launch The Women’s Advocate, a new podcast from the Affiliation of Australian Women’s Advocacy Alliances (AAWAA), a space designed to explore beneath the surface of policy, advocacy, and daily life for women and girls in Australia. Our aim is to create a record—nuanced, searching, and unafraid—of what is happening to women’s … Continue reading Introducing the AAWAA Women’s Advocate podcast: voices for women’s protections and rights
QWAA strengthens the call for evidence-based protections for girls in Queensland’s hormone therapies review
As Queensland embarks on a vital review of hormone therapies for children and young people with gender dysphoria, the Queensland Women’s Action Alliance (QWAA) and the broader Affiliation of Australian Women’s Action Alliances (AAWAA) have delivered a comprehensive, expert-grounded response. Our coordinated effort seeks to ensure government policy and clinical practice truly protect girls and … Continue reading QWAA strengthens the call for evidence-based protections for girls in Queensland’s hormone therapies review
Australian feminists unite for UN shadow report: Why women’s voices matter in international human rights
Our coalition of independent feminist organisations has submitted its shadow report to the United Nations Human Rights Council as part of Australia’s fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR). In doing so, we join other civil society groups in making plain the growing threat to women’s rights and sex-based protections in Australia: a reality that is too … Continue reading Australian feminists unite for UN shadow report: Why women’s voices matter in international human rights
The power of a united front: Why coalitions matter in feminist advocacy
Making headway on issues like surrogacy law isn’t a solo pursuit. Our recent joint submission to the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) by a coalition of feminist organisations is a case in point. But when feminist groups with overlapping aims join forces, our arguments tend to land with more force, and it’s a reminder that … Continue reading The power of a united front: Why coalitions matter in feminist advocacy
Feminist groups demand a voice in the ALRC’s review of surrogacy laws
AAWAA has led a coalition of independent feminist organisations from across Australia to present a formal submission to the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) as part of its review of surrogacy laws. As members of a coalition of independent feminist organisations from across Australia, we have jointly submitted our response to the Australian Law Reform … Continue reading Feminist groups demand a voice in the ALRC’s review of surrogacy laws
Announcing our name change: AAWAA’s strategic focus on advocacy
When women come together, our voices, so often dismissed or sidelined in public debate, become more difficult to ignore. Today, we are proud to announce a step that strengthens our collective voice: our national peak body is now the Affiliation of Australian Women’s Advocacy Alliances (AAWAA). Why ‘Advocacy’ and why now? This change is more … Continue reading Announcing our name change: AAWAA’s strategic focus on advocacy
Tasmanian women call for review of sex self-ID laws
The Women’s Action Alliance Tasmania (WAAT) wrote to the Tasmanian Attorney-General, the Hon Guy Barnett, urging the government to take a closer look at the real-world impacts of sex self-identification laws on women and girls in the state. The letter, sent in April 2025, highlights a growing sense of unease among women’s advocates about the consequences … Continue reading Tasmanian women call for review of sex self-ID laws
Aus vs UK: female-only spaces, self-ID, and legal ambiguity
The recent UK Supreme Court decision on the Equality Act 2010 has created a sharp legal distinction between the UK and Australia regarding the recognition of sex and gender in anti-discrimination law. In the UK, the Supreme Court ruled that ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act refer strictly to biological sex as observed at … Continue reading Aus vs UK: female-only spaces, self-ID, and legal ambiguity
The silent exemption: How sporting clubs are misled about protecting women’s sport
The current confusion surrounding gender inclusion policies in Australian sport has left many local sporting clubs and associations in a precarious position. While the ambition for greater inclusion in sport is widely shared, the reality of achieving such inclusion is, for local sporting clubs, far more complex. Too often, guidance from authorities focuses on broad … Continue reading The silent exemption: How sporting clubs are misled about protecting women’s sport