We are the line: AAWAA’s year of consolidation and strategic advocacy

This year, AAWAA moved from building foundations to stepping into our national power. We took what we learned in 2024 – that women would respond to clear, sex-based language; that politicians would engage with us; that governments are vulnerable to scrutiny on women's rights – and we scaled it up. We built something durable. And … Continue reading We are the line: AAWAA’s year of consolidation and strategic advocacy →

Abolition of surrogacy is within the ALRC’s power: Responding to the terms of reference claim

On 18 December 2025, the Australian Law Reform Commission held a roundtable consultation with seven women's organisations who support the abolition of surrogacy in all its forms. What occurred was not merely a disagreement about policy content. It was a demonstration that fundamental questions about the review's legitimacy remain unaddressed — and that the ALRC … Continue reading Abolition of surrogacy is within the ALRC’s power: Responding to the terms of reference claim →

ALRC surrogacy review: why process matters as much as principle

On 18 December, feminist organisations from across Australia will participate in a roundtable discussion on the Australian Law Reform Commission's review of surrogacy laws. This review will shape national policy affecting women and children for years to come. Yet the process through which this review is being conducted raises fundamental questions about impartiality, democratic participation, and compliance … Continue reading ALRC surrogacy review: why process matters as much as principle →

Beyond consultation: CEDAW means more than just ‘asking a few women’

Across Australia, governments are enacting legislation that strips away women's sex-based protections and rights whilst systematically excluding us from the rooms where decisions are made. But the problem runs deeper than flawed consultation processes: even when governments do consult us, consultation alone does not satisfy Australia's obligations under CEDAW (the UN Convention on the Elimination … Continue reading Beyond consultation: CEDAW means more than just ‘asking a few women’ →

ABC Managing Director says ACON relationship is “new to me this week”: Board must now commission independent audit

On 19 November 2025 at the National Press Club, we asked ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks about the ABC's relationship with ACON, the LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation that operates the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI), an accreditation program first publicly mentioned by the ABC in its 2019–20 annual report. Mr Marks's response revealed that this significant … Continue reading ABC Managing Director says ACON relationship is “new to me this week”: Board must now commission independent audit →

DFAT reinterprets CEDAW, campaigns against UN expert who “doesn’t conform with our views”

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been campaigning against the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, over her interpretation of women's sex-based rights under CEDAW. Remarks by former Ambassador for Gender Equality Stephanie Campbell, contained in a departmental transcript released under FOI (reference LEX 1781, unpublished) reveal … Continue reading DFAT reinterprets CEDAW, campaigns against UN expert who “doesn’t conform with our views” →

Setting the record straight: The political erasure of our feminist lineage

Women's rights organisations advocating for sex-based protections and rights from a second-wave feminist tradition have been systematically mischaracterised in public discourse as 'right-wing', 'reactionary', 'regressive', or sometimes even 'far-right' or 'extremist'. These labels are not merely inaccurate: they represent a form of political erasure of women's organising that obscures the feminist lineage of our advocacy … Continue reading Setting the record straight: The political erasure of our feminist lineage →

Who counts as a stakeholder? How government decides whose voices matter on women’s rights

When Australian governments develop policies that fundamentally affect women's sex-based protections and rights, FOI evidence and analysis of processes reveals that LGBTQIA+ organisations are invited, resourced, and embedded in advisory structures, and considered at the development stage; women's groups focused on sex-based protections and rights, on the other hand, must monitor parliamentary websites, track down … Continue reading Who counts as a stakeholder? How government decides whose voices matter on women’s rights →

Local Action with Janet Fraser

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 →

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 →

Local Action with Isla MacGregor

AAWAA brings to you Local Action — interviews with women Getting It Done across Australia. In this edition of Local Action, we talk to Isla MacGregor. Isla has been fighting the good fight for human rights for decades. She was abruptly dragged into this new wave of feminist activism and brings to it a wealth … Continue reading Local Action with Isla MacGregor →

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 →