Blog

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 →

Local Action: Stassja Frei, Holding the line

AAWAA brings to you Local Action — interviews with women Getting It Done across Australia. In this edition of Local Action, we talk to Stassja Frei. Stassja holds a special place in my heart as the quintessential TERF, and she’s certainly one of the first Australian TERFs to pop her gorgeous head over the parapet. … Continue reading Local Action: Stassja Frei, Holding the line →

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 →

Surrogacy is state-sanctioned violence against women and girls: Why prohibition is the only answer

AAWAA has responded to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls (SRVAWG)’s call for input for her upcoming report to the General Assembly’s 80th session, specifically addressing the theme of surrogacy and its relationship to violence against women and girls. AAWAA’s submission makes our position unequivocal: All forms of surrogacy constitute … Continue reading Surrogacy is state-sanctioned violence against women and girls: Why prohibition is the only answer →

A landmark victory for women’s rights: UK Supreme Court upholds biological definition of ‘woman’

The UK Supreme Court has just delivered a landmark ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, affirming that the term “woman” in the UK's Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex, not gender identity. This decision clarifies that single-sex spaces and services—such as crisis shelters, hospital wards, and sports—can lawfully exclude biological males to protect the … Continue reading A landmark victory for women’s rights: UK Supreme Court upholds biological definition of ‘woman’ →

Institutional integrity, free association, and women’s rights: our groups join the national push for sex-based protections

As the 2025 federal election approaches, the Affiliation of Australian Women’s Action Alliances (AAWAA) and its member groups are taking action. Across the country, our women-led organisations — and our individual members — are writing directly to candidates, urging them to restore clarity and fairness to Australia’s anti-discrimination framework. Our member groups have joined the … Continue reading Institutional integrity, free association, and women’s rights: our groups join the national push for sex-based protections →

Women’s rights are on the ballot: Candidates urged to back sex-based protections

As we head toward the 2025 federal election, the AAWAA has written to every candidate standing for the 48th Parliament of Australia with a clear message: women’s sex-based protections and rights must be a priority—and we have let them know that voters are paying attention. In our letters, we thank each candidate for stepping forward … Continue reading Women’s rights are on the ballot: Candidates urged to back sex-based protections →

Local Action: Jasmine Sussex, Breastfeeding is womens’ work

AAWAA brings to you ‘Local Action’ - interviews with women getting it done across Australia. In Local Action we talk to Mother of three and volunteer breastfeeding counsellor Jasmine Sussex. Jasmine has been attacked for holding the most reasonable and normal belief in the world – That only women can be mothers and only mothers … Continue reading Local Action: Jasmine Sussex, Breastfeeding is womens’ work →

NSW Minister for Women urged to safeguard women’s access to female-only spaces

NSWWAA have written to the Hon Jodie Harrison MP — the NSW Minister for Women, Minister for Seniors, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault — expressing urgent concerns regarding the erosion of female-only spaces and services in NSW, as highlighted in recent parliamentary hearings, and in particular as they pertain … Continue reading NSW Minister for Women urged to safeguard women’s access to female-only spaces →