“Australia not to provide a submission”: Inside DFAT’s management of the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls

More than a year of FOI requests and appeals has produced a broadly consistent picture of how the Australian Government manages its relationship with the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem. This article draws on decisions and document releases from both DEWR and DFAT to set out the main features … Continue reading “Australia not to provide a submission”: Inside DFAT’s management of the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls →

Naming the harm: Why Tasmania’s mental health strategy must start with male violence

When governments design mental health strategies, they often treat mental health as a system design problem: how many beds, which referral pathways, what integration models. That approach can improve access and efficiency, but it sidesteps a harder question: what is actually driving women's and girls' mental distress in the first place? AAWAA's submissions to Tasmania's … Continue reading Naming the harm: Why Tasmania’s mental health strategy must start with male violence →

Tasmania’s mental health reboot: Will women get a real say?

Across Australia, women’s and girls’ mental health is being shaped by male violence, the erosion of female‑only services, and the continued absence of robust sex‑disaggregated data. Tasmania is no exception. Tasmania’s Department of Health is developing the next mental health strategy, ‘Rethink and Beyond’, and invited submissions from stakeholders and community members. For AAWAA and … Continue reading Tasmania’s mental health reboot: Will women get a real say? →

Did the AHRC seek costs against the Lesbian Action Group? A timeline

https://youtu.be/nHb1jUUm9nI August 2023 — The Lesbian Action Group applied to the Australian Human Rights Commission for a temporary exemption under section 44 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) to hold lesbians born female only public events. 12 October 2023 — The Commission refused the exemption. 20 January 2025 — The Administrative Review Tribunal affirmed … Continue reading Did the AHRC seek costs against the Lesbian Action Group? A timeline →

Older women: Present in the data, absent from the response

Older women are named in every framework — elder abuse plans, aged care policy, and national plans on violence against women — but none of those frameworks treats them as a distinct group with distinct needs. Last week, AAWAA took part in an expert online consultation convened by Reem Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur on … Continue reading Older women: Present in the data, absent from the response →

No more excuses: The SDA must be reformed

AAWAA has been making the case for reform of the Sex Discrimination Act for some time, and the Full Court has now effectively validated our concerns. The Court has admitted the problem In its 15 May 2026 decision in Giggle for Girls Pty Ltd v Tickle, the Full Federal Court traced the evolution of the … Continue reading No more excuses: The SDA must be reformed →

When ‘dismantling stereotypes’ reinforces them: The CEDAW draft’s conceptual problem

'Dismantling gender stereotypes' sounds uncontroversial. But what if the CEDAW Committee’s new draft recommendation risks embedding those stereotypes and making them harder to shift? The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women is finalising General Recommendation No. 41 — a document that will interpret States parties' obligations to eliminate 'gender stereotypes' under … Continue reading When ‘dismantling stereotypes’ reinforces them: The CEDAW draft’s conceptual problem →

TUF. Prostitution and the sexual contract (The Unmoved Feminist)

The language around prostitution has shifted markedly over the past two decades. In media commentary and policy documents we are now more likely to see 'sex work', 'clients' and 'services' than 'prostitution' or 'male buyers'. Online platforms present it as one more strand of the gig economy, organised through apps and personal branding. At the … Continue reading TUF. Prostitution and the sexual contract (The Unmoved Feminist) →

No great conflict: The AHRC, the Lesbian Action Group, and the questions Parliament needs to ask

The Australian Human Rights Commission wants Parliament to expand its enforcement powers in matters of sex and gender. We asked the Commission's President about it at the National Press Club. On 29 April 2026, Mr Hugh de Kretser, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, addressed the National Press Club in Canberra. The Women's Advocate … Continue reading No great conflict: The AHRC, the Lesbian Action Group, and the questions Parliament needs to ask →

Lived experience is not enough: When ‘fertility support’ becomes a market in women and children

Behind the neutral language of ‘fertility support’ sits a blunt question: Will New South Wales authorise a market in women’s pregnancies and the handover of children, or refuse to build that market at all? On Tuesday, we appeared before the New South Wales Legislative Council inquiry into ‘fertility support’ and assisted reproductive technologies to give … Continue reading Lived experience is not enough: When ‘fertility support’ becomes a market in women and children →

NSWWAA’s opening statement to the NSW Parliament’s Select committee on fertility support and assisted reproductive treatment

On Tuesday 21 April we appeared before the NSW Legislative Council's Select Committee on Fertility Support and Assisted Reproductive Treatment to give evidence on surrogacy. We went not as service providers or industry stakeholders but as women's advocates, and we opened our evidence with a formal statement to the committee setting out the philosophical and … Continue reading NSWWAA’s opening statement to the NSW Parliament’s Select committee on fertility support and assisted reproductive treatment →

Protecting women’s super from violent male partners and sons: Treasury consults on reforms

The Federal Government is considering important changes to superannuation law that would stop men who use family and domestic violence from inheriting the superannuation of the women they have abused. AAWAA has just lodged a submission to Treasury’s consultation ‘Preventing perpetrators from accessing victims’ super death benefits’, setting out how this reform can and should … Continue reading Protecting women’s super from violent male partners and sons: Treasury consults on reforms →

Older women: The forgotten cohort in Australia’s male violence response

Australia has a detailed framework for addressing violence against women, but older women are largely absent from it. AAWAA has just submitted to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, documenting Australia's failure to protect older women across five interconnected domains. The submission draws on CEDAW General Recommendation No. 27, which … Continue reading Older women: The forgotten cohort in Australia’s male violence response →

TUF. Women as a sex class in a world of ‘identity’ (The Unmoved Feminist)

Today, we launch 'The Unmoved Feminist', a new podcast from the Affiliation of Australian Women's Advocacy Alliances. Hosted by Liv and Martine, the series applies second-wave, materialist feminist analysis to the issues and debates women are navigating right now — because our analysis hasn't shifted, even as the political and cultural landscape around us has. … Continue reading TUF. Women as a sex class in a world of ‘identity’ (The Unmoved Feminist) →

Local Action: Accuracy over approval, Dr Megan Blake, barrister

AAWAA brings to you ‘Local Action’, interviews with women getting it done across Australia. Today, Emma interviews Dr Megan Blake, barrister for the Lesbian Action Group and President of the newly established charity YAEL Women’s Defence Guild about her views on the fight for women’s sex-based protections and rights in Australia. Throughout her career Megan … Continue reading Local Action: Accuracy over approval, Dr Megan Blake, barrister →

Victoria’s Conversion Practices Act: What the review must address

Victoria's Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Act 2021 is currently under review by the Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC). The Commission is conducting a focused review of how the ban is working in practice, and submissions closed this week. AAWAA has been working in this area for some time. We have submitted to multiple … Continue reading Victoria’s Conversion Practices Act: What the review must address →

Equality Australia, the Governor-General, and the limits of accountability

Equality Australia sits at the centre of a growing tension between advocacy, public funding and accountability: while it campaigns on laws that cut directly across women’s sex‑based protections and rights, including female‑only spaces, and supports access to contentious gender‑affirming treatments for children, key institutions have moved to endorse and protect its work from scrutiny. Courts … Continue reading Equality Australia, the Governor-General, and the limits of accountability →

How all‑gender toilets are now allowed to quietly replace female‑only spaces in NCC 2025

With the National Construction Code 2025 preview, the Australian Building Codes Board has included a new ‘all‑gender’ toilet provision as a Deemed‑to‑Satisfy pathway in NCC 2025 that leaves fixture numbers intact on paper but allows a reduction in toilets reserved exclusively for women. This change appears technical, but it has clear implications for women’s access to … Continue reading How all‑gender toilets are now allowed to quietly replace female‑only spaces in NCC 2025 →

CEDAW and the Netherlands: How ‘sex work’ language weakens protection

When the CEDAW Committee examined the Netherlands this year for its seventh periodic review, many of us hoped its findings would finally confront the reality that so‑called ‘regulated prostitution’ has not delivered safety or equality for women and girls. And the advance unedited concluding observations from the report do recognise serious harms in the Dutch … Continue reading CEDAW and the Netherlands: How ‘sex work’ language weakens protection →

One year on: Age pension audit confirms what women already knew, but we remain invisible

Late last month, the Auditor-General tabled a comprehensive performance audit of the administration of the age pension in Australia to Parliament. One year earlier, AAWAA was invited to submit detailed evidence to the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) documenting the systemic barriers older women face when seeking to access this critical income support. Now, we … Continue reading One year on: Age pension audit confirms what women already knew, but we remain invisible →

On the record: Women’s organisations brief the Australian Human Rights Commission on Australia’s sex and gender framework

On 18 February, AAWAA, the Coalition of Activist Lesbians, and the Feminist Legal Clinic met with the President and Commissioners of the Australian Human Rights Commission to discuss the operation of Australia’s sex and gender framework and its implications for women’s sex-based protections. We requested this meeting with the AHRC President Hugh de Kretser, Sex … Continue reading On the record: Women’s organisations brief the Australian Human Rights Commission on Australia’s sex and gender framework →

‘World‑class’ laws, invisible lesbians: The gap in Australia’s equality story

Lesbian and bisexual women are repeatedly told that Australia has strong equality laws and robust human rights institutions. Yet when females with same-sex attraction try to organise as such, or to defend female-only spaces, they encounter closed doors, shifting definitions, and institutions that treat others as the ‘real’ stakeholders on their behalf. AAWAA’s recent submission … Continue reading ‘World‑class’ laws, invisible lesbians: The gap in Australia’s equality story →

Violence against mothers: The problem policy refuses to name

One in five young people report using violence against family members. Mothers are the primary targets. Most perpetrators are boys. Violence against mothers remains dangerously under-recognised in Australian policy, despite overwhelming evidence of its scope. Our submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls lays bare the problem: thousands of mothers … Continue reading Violence against mothers: The problem policy refuses to name →

Constitutionally flawed: Why Australia’s proposed hate groups listing framework threatens democracy — and in particular, women

The Australian government has proposed sweeping new legislation in response to serious terrorist threats. But a critical examination of the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026 reveals that its prohibited hate groups framework contains constitutional vulnerabilities that could suppress lawful political advocacy and undermine women's participation in democracy. AAWAA has submitted a detailed analysis … Continue reading Constitutionally flawed: Why Australia’s proposed hate groups listing framework threatens democracy — and in particular, women →

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 →