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 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 →

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. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1JFN0rfMQqSBMqQwYPPA44 … 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. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7hDPQFFmTU2fHXfXgQXn2j Now, … 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. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6ncjAGd2rvx47UJtbYFfJM We requested this meeting with the AHRC President Hugh de Kretser, … 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. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2sd4vjXRpMPDu8RqLgxYMj AAWAA’s recent … 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. https://open.spotify.com/episode/0BuT7uRCCJ5SXj0GBT2iQ6 AAWAA has submitted a detailed … 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 →

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 →