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Historic child support reforms a win for women — but the work is far from done
BUDGET 2026-27 12 May 2026 Women’s Legal Services Australia welcomes the Australian Government’s commitment to address the weaponisation of child support, but investment in frontline services to meet women’s safety needs missing. Women’s Legal Services Australia (WLSA) has welcomed the Albanese Government’s commitment of $182.6 million in the 2026–27 Federal Budget to address the weaponisation…
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Federal Budget Submission 2026-27
Read our submission here. Executive Summary We should all be able to live free from violence, whether at home, work, in the street or navigating government systems. Unfortunately, rates of gendered violence remain persistently high, and too many laws and systems continue to perpetuate gender inequity and facilitate abuse against women by perpetrators of violence.…
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Every Australian will pay the price for any cuts to women’s safety services
11 May 2026 Australia’s peak body for Women’s Legal Services warns the 2026-27 Federal Budget must maintain investment despite global pressures Women’s Legal Services Australia (WLSA) has called on the Federal Government to ensure that funding for women and gender diverse people fleeing violence is protected in the 2026-27 Budget. Executive Director, Adrianne Walters said…
ACHIEVING JUSTICE, SAFETY AND EQUALITY FOR WOMEN
Our mission is to promote a legal system that is safe, supportive, non-discriminatory and responsive to the needs of women
What we do
- We provide a national voice for Women’s Legal Services to advocate for laws and policies that will create better outcomes for women.
- We enable Women’s Legal Services to share expertise and build capacity by providing forums for collaboration and information sharing across Australia.
- We ensure that Women’s Legal Services are coordinated across Australia and working in partnership to deliver high quality services.
“We are a national network of women’s legal services who believe that by working together we can improve gender equity and justice for women.”
ELENA ROSENMAN
Board Chair
Our History
FOUNDED IN 1996
For decades, Women’s Legal Services have contributed their expertise to advocate for women’s access to legal assistance to escape and recover from family violence.
The Women’s Legal Services Australia network was established as a network in 1996 to provide a collaborative forum for members to share and build their expertise and influence.
Today, Women’s Legal Services Australia represents 13 organisations providing services across Australia and advocates with, and on behalf of, women for better laws and policies to achieve justice, safety and gender equality.
Our national campaign
Safety First in Family Law
For decades, Women’s Legal Services have been advocating for reform to the Family Law Act 1975 to improve the system for children and adult victim-survivors of family violence. In 2019, we joined with over 100 organisations and lived experience experts to outline our 5-step plan for reforming the family law system.
In 2023, we advocated for reforms to remove the presumption of equal shared parental responsibility and put safety first.
In 2024, we advocated for reforms to consider family violence in property disputes and improve access to child support.
If you need legal advice or referral to an appropriate service, please find a Women’s Legal Service in your State or Territory.
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