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The Second Action Plan
Read our submission here. Executive Summary Women’s Legal Services across Australia occupy a unique vantage point. Every day,our members walk alongside women, including transwomen, and non-binarypeople as they navigate the extraordinary legal complexity that so often standsbetween a victim-survivor and safety — parenting orders, property orders, protectionorders, child protection, migration, child support and criminal processes,…
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Legal services for all victim-survivors must be core to Australia’s plan to end violence against women
11 August 2026 Women’s Legal Services Australia (WLSA) has called on all Australian governments to recognise specialist legal assistance as a core frontline service in the Second Action Plan under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032. In its submission to the Second Action Plan, WLSA has warned that women and…
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SDA Amendment Bill is a threat to all women
21 June 2026 Feminists, women’s organisations and community coalitions have united to express their opposition to the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sex-based Rights) Bill 2026, tabled in the Federal Parliament last week by the Nationals’ Alison Penfold MP. This is the second attempt in less than a year to weaken the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth),…
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.
NEW TRAINING FOR LAWYERS
Understanding Coercive Control
Women’s Legal Services Australia is proud to support the launch of the Understanding Coercive Control training for lawyers. The training equips lawyers with the skills to recognise when a client may be experiencing coercive or controlling behaviour, engage with them safely and provide support. The courses are aligned with the National Principles to Address Coercive Control and draw on decades of trauma-informed, culturally responsive legal service delivery experience.
Women’s Legal Services Victoria and First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence co-developed the training as part of a partnership with Women’s Legal Service Australia and National Legal Aid. This is a national project funded by the Australian Government.
The more lawyers who complete this training, the safer our clients will be.
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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