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Specialist legal services bridge gaps to keep thousands of women safe
11 September 2026 Women’s Legal Services Australia releases evaluation of Temporary Visa Holders Experiencing Violence Pilot. Specialist wraparound legal services, where lawyers, social workers and financial counsellorswork together to resolve interconnected family violence, family law, immigration and safetyissues, are highly innovative and best practice, an independent evaluation has found. Research indicates that one in three…
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Evaluation of Women’s Legal Services Temporary Visa Holders Experiencing Violence Pilot
Read the report here. Executive Summary No one should be prevented from escaping violence by Australia’s legal systems. But the reality is that many women fear leaving violent relationships because they are on a temporary visa and fear losing their children, being thrown into homelessness, being denied access to Medicare and social security and deportation.…
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DFSV Commissioner’s report reinforces the need for long-term funding for women’s legal services
11 September 2026 Women’s Legal Services Australia welcomes the Commissioner’s yearly report and its focus on justice and family law reforms in the year ahead. Too often, Australia’s legal systems are harnessed by users of violence to continue their abuse and control. Too often, women are forced to endure years of systems abuse without legal…
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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