Advocacy
Submissions
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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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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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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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Inquiry into the Relationship Between Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and Suicide
Domestic, family and sexual violence is a significant and often hidden driver of suicide risk in Australia. Women’s Legal Services Australia’s submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry highlights how system gaps across policing, courts, health and support services can re-traumatise and place women experiencing violence at even greater risk. Many women avoid seeking help due to…
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WLSA Submission | Administrative Review Council Migration Inquiry Jan26
Read the full report here Executive Summary Around one in three migrant and refugee women in Australia have experienced family violence and rates are known to be even higher amongst women on temporary visas. The Government’s National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-33 recognises the vulnerability of migrant women and children to…
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Federal Budget Submission 2025-26
Read our submission here. This submission outlines the case for a strategic investment in legal services essential to supporting women who are victim-survivors of domestic, family, and sexual violence. Whilst the National Access to Justice Partnership 2025-30 (NAJP) will provide a significant boost in Commonwealth funding for Women’s Legal Services nationally, there are still significant…