New women's groups backed
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The federal government is boosting support for women’s advocacy groups.
Five National Women’s Alliances have been established to improve outcomes for Australian women through direct engagement with government on issues such as gender-based violence, economic equality, and leadership.
Formed following a competitive grant process, the alliances represent varied Australian women’s perspectives, including Indigenous, rural, culturally diverse, and disabled women.
The newly formed Working with Women Alliance, led by YWCA Canberra, merges previous initiatives addressing gender-based violence and women’s economic leadership. By combining these two themes, this alliance aims to strengthen resource coordination and foster collaboration to improve women’s safety and economic security.
Minister for Women Katy Gallagher highlighted the alliances’ significance, noting they help the government “understand the challenges experienced by women all over the country and what we can do to improve their day-to-day lives.”
She added that the alliances will assist in the implementation of the ‘Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality’ scheme, which outlines the government’s long-term goals for gender equality.
The five alliances selected are the Working with Women Alliance; the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance; the National Rural Women’s Coalition; Women with Disabilities Australia; and the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), which will lead a new alliance supporting women from migrant, refugee, and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
“The National Women's Alliances play an important role in representing the voices of women from a diverse range of backgrounds,” said Assistant Minister for Women Kate Thwaites.
She said that the collective work of the alliances will help the government better understand and address the varied issues affecting women across the country.
Operating from 2 December 2024, the alliances are poised to collaborate with the government to provide practical policy recommendations.
The newly created Working with Women Alliance also takes on the responsibilities previously held by the Equality Rights Alliance and the Harmony Alliance, with the government acknowledging their “leadership and advocacy over many years”.
Minister Gallagher said that she looks forward to working with the new alliances to “drive further change and progress gender equality in Australia”.