Women Speak Australia publishes analysis on the sex-based rights of women and girls, and on the laws and institutions that affect them.
- Breastfeeding Is Not Gender Neutral: Why Words MatterIn October 2026, a controversy erupted in New South Wales after the NSW Parliament updated its own employee breastfeeding policy, removing references to mothers and replacing them with gender-neutral terminology such as “parent”, “carer” and “lactating parent”. NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane challenged the changes, questioning why a policy about… Read more: Breastfeeding Is Not Gender Neutral: Why Words Matter
- Digital Duty of Care: Protecting Children Without Silencing Women’s Rights AdvocacyWomen Speak Australia supports protecting children from online harm. But online safety laws must also protect the ability of women to speak openly about sex, gender and their rights. On 15 October 2026, Communications Minister Anika Wells addressed the National Press Club to explain the Albanese Government’s proposed Digital Duty… Read more: Digital Duty of Care: Protecting Children Without Silencing Women’s Rights Advocacy
- Reflections from the CASC Conference: Day Two in AdelaideThe second day of the Coalition for Advancing Scientific Care (CASC) Gender Healthcare Summit opened early in Adelaide under the theme Courageous Conversations, Better Care. The programme examined clinical assessment, adolescent development, medical outcomes, health data and the legal responsibilities involved in treating children and young people experiencing gender-related distress.… Read more: Reflections from the CASC Conference: Day Two in Adelaide
- Musings from the CASC Conference: Day One in AdelaideMy trip to Adelaide for the Coalition Advancing Scientific Care (CASC) 2026 conference began with a little time to myself before the dinner. It was raining, but it was that gentle spring rain that makes a walk enjoyable rather than miserable. With the evening not starting until after 6 pm,… Read more: Musings from the CASC Conference: Day One in Adelaide
- Children’s Development and the Questions Surrounding Sex and GenderChildren are not small adults. They are developing human beings whose cognitive, emotional, social and physical capacities change substantially as they grow. How children understand themselves and the world around them is therefore influenced by their stage of development, their relationships, their environment and the information available to them. These… Read more: Children’s Development and the Questions Surrounding Sex and Gender
- Child Safeguarding and the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act: What the HGY Decision RaisesA recent decision of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal raises an important question for child safeguarding and the future operation of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW): how should anti-discrimination protections interact with reasonable identity and background checks designed to protect children? The question arises from HGY v Secretary, Ministry… Read more: Child Safeguarding and the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act: What the HGY Decision Raises
- Gender Dysphoria in Children: Where Australia Stands Before the NHMRC ReviewA national situationer before NHMRC interim advice on puberty suppression Australia is approaching an important point in the national debate about the clinical treatment of children and adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria. In January 2025, the Australian Government asked the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to develop new national… Read more: Gender Dysphoria in Children: Where Australia Stands Before the NHMRC Review
- High Court Brings Giggle v Tickle Litigation to an EndThe long-running legal dispute between Giggle for Girls founder Sall Grover and Roxanne Tickle has now reached its conclusion, with the High Court of Australia refusing special leave to appeal the Full Court of the Federal Court’s May 2026 decision. On 10 September 2026, the High Court refused the application,… Read more: High Court Brings Giggle v Tickle Litigation to an End
- Women’s Sport in Australia: One Category, Different RulesWomen’s sport in Australia is increasingly governed by different rules about who is eligible to compete in the female category. At Olympic level, the International Olympic Committee has now adopted a policy restricting participation in the female category at the Olympic Games and other IOC events to biological females, with… Read more: Women’s Sport in Australia: One Category, Different Rules
- Women’s Prisons Were Built for a Sex Class. Who Enters Them Is Now a State Policy Choice.Australia has no Commonwealth statute that says who may be housed in a women’s prison. That is how the country is built. States and territories run adult corrections. Section 120 of the Constitution requires each state to hold people convicted of Commonwealth offences in its prisons. There is no separate… Read more: Women’s Prisons Were Built for a Sex Class. Who Enters Them Is Now a State Policy Choice.
- In the Name of the Child: Melbourne Conference Examines the Harms of SurrogacyOn 21–22 August 2026, the Association Representing Mothers Separated by Adoption (ARMS) hosted a two-day national conference, In the Name of the Child: The Perils of Surrogate Motherhood for Mother and Baby, at the Greg Craven Centre, Australian Catholic University, in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Women Speak Australia attended the conference, which… Read more: In the Name of the Child: Melbourne Conference Examines the Harms of Surrogacy
- Surrogacy in Australia: If It Requires So Many Safeguards, Should We Be Regulating It or Ending It?Surrogacy is legal in every Australian state and territory, yet Australia has no single national surrogacy law. Instead, it is regulated primarily through separate state and territory legislation. There is one broad point of agreement: commercial surrogacy is prohibited across Australia, while altruistic surrogacy is permitted. In an altruistic arrangement,… Read more: Surrogacy in Australia: If It Requires So Many Safeguards, Should We Be Regulating It or Ending It?
- eSafety Commissioner Issues Removal Notice to X Over Genevieve Gluck Article: What Does the Online Safety Act Require?On 4 August 2026, the Australian eSafety Commissioner issued a formal removal notice to X concerning a post that linked to a 2024 Substack article by US-based writer Genevieve Gluck. The article, published on 31 October 2024 on her Women’s Voices Substack, examined publicly available online material posted by an… Read more: eSafety Commissioner Issues Removal Notice to X Over Genevieve Gluck Article: What Does the Online Safety Act Require?
- Public Toilets and the Duty of Local Government: Why Single-Sex Facilities Matter for WomenIntroduction Access to safe, private and usable public toilets is an important but often overlooked aspect of participation in public life. Across Australia, councils are increasingly considering different approaches to the design of public toilets and change facilities, including unisex and all-gender models. These approaches may provide benefits for some… Read more: Public Toilets and the Duty of Local Government: Why Single-Sex Facilities Matter for Women
- The Case of Dr Jillian Spencer: Clinical Concerns, Safeguarding and Professional FreedomQuestions surrounding the medical treatment of children experiencing gender-related distress remain the subject of significant scientific and professional debate. Systematic reviews in several countries have found the evidence for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in this cohort to be of low or very low certainty. In this context, the ability… Read more: The Case of Dr Jillian Spencer: Clinical Concerns, Safeguarding and Professional Freedom
- The Kirralie Smith Appeal: What the NSW Supreme Court Decided About Advocacy, Women’s Sport and Anti-Vilification LawIntroduction On 24 July 2026, the NSW Supreme Court delivered its judgment in Smith v Blanch; Smith v Dennis [2026] NSWSC 879, concluding one of Australia’s most closely watched civil vilification appeals. The case arose from a series of social media posts published by Kirralie Smith, spokesperson for Binary Australia… Read more: The Kirralie Smith Appeal: What the NSW Supreme Court Decided About Advocacy, Women’s Sport and Anti-Vilification Law
- ‘It Was a Different Time’: The 2013 Sex Discrimination Act AmendmentsDuring a recent question-and-answer session at Manchester University, former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was asked about her government’s 2013 amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act. Those amendments removed the Act’s biological definitions of “man” and “woman” and added “gender identity” as a protected attribute. Gillard responded that the issues… Read more: ‘It Was a Different Time’: The 2013 Sex Discrimination Act Amendments
- Who Are Breastfeeding Organisations For? Mothers, Babies and the Importance of SafeguardingBreastfeeding support organisations were created for a simple purpose: to support mothers and babies. For decades, women gathered in these spaces to discuss pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, maternal health, and the challenges of caring for newborn children. They were built on shared female experience and a common focus on infant wellbeing.… Read more: Who Are Breastfeeding Organisations For? Mothers, Babies and the Importance of Safeguarding
- National Standards Are Clear: Midwifery in Australia Remains Woman-CentredMidwifery practice in Australia is governed by national law and professional standards that place women at the centre of care. The primary legislation is the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, which establishes the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). The NMBA’s Midwife standards for practice (2018) explicitly state that… Read more: National Standards Are Clear: Midwifery in Australia Remains Woman-Centred
- When Psychologists Need Training to Post on Social Media: Concerns About AHPRA RegulationRecently, attention has been drawn to a continuing professional development workshop titled “Social Media for Psychologists: Perils and Pitfalls” offered by Australian Health Professional Development (AHPD). The course description notes that complaints arising from social media activity are increasing and warns practitioners that even personal or private group activity may… Read more: When Psychologists Need Training to Post on Social Media: Concerns About AHPRA Regulation
- Pauline Hanson Addresses Gender Identity Policies at National Press ClubDuring her recent address to the National Press Club, Senator Pauline Hanson raised a range of national issues, including migration, housing, energy policy and government administration. A significant portion of her speech focused on gender identity policies and their impact on women’s rights, single-sex spaces and public institutions. Hanson argued… Read more: Pauline Hanson Addresses Gender Identity Policies at National Press Club