Tag: legislation
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Queensland Anti-Discrimination Review: Why Legal Clarity and Women’s Rights Matter
Women Speak Australia has made a submission to the Queensland Government’s Strategic Review of the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Framework, focusing on Part C: the review of the Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment Act 2024. Our submission examines proposed changes to Queensland’s anti-discrimination legislation, including the meaning of equality, new prohibitions on sex-based…
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Digital Duty of Care: Protecting Children Without Silencing Women’s Rights Advocacy
Women 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 of Care legislation. Her message…
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NSW Anti-Discrimination Act Review: Why the Legal Framework Matters for Women
Women Speak Australia has made a submission to the NSW Law Reform Commission’s review of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW), focusing on the Act’s objects, structure, exceptions, special measures and exemption processes. The NSW Law Reform Commission is reviewing the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977, the legislation that establishes protections against discrimination across a range of areas…
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Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW): Analysis of Sex, Transgender Status and Homosexuality
The Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW) is often discussed as though it contains a single modern framework of protected characteristics. It does not. The Act has been amended repeatedly since 1977, and its protections are organised into separate Parts dealing with different grounds. Sex is protected under Part 3. Transgender status is protected separately under Part…
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Digital Duty of Care: Submission on the Online Safety Amendment Bill 2026
Women Speak Australia (WSA) has made a submission on the Australian Government’s Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill 2026 exposure draft. The proposed legislation would introduce a preventative digital duty of care, requiring online services to identify and manage reasonably foreseeable risks of harm arising from online content, design features and systems. WSA…
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Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) — An Analysis
Introduction The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) was enacted to address discrimination on the ground of sex. It gave effect to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and promoted “the principle of the equality of men and women.” That object only works if men and women can be identified.…
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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, a surrogate may have certain…
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Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth) — Detailed Analysis
Background, Purpose and Legislative Structure The Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth) is the principal Commonwealth statute establishing Australia’s regulatory framework for specified categories of online harm. It received Royal Assent on 23 July 2021. The bulk of its operative provisions commenced on 23 January 2022, replacing and expanding the framework previously contained in the Enhancing…
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Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld): Analysis of Sex, Gender Identity, Sexuality and Sex Characteristics
This analysis examines the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld) (the Act) as currently in force, with particular attention to the protected attributes of sex, gender identity, sexuality and sex characteristics. Definitions (Schedule 1 – Dictionary) The Act does not define “sex”. Gender identity, of a person— (a) is the person’s internal and individual experience of gender,…
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National Standards Are Clear: Midwifery in Australia Remains Woman-Centred
Midwifery 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 the standards “are framed within…