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

“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

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.

25 +

Years

Experience

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.

Our national campaign

Safety First in Family Law

For decades, Women’s Legal Services have been advocating for reform to the Family Law Act 1975 to improve the system for children and adult victim-survivors of family violence. In 2019, we joined with over 100 organisations and lived experience experts to outline our 5-step plan for reforming the family law system. In 2023, we are continuing to advocate for reforms that will put safety first, particularly in response to the Family Law Amendment Bill 2023.

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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