women's rights

• ALA calls on Victorian Bar to take action against discriminatory behaviour

  8th Sep 2023

  A notice posted in a Melbourne barristers’ chambers mocking the women in law awards is very disappointing and is a reminder that discriminatory conduct in the profession remains a problem, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance.

• Traumatic birth experience leads to avoidable injury

  3rd Feb 2022

  It is important for women to know that birth-related injuries are common, they are sometimes preventable, and legal advice should be sought before the time to bring a claim passes, writes Jyoti Haikerwal, a lawyer at Brave Legal and volunteer with the Australasian Birth Trauma Association.

• Criminalising coercive control will risk harm to First Nations women

  12th Jul 2021

  The criminalisation of coercive control has significant potential to harm the women that most need protection from violence, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• The ‘constellation of circumstances’ that work against women applying for bail in Victoria

  14th Oct 2020

  Advocates in the legal and community sectors have expressed concerns that Victoria’s tough bail system is having a particularly detrimental impact on women.

  As part of a 12-month study investigating the drivers of women’s remand growth in Victoria, Dr Emma Russell from La Trobe University outlines the study’s key findings and recommendations. She discusses the ‘constellation of circumstances’ that contribute to women’s criminalisation, in particular, experiences of homelessness, poverty, family violence, and untreated mental and physical health problems.

• How NSW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) facilitates financial abuse

  4th Jun 2020

  In this article, Anna Kerr and Andrea Verteouris explore how the NSW policy of denying the registration of a motor vehicle in joint names can be detrimental to the safety of women and children affected by domestic violence. They call on the NSW government to reinstate the option of registering motor vehicles in joint names or at least enable a second interest in a vehicle to be noted.  

• Death sentence for poverty? Why the over-representation of First Nations women prisoners matters during the pandemic

  27th May 2020

  ALA member and a leading advocate for the protection of criminalised women's human rights, Debbie Kilroy OAM, has had her own frightening encounter with the COVID-19 virus. Debbie is desperately worried about the threat to lives if there is an outbreak of the virus in an Australian women’s prison, particularly for over-represented First Nations women, many of whom have chronic health conditions. In this article, Debbie explains the key issues and provides a compelling list of immediate action priorities. 

• Are men still determining women's human rights? (part 2)

  7th Feb 2019

  Anna Kerr discusses the outcomes of Australia's 2018 report to the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and how the government’s failures have undermined the human rights of Australian women.

• Are men still determining women's human rights? (part 1)

  31st Jan 2019

  Anna Kerr explores whether women's rights are adequately represented and protected by international human rights law. She details the history and shortcomings of various international human rights instruments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

• Can lease agreements be discriminatory?

  17th May 2018

  An exploration of a recent case in which a non-compete clause in a shopping centre lease led to a discrimination complaint against a barber shop.

• Sexual harassment in the legal profession

  5th Apr 2018

  Adrienne Morton explores the prevalence of sexual harassment in the legal profession, and the ways in which it could and should be addressed going forward.