MEDIA STATEMENT
For Immediate Release: 21 June 2026
Feminists, women’s organisations and community coalitions have united to express their opposition to the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sex-based Rights) Bill 2026, tabled in the Federal Parliament last week by the Nationals’ Alison Penfold MP.
This is the second attempt in less than a year to weaken the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth), and it comes at a time when women’s rights are under pressure on multiple fronts, with Bills before the NSW and SA Parliaments and a disallowance motion in Queensland all seeking to limit abortion care.
Twenty organisations are raising their voices in concern about the latest attack on the Sex Discrimination Act, which seeks to limit protection to discrimination by defining men and women only by their physical characteristics, imposing a strict sex binary and allowing people to establish ‘women-only’ places and services without any justification needed.
Sally Moyle, Chair of the National Foundation for Australian Women said “For generations, feminists have been fighting for recognition of the complexity of our lives. This Bill strikes at the core of gender equality by narrowly defining women. It risks taking us back to a time when an idealised definition of ‘the woman’ only allowed us to be caregivers defined by our reproductive function, who should not own property and were not suited to leadership, capable of rational thought or physically strong.”
Dr Gemma Killen, Executive Director of the Working with Women Alliance said “The Sex Discrimination Act is the cornerstone of gender equality in Australia, and we do not want to see it weakened. We do not want a situation where women are judged as ‘not female enough’ to deserve protection or access to women-only spaces, just because they might look or sound different to the feminine stereotype.”
This submission is being made by The National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW).
NFAW is dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of Australian women, including intellectual, cultural, political, social, economic, legal, industrial and domestic spheres, and ensuring that the aims and ideals of the women’s movement and its collective wisdom are handed on to new generations of women. NFAW is a feminist organisation, independent of party politics and working in partnership with other women’s organisations.
The taxation of capital gains affects women and men in different ways; it is not gender neutral. This submission responds to the terms of reference through a gender lens.
Why is the taxation of capital gains an issue for women?
The taxation of capital gains, as set out in the terms of reference of the Committee affects women in two domains: firstly whether men and women are affected equitably through the effect of the discount, and secondly through the effect on the housing market.
The National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) says the 2026 Federal Budget contains some welcome investments for women’s safety and wellbeing but fails to maintain the momentum needed to drive long-term gender equality in Australia.
In its annual Gender Lens on the Budget report, NFAW acknowledges important measures including funding to improve the Child Support system, investment in the First Nations-led strategy to end family violence, support for young people at risk of housing insecurity, and action on technology-facilitated abuse.
However, NFAW says the broader Budget settings do not match the scale of the challenges facing women and gender equality.
“We celebrate the progress that has been made under the Albanese Government but without sustained investment and leadership this progress can quickly stall,” states Sally Moyle, Chair of NFAW.
Australia recently achieved its highest-ever ranking in the Global Gender Gap Index, rising to 13th globally after years of decline. NFAW says this progress reflects deliberate policy choices and sustained investment in gender equality infrastructure, including the Government’s Working for Women strategy.
But NFAW warns the international environment is becoming increasingly hostile to gender equality, with growing global pushback against women’s rights and human rights protections.
“Gender equality must be treated as an economic and national priority, particularly during periods of uncertainty and social division,” states Sally Moyle.
NFAW also raised concerns about several areas of the Budget where gender impacts appear to have been overlooked, including:
The organisation says gender responsive budgeting must remain central to government decision-making and should be strengthened across all portfolios.
After more than a decade of neglect, the Albanese Government spent its first years in office addressing some of the most neglected areas of gender equality and developing ambitious infrastructure for future progress, including a 10 year commitment to gender equality: Working for Women: A National Strategy for Gender Equality.
As a result, Australia now ranks 13th in the Global Gender Gap Index, its highest ever position. This concrete progress is to be congratulated. However, the 2026 Budget fails to build on that momentum - investments are diminishing and continued progress is at risk.
There are some positive steps in this Budget (tax reform, child support, funding for the First Nations-led national strategy to end violence), but the environment in which it has landed is fraught. Under these circumstances, a failure of momentum may not be easy to recover.
This Budget has been framed as an economic reset intended to improve intergenerational fairness. Like all of the budgets under the present Government, it is intended to be a gender-responsive budget, incorporating gender impact analysis to reduce gender bias in planning and resourcing across government.
However, there are concerning indications that gender responsive budgeting may not be maturing evenly across government. Economic decisions (NDIS, Defence spending, climate change policy) have been budgeted despite significant, negative gender impacts. Gender responsive budgeting has been the backbone of this progress by the government to date. It must be maintained with energy and resourcing. It should be mandated across government with legislative amendments.
This Gender Lens on the Budget has been produced as an annual report on the implementation of government commitments to gender equality across the federal Budget since 2014. It is developed entirely by volunteer experts giving their time and expertise to holding government to account. This process continues to demonstrate the importance of the unpaid work of the feminist movement in demanding progress towards equality.
NFAW extends our heartfelt thanks to the 40 authors, including those who declined attribution, who created this Gender Lens on the Budget report, to our Directors, and, particularly, to Jen Bushell, our Executive Officer, without whom this report would not be produced.
24 May 2026
 |
 |
| Sally Moyle Board Chair National Foundation for Australian Women |
Helen Dalley Fisher AM Chair - Policy Committee National Foundation for Australian Women |
"We know there is no silver bullet on gender equality; real change requires policy reforms across a range of areas.
After more than a decade of neglect, the Albanese Government spent its first years in office addressing some of the most neglected areas of gender equality. And it has paid off. Australia is now ranked 13th in the Global Gender Gap Index, up from a dismal ranking of 50th in 2021. This is to be congratulated.
However, this Budget fails to build on that momentum. It feels like the investments are diminishing and the progress, as a result will likely slow. This is a disappointing Budget from a government that has so far shown that it can make real progress.
There are a few points of light in this Budget:
But there is so much more to do.
National Foundation for Australian Women
Board Director (Voluntary)
The National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) is a feminist organisation dedicated to advancing gender equality and protecting the rights and interests of Australian women. Independent of party politics, NFAW works to influence policy, support research and advocacy, and strengthen the broader women’s movement in Australia. NFAW also supports initiatives and projects aligned with its objects as well as through its preferred donor arrangements and partnerships across the sector.
NFAW is currently seeking a voluntary Board Director to join our Board and contribute to the strategic leadership and governance of the organisation.
About the Role
NFAW is governed by a volunteer, skills-based Board of Directors. The Board is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified individuals with strong financial expertise to join the Board, with the intention that the successful candidate will also assume the role of Treasurer.
The Treasurer plays an important role in supporting the Board’s oversight of NFAW’s financial management, reporting and governance. This includes working closely with the Board and advisers to ensure sound financial stewardship and transparency.
Board appointments are voluntary and directors are not remunerated.
The person
We are seeking a candidate who brings strong financial capability and governance awareness. You will have:
An interest in or commitment to gender equality and advancing the rights of women will be important.
NFAW welcomes expressions of interest from individuals who bring diverse perspectives, including First Nations women, women from culturally diverse backgrounds, and younger women seeking to contribute their professional skills to the governance of a national feminist organisation.
Commitment
NFAW is a volunteer-led organisation. Directors are expected to attend Board meetings and contribute to committees and key initiatives of the organisation. The Board generally meets several times each year, with additional involvement in committee work as required.
How to apply
If you are interested in contributing your financial expertise to the governance of NFAW and supporting the advancement of women in Australia, we encourage you to submit an expression of interest to nfaw@nfaw.org
Further information about the role and application process is available in the Position Description →.
Submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade in response to its inquiry into gender equality as a national security and economic security imperative
NFAW welcomes this inquiry into gender equality as a national and economic security imperative and thanks the Committee for the opportunity to make this submission. We are available and would be pleased to address any questions and give further evidence to the Committee during hearings.
Recommendations
NFAW recommends:
1. The development of an Australian National Security Strategy which:
a. identifies gender equality as a critical element of the definition of ‘security’;
b. uses a human rights framework and maps risks and actions against the impact on human rights in Australia;
c. identifies the elimination of gender inequality as a priority action;
d. articulates the benefits of gender equality for all Australians vis a vis Australia’s national security;
e. adopts an intersectional approach to identifying and addressing gender inequality;
f. requires Commonwealth Departments and other federal entities to conduct gender impact analysis across all policies and areas of responsibility (particularly all domestic areas of policy and responsibility) which are identified in the strategy as critical to Australia’s national security and incorporate the results into its policies and practices. This activity should include but not be limited to recommendations 2 and 3 below; g. directs adequate resourcing to the Commonwealth Office for Women and / or other relevant bodies to support Departments and entities to build internal capacity to perform the above analysis.
The National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) is dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of Australian women, including in intellectual, cultural, political, social, economic, legal, industrial and domestic spheres, and ensuring that the aims and ideals of the women’s movement and its collective wisdom are handed on to new generations of women. We are a feminist organisation, independent of party politics and working in partnership with other women’s organisations. In our advocacy work, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of Country throughout Australia and pay our respects to their elders past and present.
Background
The issue of children’s safety in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services has become a central issue for Australian governments and parents around Australia following the arrest of two educators charged with numerous cases of child sexual abuse in Queensland in August 2023 and Victoria in May 2025, and two charged with assault of a toddler in New South Wales in July 2025. An ongoing Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) investigation into child safety in the ECEC sector has been the main source of publicly available information on incidents of abuse and follow up.
We note that the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) published a Review of Child Safety Arrangements under the National Quality Framework (Child Safety Review) in December 2023. Following a consultation period which closed in June 2025, a Decision Regulation Impact Statement (DRIS) was published in mid-August 2025. Federal, state and territory governments have responded with a raft of measures and are working on joint initiatives to improve child safety. Our understanding is that options agreed by Education Ministers in August 2025 will proceed to legislation through the Victorian Parliament (as the host jurisdiction of the National Law) for adoption by other jurisdictions. Timeframes for legislative amendments to take effect will be determined by Education Ministers. Legislation was also introduced and passed by the Australian Parliament in July 2025 to address a number of key issues relating to child safety and quality in ECEC in Australia, regulation, compliance and training.
Improving productivity
The National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) is a leading advocate for gender equality in Australia, independent of party politics and dedicated to promoting and protecting women’s rights through policy advocacy, research, and education.
The evidence globally and in Australia is clear that advances towards gender equality contribute to nations’ resilience, deliver economic gains and accelerate productivity.i Despite progress on improving gender equality in Australia, women are still more likely to work part time, be underemployed, and experience lower pay and job security compared to men.
NFAW congratulates the Government on its work on Gender Responsive Budgeting and gender impact analysis in its Budget processes. The Working for Women Strategy is an important milestone for gender equality in Australia and a useful framework. There is more to be done to align all government processes to integrate gender equality considerations.
This submission seeks to inform the Economic Reform Roundtable of the productivity benefits from investing in gender equality.
Australia must recognise that supporting gender equality is an investment
Reducing gender wage gaps is not an inefficiency but an overall better utilisation of women’s skills, and so an economy-wide productivity gain.