Office for Women

A new report, Women, Domestic and Family Violence and Homelessness: A Synthesis Report, was released by the Minister for the Status of Women, Tanya Plibersek.  The research was commissioned by the Office for Women to identify strategies to prevent homelessness resulting from domestic and family violence and ensure that women who survive domestic and family violence, and their accompanying children, are provided with appropriate ongoing accommodation options and integrated wrap around support.

The report Women, Domestic and Family Violence and Homelessness: A Synthesis Report is available for free online.

370 public submissions received by the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children

The National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children made a call for public submissions to inform the development of the draft National Plan. The call for public submissions closed on 31 July 2008 and 370 submissions were received.  The number of submissions and the quality of those submissions reflects the importance the Australian community places on the Government’s commitment to the development and implementation of a plan that will reduce the impact and the incidence of violence against women and their children.

Report finds women uncertain about retirement

A new report, Women’s Experiences of Paid Work and Planning for Retirement, was released by the Minister for the Status of Women, Tanya Plibersek.  It reveals many mature Australian women were uncertain about their retirement due to a lack of confidence in their financial future.

The research which was commissioned by the Office for Women examines the potential issues affecting women’s decisions to retire and their experiences in retirement.  The research draws on the findings from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health which surveys 40,000 women in three age groups, and focuses on data from women aged 53‑58.

The report findings suggest present generations of younger women need evidence-based information and advice about financial planning.

The Final Evaluation Report of the Young Women's Leadership and Mentoring Programme Pilot report is now available - [PDF 674kB]

The Trafficking of Women for Sexual Purposes report is now available on this website.

OfW commissioned the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) to write the report.

It is an analysis of the Government’s evolving response to people trafficking in Australia.

The Personal Safety Survey was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2005 to collect information from a large sample, 11,000 women and 4,500 men, about their experiences of violence.

The ABS provided a summary report that was published in 2006. The survey collected extensive data that was not reported on at that time. Data Analysis Australia was commissioned by Families, Housing and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs through Office for Women in 2007 to conduct a detailed analysis of the Personal Safety Survey Data.

Data Analysis Australia’s report focuses on several key areas including violence against women; alcohol and drug use in incidents of violence; partner violence affecting children and experiences of abuse in childhood; and reporting violence and accessing of services and support.

The Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs invites suitably qualified and experienced organisations to tender for the provision of case management services for the Support for Victims of People Trafficking Program.

The Service Provider will be required to deliver professional individualised case management services for clients on the Program. The Program provides living, social and psychological support to identified victims of human trafficking who are willing and able to assist with a trafficking prosecution. The Service Provider must be able to provide case management services for the Program 24 hours, 7 days per week, and 365 days per year within all States and Territories in Australia.

The time frame for the delivery of the above services will be for 12 months commencing in September 2008, with the possibility for extension.

Tender documentation may be obtained from the AusTender website.

Tenders close at 2.00pm Canberra time on 25 July 2008.

Government Announces $2.1 Million In Grants To Boost Women's Leadership And Advocacy

The Australian Government is committed to developing and supporting women's leadership in every aspect of Australian society.

Twenty-two national women's non-government organisations will share in $2.1 million in grant funding as part of this year's Women's Leadership and Development Programme (WLDP).

For full details of Grant recipients read the media release from The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP

Consultation on the Possible Accession of Australia to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

Australia has been a party to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) since 1983.   The text of CEDAW is available at Australasian Legal Information Institute. Under CEDAW, Australia is obliged to ensure equality between men and women to eliminate discrimination in all areas, including work conditions, access to welfare, health care and education.  In its reports on the implementation of CEDAW, Australia has described how it implements its obligations through a range of Commonwealth and State and Territory laws and programs. 

The Australian Government is now considering whether to become a party to the Optional Protocol to CEDAW (available at Australasian Legal Information Institute).  In deciding whether or not to become a party, the Government is consulting with relevant Commonwealth Ministers, the States and Territories and the broader community. 

Should you wish to participate in this consultation, please take a moment to read the invitation to participate.  Consultations close 30 June 2008.