Fair Agenda Blog
1. WOMEN’S SAFETY CALLS LEFT UNANSWERED
Right now, across every single Australian jurisdiction - women cannot access domestic, family, or sexual violence support services they need when or where they need them.
> Women and children in crisis are not able to receive the support they need to achieve safer futures.
In the ACT only 50% of calls to the Domestic Violence Crisis Service can be answered; in NSW women and children are waiting months for refuge accommodation.
> Those reaching out for early support are instead being left with escalating harm.
> Rape survivors seeking support to heal and recover are left without timely support, compounding and intensifying the impacts of harm.
That looks like a 9 month wait for sexual assault support in Queensland; and up to 18 month wait in Western Australia; and no service in your area for many people living in South Australia.
> Women seeking legal support aren’t able to get it - with more than 1,000 women per week, or approximately 52,000 women per year, having to be turned away from women’s legal services that aren’t resourced to support everyone who needs them.
The Government's February announcement of 5 years of funding for the Our Ways - Strong Ways - Our Voices, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan to End Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence 2026-36 was a vital and important investment in culturally safe and community-led services. But these and other services across the country need to be resourced at increased levels to reflect the scale of actual need.
2. IMPROVEMENTS TO TAX RULES SHAPING THE HOUSING MARKET
A good news story for women this budget is the promised changes to the tax rules that have been distorting our housing system.
The old Capital Gains Tax Discount rule directed billions of dollars of potential revenue towards tax incentives for investors - in a context where men are more likely to be property investors; and women are more likely to be struggling with rising house prices. In fact, recent data showed that 58% of the billions in benefits from this tax setting flowed to men (with an average benefit of $23,890 flowing to men; and $18,750 flowing to women).
Similarly, analysis showed that when it comes to the old negative gearing tax rules, 70% of the budget allocation benefit flowed to men. That is - for every $1 of budget money that flowed to women - $2.35 flowed to men.
These old Capital Gains Tax Discount and Negative Gearing rules not only incentivised and subsidised speculation by property investors, they contributed to pushing up prices for those looking to buy their first home; and in doing so perpetuated gender and intergenerational wealth gaps. All while taking funds out of our tax revenue that could be used to pay for services that benefit the whole community.
Tonight it was announced that the current Capital Gains Tax discount would be scrapped, and reverted to the model used previous to 1999 (the year when the Howard Government introduced these rigged rules and supercharged the housing crisis). From 1 July 2027, someone selling an investment property will contribute tax on any profits above the rate of inflation since they bought the property.
Tonight’s changes will wind back the use of public money to subsidise property investment (and through it, private wealth accumulation). It’s a positive step forward towards a system that treats houses as places people live, not just vehicles for profit - and reduce pressure on the housing market.
3. POSITIVE CHANGES TO START ADDRESSING SYSTEMS ABUSE OF CHILD SUPPORT
The Albanese Government has announced positive investments to address loopholes that currently enable the weaponisation of, and perpetration of financial abuse through, child support payments.
Right now many single parents - particularly single mothers - don’t receive the child support they’re entitled to, because former partners do not pay it.
The government has now announced measures to strengthen protections for parents through improvements to Private Collect, funding initiatives to encourage child support payments to be made in full and on time, and increased awareness of the interaction between Family Tax Benefit and child support payments.
While these commitments do not go as far as the campaign call for the Family Tax Benefit to be fully delinked from the maintenance income test, these reforms are still an important step forward and something worth celebrating.
4. OTHER PRIORITIES IN THIS BUDGET
At the same time that domestic, family and sexual violence services aren’t funded to support the women and children reaching out for urgent support, and major cuts are being made to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the Albanese government has still been able to find funding to:
> Reduce the excise on fuel - at a cost of $2.55 billion dollars this year
> Provide diesel tax-breaks at a cost of $13 billion per year (including $2.5 billion of which goes to 18 resource companies)
> Expand support for the Nuclear-Powered Submarines - at a cost of $863.8 million over four years
Unfortunately, the campaign for proper funding of women’s safety services remains as relevant as ever. Sign up to get involved at: https://www.fairagenda.org/fund_womens_safety
Fair Agenda and Sexual Assault Services Victoria are proud to announce our new report – Improving the court experience: A model for pre-recorded testimony in sexual assault cases.
This report provides a model for governments to improve the court experience for victim-survivors of sexual assault, who too often say that seeking justice exacerbated their trauma. In particular, many victim-survivors describe the process of giving evidence during trial as one of the hardest parts of the court process.
Right now many victim-survivors are forced to wait more than a year to give testimony at trial, causing anticipatory anxiety and stress. On top of this, many victim-survivors are expected to recount some of the most traumatic moments of their lives and answer distressing and often humiliating questions about their bodies and assault, with a jury and the person who harmed them watching on.
This report offers a comprehensive model for all states and territories across Australia to expand access to pre-recorded testimony, allowing victim-survivors to give their statements months—or even years—before a trial, in a setting that supports their safety and wellbeing.
Research shows that providing a victim-survivor with the option to pre-record their testimony can reduce their anticipatory anxiety, eliminate the stress of the courtroom environment, and in doing so, help improve the quality of their evidence.
Today sexual assault, community legal, family violence and women’s health services have united to call for the Victorian Government to implement court reforms to enable pre-recorded evidence for sexual assault complainants.
18 organisations have signed onto the open letter that highlights how the current court rules cause unnecessary harm and distress; and has detrimental impacts on rape survivors’ wellbeing, healing and recovery. They say there’s an established reform roadmap to improve outcomes, and the Victorian government needs to get on with actioning it.
This reform was recommended to the government in 2021 through a Victorian Law Reform process; and was echoed again by the Australian Law Reform process in 2025. The Victorian Government has still failed to act on these recommendations.
Jacinta Masters, Campaign Manager with Fair Agenda states that: “Independent legal experts have now told the Andrews / Allan Government on two separate occasions that the rules limiting how adult survivors can record their testimony need to be updated to stop compounding harm to survivors. The survivors this rule harms have already been put through so much – the least the government can do is stop the court process compounding their trauma and delaying their healing. These rules are already in place for children; and for adults in Queensland and the Northern Territory - it’s time for Victoria to catch up.”
Lived Experience Advocate ReMecca Hall states that: “When I gave evidence in court, I was asked to recall traumatic events years after they occurred, while every detail was scrutinised. A small mistake about an exact date from two years ago was used to challenge my credibility. If I had been able to pre-record my testimony, I could have given my evidence much earlier, when my memories were clearer, and avoided the harm and disadvantage caused by having to wait years for the trial.”
Lived Experience Advocate Marita Forsyth states that:“My experience as a victim‑survivor demonstrates that Victoria’s current criminal trial processes cause avoidable and profound harm, including a five‑year delay from reporting to trial in my case, repeated disclosure of deeply personal abuse, and adversarial cross‑examination that fails to account for the realities of trauma. Despite being well supported by mental‑health professionals outside the justice system, these processes significantly exacerbated my PTSD and led to periods of acute psychological distress and suicidality. I urge the Victorian Government to act now to introduce legislation enabling pre‑recorded testimony close to the time of reporting as a critical and achievable step toward a more trauma‑informed system.”
Kathleen Malzahn, CEO of Sexual Assault Services Victoria states that: "It can take years for sexual violence matters to reach trial and during that time survivors live with the anxiety of knowing they will be called on to re-count what might be one of the worst experiences of their life. This can be re-traumatising and it certainly doesn't give people the best chance to recover.”
Kerriann Campbell Jones, CEO of The Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre states that:“Allowing victim survivors of sexual assault to pre-record their testimony ahead of trial would give survivors greater agency and control while helping reduce the risk of re-traumatisation through the court process. For survivors in rural and regional communities, where barriers to disclosure and accessing support are already significant, reforms like this are an important step toward a more accessible and trauma-informed justice system.”
Fair Agenda's Budget Submission focuses on:
1. Removing barriers to women’s economic security
Currently, women contribute an estimated $77.9 billion in unpaid care work annually - work that effectively subsidises government expenditure but remains unaccounted for in fiscal policy. This unpaid contribution comes at a significant personal cost, with women losing on average $500,000 in lifetime earnings.
Unpaid and unrecognised care work continues to drive women’s economic disadvantage, pushing many into poverty in older age, particularly those without secure housing.
We urge the Government to put women’s economic security at the centre of the 2026–27 Federal Budget. The policy levers available to the government to advance gender equity through economic policy reform are extensive - and now is the time for bold action.
Fair Agenda proposes a suite of evidence-based reforms that would meaningfully reduce gendered economic inequality. These include delinking Family Tax Benefit payments from the Maintenance Income Test, and paying superannuation on Carers Payments to support those who have taken significant time out of the paid workforce to provide care. These measures would not only recognise and value women’s unpaid contributions to Australia’s economy, but would also strengthen women’s long-term economic independence - a critical factor in reducing violence against women.
These measures could be funded by improving the tax rules that currently provide a discount on Capital Gains Tax contributions to those selling investment properties; and reforming the current approach to negative gearing - both policies which contribute to perpetuating wealth and housing inequality, and keep vital revenue from public services.
2. Improving responses to sexual violence and support for victim-survivors
From the point of disclosure, to navigating legal systems, and recovery - a victim-survivor’s timely access to appropriate and specialist support can make a significant difference. But right now the supports available and accessible to victim-survivors are vastly inadequate, and delays to access are compounding harm.
This submission focuses on three key areas for intervention in this budget:
- Enabling timely access to specialist healing support for survivors of sexual violence
- Supporting victim-survivors navigating the criminal legal system
- Addressing barriers to timely access to forensic medical exams and care
Currently, many victim-survivors of sexual assault are spending months on waiting lists to access sexual violence counselling services. Timely access to these services is critical to support their healing and recovery, and can reduce or prevent long-term harm.
Victim-survivors who seek justice through the criminal legal system face significant risks to their privacy, mental health, and well-being. Yet most are forced to navigate this system without independent legal assistance tailored to their needs or interests. As a result, they have little control over decisions that affect them, and may cause them further harm.
Access to timely forensic medical examinations is essential for victim-survivors of sexual violence, yet many across Australia face long delays or must travel vast distances to receive care. In regional areas, survivors may wait hours or travel up to seven hours for an exam - while also being told not to wash, clean or change their clothes, in order to preserve evidence.
3. Improving access to abortion care
As part of achieving a fair and gender-equal future, Fair Agenda advocates for women’s full bodily autonomy - including access to abortion care.
Access to abortion in Australia remains deeply inequitable, with significant barriers across metropolitan, regional, and remote areas.
Persistent delays, stigma within the public system, and a lack of referrals from general practitioners continue to delay women’s access to abortion care, or obstruct their access to care completely. These barriers are most acutely felt by women from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are more likely to be delayed in their access to abortion care due to cost, lack of local or accessible providers, and lengthy wait times.
To address these inequities, the Federal Budget must prioritise improving the affordability and accessibility of medical abortion care, including through increased rebates for pregnancy related diagnostic imaging. These measures are essential to ensuring equitable, timely, and affordable access to abortion for all women and pregnant people in Australia. Access to abortion is not only a matter of healthcare - it is a matter of equality, dignity, and human rights.
4. Summary of recommendations
To remove barriers to women’s economic security
- Reform taxation rules that perpetuate gender inequality
- Abolish the Capital Gains Tax discount on investment properties.
- Reform negative gearing subsidies.
- Protect support for single mothers – by delinking the Family Tax Benefit and the ‘Maintenance Income Test’
- Better support those providing unpaid care work by providing superannuation contributions to those receiving Carers Payments.
To improve responses to sexual violence and support for victim-survivors
- Provide national leadership and investment to ensure victim-survivors’ timely access to specialist sexual violence counselling, by investing in the capacity of specialist sexual assault services to provide this service.
- Evolve current trauma-informed Sexual Assault Legal Service pilots into permanent, fully-funded services for victim-survivors.
- Consider how the Australian Government can partner with states to ensure faster access to forensic medical examinations for all Australians.
To improve access to abortion care
- Invest in making abortion care cheaper through reviewing and increasing the Medicare rebates applied to diagnostic ultrasound in pregnancy.
On Wednesday September 17, Independent SA MP Sarah Game introduced her Bill to restrict the care doctors can provide their patients after 23 weeks of pregnancy. Sarah Game has described this bill as “a good first start,” and has made clear she is “pro-life from conception.”
She wants to override current laws - and interfere with the ability of doctors to provide their patient with the best care.
This Bill is an attempt to roll back abortion laws in South Australia starting with abortion care later in pregnancy. It was due to be debated in the South Australian Legislative Council on Wednesday October 15 but was rescheduled to Wednesday November 12
A woman can need to access abortion care after 23 weeks for a range of complex, distressing and deeply personal reasons. She may have received a catastrophic diagnosis for her own health and need to end her pregnancy for the best chance of recovery, or an abuser may use the pregnancy to trap her in the relationship, and have obstructed her ability to access earlier care, she may be a survivor of incest or sex trafficking. She and her medical team should be able to discuss the best care options in her unique circumstances.
Sarah Game is trying to give politicians the ultimate say - by limiting the care a woman’s medical team can legally provide to her. Specifically, she wants to remove key legal provisions that allow a medical team to consider the needs and health of the person who is actually pregnant, essentially subverting a woman's needs to her function as the incubator of a pregnancy.
Here is a breakdown of the current laws (introduced on the recommendations of the SA Law Reform Institute), with red indicating the provisions that Sarah Games’ amendments would delete from the laws. It is worth noting that the South Australian Law Society has also condemned the proposed changes.
The Current laws - text in red italics is what is being removed
6—Terminations by medical practitioner after 22 weeks and 6 days
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A medical practitioner may perform a termination on a person who is more than 22 weeks and 6 days pregnant if -
two medical practitioners consider that, in all the circumstances—
(i) the termination is necessary to save the life of the pregnant person or save another foetus; or
(ii) the continuance of the pregnancy would involve significant risk of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant person; or
(iii) there is a case, or significant risk, of serious foetal anomalies associated with the pregnancy; and
9—Mandatory considerations for medical practitioners performing terminations after 22 weeks and 6 days
In assessing matters for the purposes of section 6(1), a medical practitioner must, when determining whether to perform a termination, have regard to the following:
(a) whether it is essential to perform a termination of an affected foetus in a multiple pregnancy at a gestation that does not risk severe prematurity and its attendant consequences for the surviving foetus;
(b) whether there are serious foetal abnormalities that were not identifiable, diagnosed or fully evaluated before the pregnancy reached 22 weeks and 6 days, including but not limited to abnormalities involving the brain, heart, renal and skeletal systems, or whether the foetus has been exposed to infective agents which may damage or limit the gestation and development of the foetus;
(c) whether the patient has had difficulty accessing timely and necessary specialist services before the pregnancy reached 22 weeks and 6 days, including but not limited to patients experiencing significant socio-economic disadvantage, cultural or language barriers and those who reside in remote locations;
(d) whether a patient has been denied agency over the decision to continue a pregnancy or not, including (but not limited to) the abuse of minors and vulnerable adults to sexual and physical violence including rape, incest and sexual slavery;
(e) whether the abuse outlined in paragraph (d) includes circumstances in which such abuse is not apparent, or the pregnancy is not diagnosed until an advanced gestational age;
(f) whether medical or psychiatric conditions may become apparent or deteriorate during the pregnancy to the point where they are a threat to the patient's life;
(g) whether the patient has a deteriorating maternal medical condition, or late diagnosis of a disease requiring treatment incompatible with an ongoing pregnancy (such as malignancies)
When we need healthcare, we should be able to rely on a system that supports us to make an informed decision, and access to a team who can provide the best care for our circumstances. Politicians should not be overriding and limiting the treatment that is best in our complex personal circumstances.
Key medical organisations have condemned this proposed Bill with the RANZCOG, Australian College of Midwives and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners all making their opposition clear.
The question is simple: do we trust a woman and her medical teams to make the best decisions for their specific and unique personal circumstances — or do we hand that power to politicians who have no idea what it’s like to walk in their shoes?
South Australians fought hard to ensure abortion care was recognised as healthcare and that the decision to continue or end a pregnancy rests with a woman and her healthcare team. We must stand up again to defend that principle.
What Can I Do?
These proposed changes will be debated in the South Australian Legislative Council on October 15. Make sure that Members of the Legislative Council know that South Australians want a woman’s access to safe abortion care protected. Email the Legislative Council Members now
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