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:

1. Enabling timely access to specialist healing support for survivors of sexual violence
2. Supporting victim-survivors navigating the criminal legal system
3. 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

1. Reform taxation rules that perpetuate gender inequality
   1. Abolish the Capital Gains Tax discount on investment properties.
   2. Reform negative gearing subsidies.
2. Protect support for single mothers – by delinking the Family Tax Benefit and the ‘Maintenance Income Test’
3. 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

1. 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.
2. Evolve current trauma-informed Sexual Assault Legal Service pilots into permanent, fully-funded services for victim-survivors.
3. 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

1. 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

1. 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

If you have already taken these actions - thank you. Please share our petition and letter writing action with friends and family

This week our movement helped achieve something great: the passage of new national standards that will make universities safer for students.

The National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence is the culmination of 8 years of joint campaigning by the Fair Agenda movement with partners like End Rape on Campus Australia, Dr Allison Henry and the STOP Campaign. And on Monday it was passed by the House of Representatives – the final hurdle to it becoming law. 

You may remember from my communications over the many years of this campaign the harm and failings of many university approaches to sexual violence to date. Amongst the kinds of issues our movement’s advocacy has been focused on addressing include: 

• Universities' and residences' actively harmful and traumatising responses to student reports of sexual assault, including:
  • Victim-blaming during reporting processes,
  • Failing to provide basic safety measures,
  • Threatening to sanction survivors if they tell others about their complaint, and
  • Failing to provide student survivors with updates or outcomes after they filed complaints about sexual assault.
• Universities' failing to screen staff being hired into positions of power and influence over students for prior convictions of sexual assault; protection orders; or active complaints about their use of sexual violence.
• Universities and residences failing to remove known perpetrators of violence on campus; or provide basic protections against them causing further harm, and
• Creating onerous barriers to student survivors accessing necessary accommodations or adjustments after rape.

The new National Code will set detailed and enforceable standards that will address these kinds of issues.

Its contents were shaped by representatives of Fair Agenda and our campaign partners over months of consultations. The 30 pages of the full Code contain critical and meaningful detail that I can’t convey in full here, but its features include:

• Requiring universities to ensure their prevention education and training is: accessible, trauma-informed, evidence-informed; and monitored and evaluated.
• Requiring universities' responses to gender-based violence to be person-centered and trauma-informed.
• Requiring universities to respond to any disclosure of gender-based violence with a risk assessment to manage and monitor identified risks to a survivor’s safety on an ongoing basis.
• Requiring alternate teaching and living arrangements be provided for a victim-survivor where necessary to ensure their safety. 
• Requiring universities to have timely and safe processes.
• Requiring a provider to impose sanctions proportionate to conduct – including exclusion or expulsion. 

Each university’s leader will be responsible for ensuring these clear and specific standards are met - and there is also power for the federal Department of Education to enforce financial penalties where a university fails to meet these standards.

This reform will be transformative for student safety. I’m so proud that our movement has played a critical role in building pressure for this reform; and thankful to the thousands of Fair Agenda members and partners who have contributed to this campaign in so many different ways over the past 8 years. 

This major reform was 8 years in the making; and the product of persistent collaboration between advocates and movements. If you’d like to see some of the collective campaign effort leading to this point, you can see a snapshot the Fair Agenda team created of the advocacy that led to this reform here.

Today we mark this significant step forward for improving safety in universities. But sadly they are not the only institutions failing and actively harming victim-survivors of sexual violence. So tomorrow we refocus our efforts building momentum for the many other changes needed – including access to timely care and forensic medical exams; access to sexual assault services for healing and recovery; and more trauma-informed court processes. We hope that you’ll join us in these important campaigns as well. You can add your support on Fair Agenda’s campaigns page here. 

We also know that this change comes too late for many. To every victim-survivor that has been harmed by their university or TEQSA’s response to their report – we’re so sorry for what you were put through. You deserved better. We hope you’ll do something to take care of yourself today.  

If you have been impacted by sexual assault you can access support from state and territory sexual assault counselling hotlines on: 

NSW - NSW Sexual Violence Helpline: 1800 424 017
QLD - Sexual Assault Helpline: 1800 010 120
VIC - Centres Against Sexual Assault: 1800 806 292
SA - Yarrow Place: 1800 817 421
ACT - Canberra Rape Crisis Centre: (02) 6247 2525
WA - Sexual Assault Resource Centre: (08) 6458 1828
NT - Ruby Gaea: (08) 8945 0155
TAS - Sexual Assault Support Service: (03) 6231 1817

This election is a critical opportunity to put our movement's priority issues in front of candidates, demonstrate widespread public mandate for action, and secure their commitments to act. 

In our most recent survey, Fair Agenda members told us they wanted to see action on sexual and domestic violence, healthcare and reproductive rights, care work, and support for those doing it tough. 

That’s why we’ve asked candidates across the country to commit to concrete action in these areas by taking Fair Agenda’s Pledge for a fair and gender equal future. Now, you and other voters can see where your local candidates stand—and either thank them for taking the pledge or call on them to step up their commitments.

Just head to https://fairandequalpledge.org/, enter your address and email, and you’ll see who’s standing in your electorate and whether they’ve signed on to the Pledge.

This election will shape the policies that impact our safety, economic security and agency for years to come. From reproductive care, to economic support for parents and carers, to the systems that should keep women safe — we need leaders who will act.

To ensure leaders know what action to take, Fair Agenda has worked with peak bodies, policy experts, service providers and advocates to identify specific policy changes candidates can make if elected. Through the Pledge we’ve asked every candidate if they’ll commit to support these changes.

Visit our election website displaying these commitments to help you and other voters make informed choices.

Authorised by Renee Carr, Fair Agenda, 36-38 Gipps St Collingwood VIC 3066

Hear from three extraordinary national leaders:

• Sandra Creamer AM is an Adjunct Professor of Public Health at the University of Queensland. She is a proud Waanyi/Kalkadoon woman, a lawyer, and a national leader on domestic violence and women's health issues. With decades of lived and professional experience advocating for the health, safety, and rights of First Nations women, she is currently the CEO of the Australian Women's Health Alliance and chairs the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council, contributing to the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.
  
  
• Yumi Lee is a powerful voice for those often excluded from conversations on gender-based violence. As CEO of the Older Women’s Network NSW, she drives change on issues impacting older women, including violence perpetrated in aged care, housing insecurity, and homelessness. Yumi was appointed to the Federal Attorney-General’s Lived-Experience Expert Advisory Group on Sexual Violence and was awarded the NSW Women’s Legal Service Bright Sparks Award for Advocacy and Reform.
  
  
• Evie Clayton is a trailblazing survivor advocate from Queensland, driving urgent reforms to support victim-survivors. A survivor of domestic and sexual violence with a background in frontline services, Evie campaigns for policy change grounded in the real needs of victim-survivors. Her powerful advocacy ensures survivor voices are heard by decision-makers and the public.

At this event, you’ll:

• Hear from powerful speakers on what real action on domestic violence, women’s health and safety looks like.
• Hear about the reform agenda laid out in Fair Agenda's Pledge for a Fair and Gender Equal Future — and why your voice will be crucial in holding the next parliament to account.
• See which political candidates have committed to action to address these issues— and which haven’t.
• Get equipped to take action and help drive change in the first 100 days of the new parliament.

Let’s ensure every candidate knows: we expect real action and are ready to fight for it.