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AWAVA has made a submission to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Bill 2019

Women and men engage in migration differently and have different experiences of migration as they resist and/or comply with gender norms. Migration system creates different outcomes for women and men through visa types, eligibility and other requirements. The temporary and dependent nature of many visas are putting women and girls at risk of violence, sexual exploitation and trafficking. Within Australian migration policy responses to those forms of violence are highly dependent on visa status as well as participation in the criminal proceedings.

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In this submission we articulate our support for the views of the Commission on the importance of taking a human-rights approach to technology with freedom from technology-facilitated violence, harassment and exploitation at its core.

Technology-facilitated abuse in its all manifestations is driven by an intention to harass, stalk, groom, monitor, conduct surveillance on, location-track, threaten, humiliate, impersonate and/or isolate a person. In gender-based violence against women, it can be understood as another tool used by perpetrators to hold power and control over a victim/survivor. Sexual and gender-based violence against women is a gross violation of human rights in all its manifestations.

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AWAVA has made a submission to the Retirement income review.

In this submission we wish to draw the attention to the structural barriers that impact diverse groups of women to establish their financial independence and stability, impacts of feminisation of poverty and impacts of domestic and family violence. We argue that without embedding an intersectional gender lens in social policy, equitable outcomes for women in their diversity will not be achieved.

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AWAVA has made a submission to the Joint Select Committee on Australia’s Family Law System.

AWAVA’s position has always been consistent that the redevelopment of the family law system should be underpinned by the following principles:
1. Safety for victims/survivors and their children;
2. Accessibility of the system;
3. Fairness and responsiveness; and
4. Recognition of diversity.

We strongly believe that the principle of safety and wellbeing for victims/survivors of violence and children should be a paramount consideration in any reforms to the family law system.

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AWAVA welcomes a public consultation on new online safety laws and a move to harmonise the legislation
in order to better respond to abuse perpetrated online. Overall we are supportive of the proposed
legislative changes. As the National Women’s Alliances tasked with providing input on policy aiming to
prevent and respond to different manifestations of violence against women, in this submission we are
highlighting the need to embed an intersectional gender lens to social policy and legislation on online
safety.

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AWAVA has written to the Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP, Minister for Indigenous Australians, requesting that funding be reinstated to the National Family Violence Prevention Legal Services Forum (National FVPLS Forum), and much-needed additional resources be allocated to the body. We were very concerned to learn that funding to National FVPLS Forum has been cut, particularly since this is the only peak body specifically tasked with representing services working to prevent and respond to domestic and family violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

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AWAVA has made a submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Income Management to Cashless Debit Card Transition) Bill 2019.

We recommend that the Australian Government abandon the cashless debit cards legislation; establish a voluntary opt-in framework for welfare management; and apply intersectional gender lens to the social security policy.

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AWAVA has made a submission into the Religious Discrimination Bill – Exposure Draft.

We have called on the government to prevent faith-based exemptions that may allow further discrimination against women and the LGBTIQ+ community.

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