21 October 2025

• AAP reports a move to bar trans women from a territory's female prisons has been slammed amid a debate over the safety risk to inmates.
• Herald Sun reports A thousand more women and children will be able to access safety planning and support for domestic violence with a key service set to expand to six new locations across NSW.
• Institute of Community Directors Australia reports Community sector has more political clout than it realises: pollster.

• The Unsafe and Unseen report, produced by the RMIT Centre for Innovative Justice  shines a light on the realities faced by unaccompanied children and young people leaving family violence in Australia.
• The Queensland Government has released Coercive Control community education resources. 
• Domestic Violence NSW launch Engaging Lived Experience and Expertise in Domestic Violence Policy report.
• A steering committee to advise the ACT Government on the development of a standalone offence for coercive control in the ACT met for the first time on Monday 20 October.
• Disrupting ‘bro code’: autoethnographic insights of institutional sexism and sexual harassment in an Australian school context.
• Mudgin-Gal Yarns social impact research project recordings made into a podcast.Aboriginal women share stories about their experiences with the police, DCJ, housing, Corrections, and community and government services, when they sought help with domestic and family violence.
• The Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing and Stopping Family Violence have successfully advocated for the development and implementation of a Code of Practice (The Code) for specialist family and domestic violence services.
• Flinders report South Australia is helping lead the way to protect women and children from abuse and drive real change in communities across the state and beyond.
• CHAYN launches  Survivor AI tool - a free, anonymous tool to help people affected by gender-based violence request the removal of harmful content online.

Events

• A National Day of Action for community and disability sector workers will take place on October 23rd. 
• The Disability community is coming together in Canberra on Monday 27th at 1pm to demand an NDIS that is safe, fair, and forever. 
• Registrations have opened for the 2026 Women Deliver Conference in Melbourne. This is the first time Women Deliver will be regionally hosted by the Oceanic Pacific.

• On 18th November 2025, The Global Summit on Economic Abuse will unite changemakers from around the world - specialist NGOs, financial institutions, debt and money advice services, advocates, researchers, survivors, lawyers, practitioners, and policymakers - for a powerful day of action and insight.

Consultation & Research

• Wesnet invites you to participate in our third national study of the use of technology in domestic and family violence, in partnership with researchers from Curtin University & the University of NSW. We are capturing DFV workers' experience and knowledge of ways they see perpetrators using technology in DFV. Survey takes 30 min to complete and closes 24 Oct.
• Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence is seeking input from women aged 50 and over who have ever felt afraid, unsafe, controlled or isolated in a recent or current relationship. 

Opportunities 

• The Centre of Critical Indigenous Studies at Macquarie University, led by Distinguished Professor Bronwyn Carlson, is seeking PhD candidates to undertake research focused on gender-based violence and indigenous peoples and communities. For more information please contact Dr Tamika Worrell, Director of Research Training in the Centre of Critical Indigenous Studies at [email protected]. Applications close 31 October 2025.

Training and development

• Wesnet is offering technology safety training for SADFV professionals. Follow the link for dates and training descriptions.

Jobs

Wesnet is expanding our team with the following roles:

• The Senior Policy Officer will play a senior role in developing policy and advocacy materials relating to violence against women, gender inequality, and domestic and family violence. This role will work alongside subject matter experts, senior management, and key stakeholders. 
• The Finance Officer will work on a part-time basis across a number of areas including Financial Accounting, Reporting, Compliance obligations, Records management and Membership.

Find all job information and apply here!

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