AFMW is a member of The WomenSpeak Network, one of four non government National Women's Secretariats funded by the Commonwealth Office for Women to act as a conduit for the exchange of information between the Government and the women's sector and provide representative advice on policy issues affecting women. The WomenSpeak Network provides the Federal Office for Women with significant input on issues affecting women in Australia, including childcare, women's health, women's leadership, young women, the role of men and boys in gender equity, and violence against women.

The WomenSpeak Network currently includes 37 mostly national women's organisations. After a period of extensive consultation the WomenSpeak Network chose to form a network that did not speak as a unified voice, but reflected the diversity of women's organisations in Australia. The WomenSpeak Network has also adopted mechanisms that allow organisations and individuals to be involved in the projects and activities of the Network that support and enhance their own organisation's work.

The identified priorities of the WomenSpeak Network are:

- Human rights;
- Involvement of young women and ensuring a youth voice in policy work;
- Diversity;
- Networking; and
- Participation in federal policy issues as they arise.

Based on the identified priorities of Network, member organisations are working together to:

- Consult on the impact and benefit of women's organisations in local and national communities;
- Share information and resources on a range of women's issues;
- Support training for women around the use and application of human rights instruments especially the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women;
- Support WomenSpeak Network member organisations with small grants for forums and events on women's issues

WomenSpeak consultations

The WomenSpeak Network has undertaken consultations on childcare, young women's recruitment, retention and leadership in women's organisations, and the benefit of women's organisations in communities in Australia. Consultations have included surveys and interviews with young women active in the social justice and women sectors, online surveys regarding childcare and community consultations discussing the impact of women's organisations in communities across Australia. WomenSpeak has also supported a new national network to support trafficked women, the development of a national immigrant and refugee women's network, and participation of women in various workshops and forums on topics ranging from the future of health care in Australia, to the challenges facing young Indigenous women in Australia.

More Information 

More information about the activities of the WomenSpeak Network is available from the YWCA website, or contact Kathy Richards on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 02 6230 5150. 

The WomenSpeak Network - Member Participant Organisations

The WomenSpeak Network currently includes 37 mostly national women’s organisations. We also include national organisations with a specific focus on the impacts on women of policy and service delivery and where there is no national organisation in an area state based organisations or expert individuals. We recognise that the current participants of the WomenSpeak Network do not reflect the full-diversity of women in Australia; YWCA is actively seeking to strengthen the voice indigenous women; women with disabilities and women from culturally and linguistically diverse groups both within our network and within the women’s sector.

Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement of South Australia
Amnesty International Australia National Women's Rights Team
Australasian Council of Women and Policing
Australian Baha’i Community – Office of Equality
Australian Council for International Development Gender Equity Working Group
Australian Federation of Medical Women
Australian Federation of University Women
Australian Reproductive Health Alliance
Australian Women's Health Network
Body Image and Eating Disorders Network of South Australia
Catholic Women’s League of Australia
Children by Choice
Guides Australia
Immigrant Women's Speakout Association NSW
International Women’s Development Agency
Migrant Women’s Lobby Group of South Australia
Multicultural Women's Advocacy ACT
National Association of Services Against Sexual Violence
National Council of Churches of Australia Gender Commission
National Council of Single Mothers and Their Children
National Foundation for Australian Women
National Liaison Committee for International Students in Australia – Women’s Department
National Union of Students (Women’s Department)
Project Respect
Public Health Association of Australia (Women’s Special Interest Group)
Soroptimist International
UNIFEM Australia
Union of Australian Women
United Nations Association of Australia Status of Women Network
Unity of Ethiopians in WA Inc
Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Coalition
Women with Disabilities Australia
Women’s Economic Think Tank
Women’s Electoral Lobby
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Working Against Sexual Harassment
YWCA Australia

For the web links to these organisations please click here.