Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing

26/08/2026

CWSW welcomes the WA Government’s announcement to limit the use of good character references.

A person’s public reputation has very little to do with their propensity to use sexual violence or family and domestic violence.

We have seen time and time again, people in positions of power, in respected positions, who appear to be a dedicated community leader or a loving parent, being found to use violence and inflict horrendous harm.

Sentencing considerations, including assessing the prospects of offender rehabilitation and likelihood of reoffending, should only be based on expert assessment and evidence, not the subjective views of an offender’sfriends, family or colleagues.

Victim-survivors deserve sentencing processes that are fair, evidence-based and informed by the realities of sexual and family and domestic violence.

We welcome the Government’s commitment to consulting widely on these reforms. The specialist sexual violence sector and lived experience experts stand ready to take part in these consultations.

Read our media statement here:

CWSW welcomes the WA Government’s announcement to limit the use of good character references in sentencing for criminal offences. This reform is particularly significant for victim-survivors of sexual violence and family and domestic violence. The harm caused by these offences can be life-long. An...

20/08/2026

Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing has provided a Submission to the WA Auditor General's Performance audit into the delivery of forensic medical examinations (FMEs) for victim-survivors of sexual assault.

Our submission raises serious and long-standing concerns about the way FMEs are accessed and delivered across WA.

While FMEs can be a critical part of the immediate health and justice response after sexual assault, access remains inconsistent, inequitable and for too many, effectively non-existent.

WA does not currently have a coordinated statewide crisis sexual violence response.

Instead, victim-survivors encounter a fragmented system where access depends heavily on where they live and are particularly acute in regional and remote areas.

Our submission outlines four recommendations for system reform.

Victim-survivors across WA have a right to timely, safe, trauma-informed and coordinated responses after sexual assault, regardless of where they live or whether they choose to report to police.

We welcome the Auditor General's focus on this critical issue and hope the audit will support meaningful reform.

Read the submission ➡️ https://cwsw.org.au/2026/08/20/submission-to-wa-auditor-general-performance-audit-on-the-delivery-of-forensic-medical-examinations/

19/08/2026

We are pleased to announce Luma as a 🌟Gold Sponsor🌟 of our 2026 Women's Health Conference!

Luma exists because 30 per cent of women rate their health as poor and all women face significant barriers to accessing timely, appropriate care.

For over 50 years, Luma has provided safe, supportive and accessible health and wellbeing services to women and families across WA.

By improving health knowledge and tailoring care to every individual, Luma is working towards better health outcomes for every woman in WA.

Luma has three women’s medical clinics that run a range of mental health programs, counselling, family and domestic violence advocacy, perinatal and family support, community wellbeing groups, among other services.

Thank you for your very generous support of the 2026 Women's Health Conference.

Read more about Luma ➡️ www.luma.org.au

Register for the Conference ➡️ https://events.humanitix.com/wa-women-s-health-conference-2026

17/08/2026

Thinking of registering for the Women's Health Conference?

Don't miss the keynote panel session, featuring Ada Hanson from Wangka: Goldfields Aboriginal Language Centre, Nesreen Bottriell, CEO of the Australian Muslim Women's Centre for Human Rights, and Dr Shirley Bowen, Director General WA Department of Health.

They join Professor Louise Keogh from the Centre for Health Equity, and build on the first keynote presentation, Advancing Women's Health Equity in a Time of Global Change.

Explore the challenges and opportunities shaping women's health equity, and the action needed to drive meaningful change.

Register now ➡️ https://events.humanitix.com/wa-women-s-health-conference-2026

14/08/2026

CWSW firmly believes that we should abolish the use of “good character” and personal references during sentencing for all sexual violence offences.

Reforms to these references must also apply to considerations about rehabilitation prospects or risk of reoffending.

A person’s public reputation has very little to do with their propensity to use sexual violence. This dynamic makes it entirely inappropriate for their character to be considered in sentencing in any case of sexual violence. The subjective views of an offender’s family and friends are not evidence-based and should not be treated as such in these offences.

The prevalence of sexual offending in Australia shows that perpetrators come from all walks of life. This highlights the danger of relying on outdated stereotypes about what a perpetrator “looks like”. In sexual violence, grooming often extends beyond the victim to the broader community, making character references particularly inappropriate and unreliable.

The use of character references in sentencing is a retraumatising element of the court process for sexual violence survivors; many of whom report they find it incredibly painful to hear reviews of their offender’s ‘good character’ during sentencing.

It is in the public interest to ensure that those who use sexual violence are held accountable for their actions, and that victims of violence are supported to come forward. It’s imperative we have a justice system that is capable of recognising the harm caused by sexual violence.

Read our media comments here:

There are growing calls for the WA government to ban positive character evidence after three Western Power staff were stood down for offering references to a former colleague convicted of r**e.

12/08/2026

Last chance - consultation closes at 5pm next Monday 17 August 2026.

We want to see improved access to timely, trauma-informed forensic medical examinations.

Have your say here ➡️ https://officeoftheauditorgeneral.snapforms.com.au/form/have-your-say---delivery-of-forensic-medical-examinations-following-a-sexual-assault

There is still time to give your input!

Feedback is being sought from victim-survivors, supporters, healthcare workers, and organisations, on access to forensic medical examinations (FMEs) following sexual assault.

FMEs are a comprehensive physical examination of a person’s body to collect evidence and to determine if any injuries or medical issues need to be addressed as a result of sexual assault.

Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing welcomes the performance audit by the Office of the Auditor General, which are critically important, and we have been advocating for years for improved access to timely, trauma-informed forensic medical examinations.

Have your say here ➡️ https://officeoftheauditorgeneral.snapforms.com.au/form/have-your-say---delivery-of-forensic-medical-examinations-following-a-sexual-assault

Consultation is open until 5.00pm, Monday 17 August 2026.

10/08/2026

Joining us for the opening address at next month's Women's Health Conference is the Honourable Meredith Hammat MLA, Minister for Health and Mental Health.

Minister Hammat was elected to Parliament in 2021 and has served as Parliamentary Secretary to multiple Ministers, including the Deputy Premier and Treasuer.

Before entering Parliament, she served on the Sustainable Health Review as an expert panel member, and spent more than 20 years advocating for working people, including as Secretary of UnionsWA from 2012 to 2020.

Minister Hammat was raised in regional WA, is passionate about improving healthcare access for all Western Australians, and understands what to takes to provide accessible and affordable healthcare.

Don't miss the WA Women's Health Conference, Monday 7 September.

Register now ➡️ https://events.humanitix.com/wa-women-s-health-conference-2026

07/08/2026

Last week the Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing, in collaboration with InTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence, held workshops to support responses to family violence within migrant and refugee communities.

The sessions were incredibly valuable to understand the skills and knowledge to support women from migrant or refugee communities with confidence.

There are two online workshops remaining in this series:

🟠Culturally Responsive Practice and Responding to Family Violence
9:00am - 5:00pm, Thursday 13 August - $152

🟠Working with Women on Temporary Visas
9:00am - 1:00pm, Friday 14 August - $73

Total cost to attend both workshops is $225.00

To register, please email [email protected], stating the number of tickets your organisation is interested in purchasing.

06/08/2026

The impacts of violence against women and children are profound and far-reaching, and they are not experienced equally.

At the Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing we believe that all women and children have the right to live lives that are free from fear, violence, discrimination and inequity. Safety and security are the bedrock on which all opportunities in our lives are built.

We've published our submission to the Commonwealth Government's Second Action Plan consultation for the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032 and the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021–2030.

Drawing on evidence, frontline practice wisdom and lived experience, our submission outlines critical actions needed to strengthen responses to sexual violence and family and domestic violence.

Read our submission here ➡️ https://cwsw.org.au/2026/08/05/submission-to-the-national-plan-to-end-violence-against-women-and-children-and-national-strategy-to-prevent-and-respond-to-child-sexual-abuse/

31/07/2026

Join the Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing and consortium partners for the official launch of the Family and Domestic Violence Workforce Entity.

A priority project of the WA Government's five-year Family and Domestic Violence System Reform Plan, in partnership with Stopping Family Violence, Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia - AHCWA, Council of Aboriginal Services Western Australia - CASWA, Community Skills WA, and Professor Donna Chung from the Curtin University Care and Justice Group.

The establishment of the Entity is a significant milestone in a journey that has involved advocacy and collaboration between lived experience advocates, the family and domestic violence sector and the WA Government.

We look forward to welcoming you to celebrate this important achievement that will strengthen the response to family and domestic violence in WA.

Register here ➡️https://events.humanitix.com/fdv-workforce-entity-launch