YWCA Australia’s advocacy is informed by our experience – for over 140 years, we have delivered housing and services for women across Australia; we are the national experts in gender-responsive housing and homelessness solutions.
We are an established housing provider catering to priority groups, including low-income women-led households and victim-survivors of family and domestic violence.
We are a trusted service delivery partner, supporting women, gender diverse people and their families into housing and to remain housed. We ensure the voices of young women, women and gender diverse people are at the forefront of our advocacy agenda.
YWCA Australia’s 2026 Policy Platform sets out how Australia can move beyond short-term responses and fragmented systems to build a housing future where women and gender diverse people can live safely, participate fully, and age with dignity. Housing security should be ordinary, not exceptional. Gender should not determine who is housed, who is safe, or who is left behind.
If you have any comments or questions, or you would like to provide further input on the YWCA Australia Policy Platform 2026, please contact YWCA’s Advocacy and External Affairs Team at advocacy@ywca.org.au.
In 2024-25, we made
submissions to Government
In 2024-25, we held
meetings with key decision makers across the country
In 2024-25, we ran
successful campaigns adovcating for change
This year, YWCA Australia backed young women and gender-diverse leaders, shaped key policy wins, and positioned YWCA Australia as a go-to partner on housing, homelessness, domestic and family violence, and gender equality.
Read about our advocacy achievements for financial year (FY) 2025 below.
A cohort of young women from YWCA’s Young Women’s Council led a powerful weekend of policy work over two days in Sydney this year, engaging with senior political leaders and sharing the challenges faced by young women and gender diverse communities across the country in accessing safe and secure housing.
Watch the video to hear some of what they had to say.