Law Reform

Visit the Submissions page to view recent law reform work

Women’s Legal Service NSW (WLS NSW) seeks to instigate and influence the reform of unjust laws, policy and legal processes that affect the rights and limit the lives of women, particularly those most disadvantaged in their access to justice.

Where there are systemic failures and gaps in the legal system, individual casework cannot always address the injustices faced by our clients and other women in New South Wales. In such cases, we use our clients’ experiences and the evidence gathered through providing legal assistance to identify gender bias and inequity in the law, policy and societal structures, and to seek to change it.

WLS NSW employs a variety of strategies to advocate for a better legal system. These include:

• Strategic casework
• Contributing to parliamentary, government and law reform inquiries
• Gathering evidence and preparing reports
• Publishing factsheets and briefs
• Meetings with politicians and government representatives
• Public presentations
• Building the capacity of clients and other organisations to engage in policy and law making processes
• Campaigns to raise awareness about law reform
• Statements to the media

Our current law reform priority areas are:

• Access to justice
• Human rights
• Aboriginal women
• Family law
• Domestic and family violence
• Sexual assault, including the sexual assault communications privilege
• Anti-discrimination law
• Victims compensation

Community Legal Centres NSW publish a list of current inquiries as well as useful information about advocacy and law reform.

In advocating for changes to laws and policies, WLS NSW often works collaboratively with other organisations, particularly the peak organisations and networks to which we belong, including:

• Women’s Legal Services Australia (WLSA)
• National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Legal Network (NATSIWLN)
• Community Legal Centres NSW (CLCNSW)
• National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC)
• Equality Rights Alliance, and
• Australian Women Against Violence Alliance.

WLS NSW convenes or co-convenes NATSIWLN, CLCNSW Domestic Violence Committee and CLCNSW Aboriginal Advisory Group.