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Being believed is where good care starts. Victoria has written that down, and the next step is building it in.
The Victorian Women’s Pain Standard, published on 11 September 2026, says that women, girls and gender diverse people should be taken seriously and believed when they talk about pain. Women’s Health in the South East is asking one thing of what comes next: name how the Standard will be measured, and build that answer in partnership with the services already doing…
Women in the south east said their appointments were too short. A federal review has now put a number on why.
A federal review has found Medicare’s fee structure disadvantages women patients and women general practitioners, because both are more likely to use and to provide longer consultations. Women in Victoria’s Southern Metropolitan Region told a state inquiry the same thing two years ago. Women’s Health in the South East wants the final report to recommend that the rebate…
Medicare’s time problem is a women’s health problem, and two inquiries are now holding different parts of it
What has happened On 3 September 2026 the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review Advisory Committee released the draft report of its Time-Tiered Working Group. The report finds that the fee structure pays a lower rate per minute for longer consultations, and that this disproportionately affects women general practitioners and women patients. Consultation closes on 15 October 2026 and the…
Misogyny is not a mystery. It is a mechanism, and a mechanism can be redesigned.
It is unfortunate that, with the evidence available and the expertise available, myths and misinformation about what prevents violence against women are still being distributed. Two Australian studies close the question. Women’s Health in the South East is asking that algorithmic recommendation be something a young person opts into rather than the setting they are…
Senate inquiry into women’s health must reach the women the system usually misses
Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE) warmly welcomes the Senate’s decision to establish a Select Committee on Women’s Health, and thanks Senator Marielle Smith for the advocacy and leadership that brought it about. The Committee, which Senator Smith will chair, was established on 19 August. Its terms of reference cover postpartum healthcare, women’s pain…
The Senate is asking women about their health. Here’s what WHISE is keen to share.
Some good news. On 19 August the Senate agreed to establish a Select Committee on Women’s Health, on a motion moved by Senator Marielle Smith, who will chair it. We want to start by thanking her. Committees like this do not appear by themselves. This one exists because a senator kept raising women’s health, year…
Women’s mental health cannot be separated from women’s physical health
One in two Australian women is experiencing a mental health issue and almost one in four is experiencing severe psychological distress, according to Beyond the Surface 2026, released by Women’s Mental Health Australia. The report draws on a nationally representative survey of 9,000 women. The report finds women’s mental health is shaped by the pressures…
Australia has never known more about the gender pay gap. WHISE says that’s the opportunity.
Women’s Health in the South East marks Equal Pay Day 2026 by welcoming three major data releases — and pointing to the growing evidence that targeted action closes pay gaps. “Ten years ago we argued about whether the gap was real,” said WHISE Chief Executive Officer Kit McMahon. “Now we can see where it sits, who it falls hardest on,…
WHISE welcomes new Victorian ministry and the place of gender equality at the Cabinet table
Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE) congratulates Premier Ben Carroll and the newly announced Victorian ministry, and welcomes the continued commitment to gender equality, women’s health and the prevention of family violence. WHISE warmly welcomes the appointment of Deputy Premier Gabrielle Williams as Minister for Women and Gender Equality. “A ministry list tells you…