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National Action Plan Must Fund What Makes Prevention Work
A partnership of nearly 40 organisations across Melbourne’s south and south-east is calling on the Australian Government to make sustained, place-based primary prevention a central pillar of the Second Action Plan under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032. The Promoting Respect and Equity Together (PRET) Partnership has contributed a detailed…
WHISE thanks Premier Jacinta Allan for her leadership on women’s health
Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE) today thanks Premier Jacinta Allan for her tireless work, her leadership, and her steadfast commitment to the health, dignity and equality of women across Victoria. Announcing her resignation this morning, the Premier spoke of the things that have mattered most across her leadership, and she finished with women’s…
Abortion is healthcare: WHISE reaffirms support for reproductive autonomy and opposes the criminalisation of abortion seekers
Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE) welcomes the South Australian Parliament’s decision to reject proposed restrictions on abortion after 25 weeks, describing the outcome as an important affirmation that reproductive healthcare should remain grounded in evidence, gender equality and human rights. While the Bill was ultimately voted down in the Lower House, the debate…
Invisible pain and leading for change
Chronic migraine, and why equity must be more than rhetoric Go away, not today. I feel my balance is off; my head feels like it’s being pushed to the side, and something is hitting it. A dull but painful feeling. I see my fingers pressing down on the keys on the keyboard, it’s as if…
Reflections: Women Deliver 2026
By Malavika Kadwadkar, WHISE Community Outreach Lead Women Deliver 2026 brought together more than 6,200 delegates from 189 countries, creating a global space for feminist practitioners, grassroots leaders, researchers, advocates, funders, and policymakers to connect, reflect, and challenge existing systems. What resonated most was the shared reality that many communities worldwide are navigating shrinking resources,…
WHISE Releases Gender Analysis of the 2026–27 Victorian State Budget
Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE) has released its Gender Analysis of the Victorian Government’s 2026–27 State Budget, examining how current investments respond to gender inequality, women’s health and wellbeing, and the broader structural conditions shaping women’s lives across Victoria. The release accompanies WHISE’s earlier public response to the Budget, “A platform to build…
A platform to build on: WHISE responds to the 2026/27 Victorian Budget
Women’s Health in the South East approaches every State Budget from a clear position. We are the place-based, intersectional, primary prevention agency for women, girls and gender-diverse people across Victoria’s Southern Metropolitan Region. Our work sits at the intersection of health, gender equity, and the prevention of gender-based violence, grounded in the social determinants —…
Inside the Manosphere: What Young Men Are Really Hearing
By Danielle McCaffrey, Prevention of Violence Against Women Lead, WHISE The manosphere has been in the media following Louis Theroux’s documentary which follows a few of the more popular male influencers. We know how damaging these messages are not only for young men but especially for women and girls; however, if we want genuine change, we need to have compassion, whilst also demanding accountability. In an economic system…
Victoria’s expanded pharmacy contraceptive access marks real progress — WHISE calls for bold investment to ensure no one is left behind
Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE) welcomes Victoria’s expanded access to oral contraceptives through pharmacies as a meaningful step forward for women’s reproductive autonomy and health equity. These reforms directly reduce the barriers that too many women and people assigned female at birth face in maintaining consistent, effective contraception. Access to contraception when and where people need it…