Women's Forum Australia

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Women's Forum Australia (WFA) is a conservative think tank established in 2005 with the stated aim of "research, education and public policy development on social, economic, health and cultural issues affecting women". [1] It has also been described as focusing on "anti-trans campaigning", with members campaigning against abortion access, transgender rights, and promoting conspiracy theories around Wi-Fi. [2] [1]

Contents

Activities

Women's Forum Australia has been active in combatting negative stereotyping of women. [3] The group has been characterised as "pro-life", [4] and has similarly been involved in matters relating to IVF. [5] It has advocated legislative changes to advance adoption as an alternative to abortion. [6] The group was involved in the effort to ban the distribution of RapeLay , a video game that featured sexual violence. [7]

In 2007, the group released a magazine Faking it, dealing with the sexualisation of women and girls facilitated by the fashion and beauty industries. [8]

In 2013, chair of WFA Louise Brosnan withdrew her children from school over concerns about the presence of Wi-Fi at the school. Another board member, Dr Marie-Therese Gibson, resigned as principal of Tangara School for Girls, claiming health dangers of Wi-Fi. [1]

In 2023, WFA led a campaign against Big W's stocking of Welcome to Sex , a sex education book aimed at adolescents. In response to abuse of staff members, Big W removed the book from its physical stores while continuing to sell it on their website. [2]

People

Activist Melinda Tankard Reist was a founding director of the group. [9] [10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Connelly, Claire (29 July 2023). "The anti-trans group that defeated Big W". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  2. 1 2 Kelly, Cait; Taylor, Josh (2023-07-19). "Big W removes sex education book from shelves after staff members abused". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  3. ↑ Smith, T. (2008). 'Tart noir': erotica or pornography?. AQ-Australian Quarterly, 80(4), 33-37.
  4. ↑ Moriarty, K. (2017). Lament of a pro-life feminist. Eureka Street, 27(5), 64-66.
  5. ↑ Klein, R. (2008, May). From test-tube women to bodies without women. In Women's Studies International Forum (Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 157-175). Pergamon.
  6. ↑ Pike, G. K. (2014, November). Adoption Rethink: Women's Forum Australia Research. Women's Forum Australia.
  7. ↑ Tankard Reist, Melinda, 2009. Getting Real: Challenging the Sexualisation of Girls, p27.
  8. ↑ Phoenix, A. (2011). Review of recent literature for the Bailey Review of commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood.
  9. ↑ Pollnitz, R. (2006). Defiant birth: women who resist medical eugenics. Lutheran Theological Journal, 40(3), 160.
  10. ↑ ZENIT (21 March 2007). "Dealing Girls a Raw and Racy Deal". EWTN Global Catholic Network. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
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