Supporting women who have served
For decades, women have been integral to the ADF, demonstrating skill, courage, resilience and unwavering commitment.
Across the full spectrum of operations, including combat missions, their diverse experiences not only strengthen our defence capabilities, but pave the way for future generations of women considering a military career.
Women remain a vital and growing segment of the ADF. There are more than 81,000 women in Australia who have proudly served. One in 5 serving members are women making invaluable contributions to our defence capabilities and national security.
With more women pursuing Defence careers, it is important that we tailor our support to the unique experiences and needs of women veterans throughout their service and during transition. These include navigating matters of specialist women’s healthcare, service-related health impacts, mental health, housing and financial security issues.
Insights from DVA’s long-running Women Veterans Policy Forum highlight women can face issues accessing support services in a system traditionally designed for men. It is clear there are opportunities to improve the way we work for women veterans when looking at balancing care responsibilities, pursuing leadership opportunities or navigating transition supports that maximise their wellbeing.
In 2024, the Government released a national gender equality strategy, Working for Women, recognising the responsibility government agencies have in achieving an Australia where people are safe, treated with respect, have choices, and have access to resources and equal outcomes regardless of their gender. Developing a Women Veterans Strategy presents an opportunity to build on the foundations of this national framework and acknowledge and address the socio-economic, health and wellbeing needs of women veterans in Australia.
Working with women veterans, expert stakeholders, ex-service organisations and government partners, DVA wants to identify areas where women veterans might experience issues accessing services.
The Department has established a new team to investigate where women veterans are missing out on vital supports, explore what more can be done at every point to address this, and improve their experience and outcomes during service, transition and beyond.
DVA will continue to provide updates on the development of the strategy and opportunities for consultation. If you would like to engage with this work, please reach out to us at women [at] dva.gov.au (women[at]dva[dot]gov[dot]au).