We are committed to raising the voices of Australian women and fostering women's participation in political life. WEL has two main focuses during elections - informing women voters and lobbying the candidates standing for elections on the important issues for women.
Voter Education Sessions
Women decide elections! Women outnumber male voters in almost all federal electorates. Therefore WEL wants to make sure that every vote by a woman counts. This year we have been delivering free voter education sessions for new voters, migrant and refugee women, and women who want to know more about how to more about how our Members of Parliament make the decisions that impact on our us and the people we care about.
Visit our EVENTS page to find out about upcoming Table Talk sessions.
Thank you to our local partner organisations that host the women's voter sessions and spread the word to women voters in their community. And thank you to WEL members who have responded to our crowd funding requests to cover the cost of the 'Think WEL before you vote' voter education program. Our aim is to reach as many women voters as possible, to make a welcoming space where women can can come along for free and discuss how elections work.
Helen attended one of our voter education sessions in 2019 and was inspired to write to us, sharing her experience. Read Helen's article HERE.
If you'd like to learn more or request a voter education forum or webinar in your area, please contact us on [email protected].
Can you help us deliver these free voter education sessions for new voters, migrant and refugee women, and women who want to know more about how to make their vote count? If you would like to contribute to our Federal Election appeal to help us reach more women and continue our work on these voter education sessions, please visit this PAGE.
Federal Election 2019
Archive: WEL's 2019 Federal Election Scorecard
Our first step, as always, was to ask WEL members to tell us what matters most. WEL’s 2019 federal election survey “Hearing women's voices, improving women's lives” gathered over 600 responses. Based on these responses and our core campaign work we'll be issuing parties with a questionnaire that will informs our 2019 Federal Election Scorecard.
WEL's scorecard shows where the major parties stood before the 2019 election on issues that women have stated are important to them.
Safer Voting
Some people may be considering whether or not it is safe to vote. Given that voting is compulsory, citizens should not have to choose between safety or a fine from the electoral commission. We have compiled some information about voting options that consider safety.
Find out more about voting options for people in refuges or temporary housing, and those with no fixed address - Safe Voting.