It’s been a busy few months at Women’s Health Matters and we’re excited to share some updates. We have been preparing to welcome our new CEO, Sarah Ahmed, who will join us in September. In the meantime, our acting co-CEO arrangement continues to keep things moving smoothly across governance, operations, policy and programs. As acting co-CEO’s, Amelia and Ursula have also continued to participate in the Lead the Way program, made possible with the generous support of the Snow Foundation.
The June 2026 ACT Budget brought several welcome outcomes for our work. Our Reproductive Health Data Incentive Fund was extended, meaning free medication abortion remains accessible to ACT residents for another 12 months. The ACT Government also funded WHM to scope a primary prevention infrastructure model to support sustained prevention work across multiple settings and sectors, complementing other funding announcements addressing DFSV in the Territory.
On the program and partnerships front, we met with the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health to discuss extending our Health in My Language program. We continue to scope a sexual health service for women and gender diverse people with disability, in partnership with our friends at Women With Disabilities ACT. Some of our team also attended Sexual Health and Family Planning’s Safer Me, Safer You Big Meeting, learning from the voices, experience and expertise of people with disability. As we continue our advocacy on the new coercive control laws, we have partnered with Sisters in Spirit Aboriginal Corporation to deliver two forums with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers and people with lived and living experience. In addition to all of the above, our research team attended and gave evidence at the ACT Legislative Assembly Inquiry into Endometriosis and other pelvic pain in the ACT and released a paper on the intersection of health and violence.
Finally, we continue preparations for our 35th Birthday event in September. It has been invigorating to explore the history of the organisation and see how WHM has carried on such important advocacy work over the years.