Women’s Health Matters (WHM) is an independent, non-partisan organisation that works to improve the health and wellbeing of all women in the ACT and surrounding region.
We advocate on behalf of all ACT women, especially those experiencing disadvantage and vulnerability. We want women to feel in control of and understand the determinants of their own health and wellbeing.
We do this through health promotion and by providing evidence-based social research, policy development and advocacy services to governments, the corporate sector, policy makers, service providers and peak bodies.
Our local research, evidence and data (informed by women for women) is used by decision makers to be more responsive to the needs of women and to improve the health and wellbeing of women in the ACT.
Our guidance supports ACT women to make informed health and wellbeing choices and to understand how to access appropriate gender-sensitive services and information in the ACT.
A healthier future for all women in the ACT.
Our vision is that women experience improved health outcomes, have positive experiences when accessing health and social services and can fully participate in all
aspects of our community.
We are the voice for women’s health and wellbeing in the ACT.
We are the ACT peak body for women’s health and wellbeing. We work with the community, government and service providers to address social determinants of
health and wellbeing and create better outcomes for women (cis and trans inclusive) and gender diverse people.
We focus on the equity, empowerment, and experiences of all women (including cisgender and transgender women) and work in collaboration with other ACT organisations for gender diverse people where appropriate.
In our work we will:
We act with honesty and are guided by ethical and moral principles in all that we do.
In our work, we will be:
We believe that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities and work towards this goal.
In working towards social justice, we:
We actively remove barriers to inclusion so that everyone has a chance to participate, contribute and be seen.
In our work we will:
We strive to centre community voices and needs in our everyday decisions, actions, and communications.
In our work we will:
We are willing to face challenges and take risks to contribute to positive change for the communities we represent.
In our work we will:
Women’s Health Matters was established in Canberra in 1990 as The Canberra Women’s Health Centre to respond to unmet need identified by ACT women’s refuges and the ACT Government Women’s Health Service. At the 1990 opening, Professor Dorothy Broom, an expert in women’s health and life member of Women’s Health Matters since 2011, said:
In the mid 1990s, the name was changed to Women’s Centre for Health Matters to acknowledge the Centre as a distinct service and avoid confusion with the government’s Women’s Health Service. The many essential services Women’s Health Matters provided to ACT Women at that time included:
Over the years the Women’s Health Matters has constantly evolved to meet the changing needs of women in Canberra. Today, the emphasis has moved from a direct service delivery model towards a community development, building capacity approach using the social determinants of health model. With this change has come a new focus on identifying and responding to the unmet health and wellbeing needs of ACT women through social research, advocacy, policy development, information provision and health promotion.
