LATEST NEWS
We are so lucky to have the incredible Tim Minchin supporting our campaign. Come hear him perform on a grand piano in Martin Place on November 25 at noon. Thank you to Tim and his team for this support! Tim Minchin is a musician, writer, actor and comedian. He is the award-winning composer-lyricist of two stage musicals, Matilda and Groundhog Day. He has toured his iconic live shows for two decades, playing some of the world’s most iconic venues in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the US. He has released 2 studios albums: Apart Together (2020), and Tim Minchin Time Machine (2025). As an actor, he has appeared in Upright, Californication, Robin Hood, Secret River and The Artful Dodger. He was also head writer and co-producer of Upright. Stage roles include Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar and Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Books include Storm, When I Grow Up and You Don’t Have To Have a Dream. He has won many awards including Oliviers, AACTA, AWGIE, Logie, Evening Standard, Edinburgh Comedy Award, Helpmann, Chortle and the Richard Dawkins Award for Science Communication. He has been nominated for Tonys and Grammys, is a member of the Order of Australia and has received three honorary doctorates.
'A woman’s postcode should never determine whether she can access safety' Sue Cripps, Women's Community Shelters Interim CEO explains in The Herald Sun how the housing crisis is trapping women in dangerous situation particularly in regional NSW due to: • 📈 Rising demand and a lack of affordable housing • 🏠 The need for more crisis shelters in regional and high-demand areas, including Western NSW • ⚠️ The danger of leaving an abusive relationship when there is nowhere affordable to move Sue is calling for more regional crisis shelters, transitional housing, dedicated case management and a major increase in social and affordable housing. At WCS, we know that converting vacant properties into transitional accommodation through partnerships with property owners and developers is a great approach that delivers real results: between 86 and 90 per cent of women leaving WCS transitional housing over the past four years moved into safe and secure homes 🧡 Read the full article here: https://www.womenscommunityshelters.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/11042026_The-shocking-DV-statistics-haunting-Central-West-NSW-_-Herald-Sun.pdf
Today, Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women's Shelter turned the first sod on a new Core and Cluster crisis accommodation for women and children escaping domestic and family violence. The project will deliver four self-contained, accessible units, each with its own private space and access to specialist support on site. It will provide a place where women and children can feel safe, begin to recover and take their next steps. Since opening in 2015, Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter has supported more than 800 women in the local community, making a remarkable impact on the lives of those experiencing domestic and family violence. This new development marks an important next chapter, with the shelter welcoming children for the first time and extending its support to women and families who need it most. Congratulations to HKWS Chair Jacquie Murray, the Board, the dedicated frontline team and everyone in the Hornsby community who makes this work possible. Women’s Community Shelters Interim CEO Sue Cripps joined members of the HKWS board and team at the event, alongside members of the WCS team. A special thank you to the NSW Government and the Hon Jodie Harrison MP for their investment and support through the Core and Cluster program, and to Mike Allen OAM, Chair of Link Wentworth Housing, Andrew McAnulty and the entire Link Wentworth team for their continued partnership and commitment in bringing this important project to life. We also thank Uncle Brendan for his beautiful Welcome to Country, Mayor Warren Waddell and Hornsby Shire Council for joining us today, and the team at Barbro Constructions. This new accommodation will offer more than a safe place to stay. It will give women and children the space, support and stability to begin rebuilding their lives and looking towards a safer future. #coreandcluster #hornsbykuringaiwomensshelter #domesticviolence #homelessness #womenandchildren #safehousing
Celebrating Arada House and the partnerships that made it possible 🧡 Today we officially opened Arada House, new transitional housing in south-west Sydney that will support up to 16 women and 30 children escaping domestic and family violence each year. A huge thank you to the NSW Government for its investment through the Homelessness Innovation Fund, and to The Hon Rose Jackson MLC, Minister for Housing and Homelessness, and The Hon Sophie Cotsis MP, Member for Canterbury, for joining us. To Arada Foundation, thank you for purchasing the property and committing it to women and children for the next 15 years. This generosity will make a lasting difference. To Temple & Webster, thank you for your partnership since 2018. Together, we have furnished 16 safe havens, creating warm, welcoming spaces for women and children. Thank you also to @willowdeneconstructions for renovating the units, and ANC Delivers for delivering the furniture. And to the volunteers from Temple & Website, IMC, Camilla and the Macquarie Bank Gender Equity ANZ Committee, thank you for rolling up your sleeves and helping prepare Arada House for its first residents. Together, we are giving women and children a safe place to call their own, and the support they need to move forward 🧡 Image by Michael Media
Every child deserves to be excited about Christmas. At this time of year, children are busy writing their wish lists to Santa; whether it’s a new bike, slime, a fidget toy or a new furry friend… But for children experiencing domestic and family violence, their greatest wish is often much simpler: to feel safe. Your support to Women's Community Shelters will help a mum and her children find safety and start again. Help make a child’s wish come true by making a donation today. Donate today 🧡https://www.womenscommunityshelters.org.au/WCSChristmas2026
Keep Counselling Confidential, Greater protections for sexual assault communications Excerpts from our Open Letter to the NSW Attorney General, Michael Daley 49 of our members in the NSW Vigil Collective signed an Open letter in support of the goals of the #KeepCounsellingConfidential campaign and urge the NSW Government to urgently amend legislation to provide greater protection for sexual assault communications including counselling notes, recordings and therapeutic communications. .....Counselling files are therapeutic tools; they are not recorded with reference to forensic processes. Files generally record trauma impacts and deeply personal reflections, thoughts and fears. Critical to the therapeutic relationship is that the victim-survivor is in a safe and confidential space. To later find in court that the accused has access to their thoughts and words is cruel and inhuman. This practice can also undermine public confidence in the confidentiality of vital mental health services which play a crucial role in supporting the community. This is a form of systems abuse; it allows offenders to intrude into the lives of victims, subjecting them to the ongoing experience of repeated violation and trauma. .....Victim-survivors must be afforded greater protections such as stronger privilege and protection for counselling records. Thank you to Nina Funnell, Unions NSW, Marque Lawyers and Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) for leading this campaign.
