Advocates, ministers and lawyers gathered in Sydney this week to back reforms that keep women out of prison and families together. 

At Parliament House this week, the Keeping Women Out of Prison (KWOOP) Coalition launched a new strategy to cut the number of women in NSW prisons by addressing the systemic factors that drive incarceration. 

KWOOP’s plan sets out three clear priorities: diversion and bail support, trauma-informed care in custody, and reintegration planning from the first day of a sentence.  

The need is urgent. Female incarceration in Australia has risen sharply. Many women are held on remand without conviction, 60% of whom are mothers. First Nations women are disproportionately affected, making up 42% of the women’s prison population despite being just 3% of the state’s female population. For many, imprisonment is connected to experiences of gender-based violence, poverty and misidentification as offenders. The effects extend across generations, shaping the lives of children and families. 

International reviews underline the gaps. Australia has climbed modestly in the Global Gender Gap Report 2025, but women’s economic security continues to lag, gender-based violence is at crisis levels and justice outcomes remain poor. The UN’s Universal Periodic Review has criticised the lack of protections for First Nations women, refugees and survivors of violence.  

Read full article: Why Australia needs a strategy to keep women out of prison