The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade through its Human Rights Subcommittee will hold its first public hearing for its inquiry into gender equality as a national security and economic security imperative on Friday 27 March 2026.

Media release issue date: Wednesday, 25 March 2026

The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade through its Human Rights Subcommittee will hold its first public hearing for its inquiry into gender equality as a national security and economic security imperative on Friday 27 March 2026. Chair of the Human Rights Subcommittee, Mr Tony Zappia MP, said, ‘Australia is a global champion of gender equality. Today the Subcommittee will hear from government departments responsible for Australia’s foreign policy, defence and national security, to understand how the Australian government is promoting gender equality in this period of shifting global norms.’ ‘The Department of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade is the whole-of-government lead on the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. The Subcommittee will hear from implementation partners of Australia’s action plan for Women, Peace and Security, including representatives from DFAT, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Defence and the Australian Federal Police.’ ‘The Subcommittee also looks forward to hearing from representatives from the Office for Women and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research on issues relevant to the inquiry terms of reference, including the importance of gender equality to economic prosperity and food security, and their expertise on gender-responsive budgeting, research and policymaking.’ Further information, including the full terms of reference, is available on the Inquiry webpage. Public Hearing Details Date: Friday 27 March 2026 Time: 9:00 am–12:45 pm (AEDT) Location: Committee Room 1R4, Parliament House, Canberra The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live. Media inquiries James Peikert, Office of Mr Tony Zappia MP (Member for Makin, SA; Chair, Human Rights Subcommittee) Ph: (02) 6277 4147 or (08) 8265 3100 For background information Committee Secretariat Ph: 02 6277 2313 jscfadt@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) has adopted a new inquiry into gender equality as a national security and economic security imperative.

Media release issue date: Thursday, 6 November 2025

The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) has adopted a new inquiry into gender equality as a national security and economic security imperative. The Chair of the JSCFADT, the Hon Shayne Neumann MP, said, “gender equality is important on so many fronts. We’ve talked about how important it is for productivity, but this inquiry is a great opportunity to have a broader conversation about the role it plays in Australia’s economic and national security, and international security as a whole.” The Chair of the Human Rights Subcommittee, Mr Tony Zappia MP, said, “we know that when a crisis happens, whether conflict or climate disaster, women and girls are disproportionately impacted and gender equality suffers. This was acknowledged 25 years ago when the United Nations Security Council adopted the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. The Committee hopes to explore how Australia can better contribute to efforts by the international community in advancing and implementing this agenda.” Key themes of the inquiry’s focus include: The economic security and national security benefits of realising gender equality for every person, and how the integration of gender equality across foreign policy supports this objective Evidence and data that demonstrates the links between gender equality and economic growth and prosperity, including in food security and labour markets The international and national security implications of undermining gender equality, including in the context of humanitarian crises and climate change The role of locally-led leadership and decision making in advancing gender equality and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda The Australian government's efforts to advance gender equality and the human rights of women and girls across all aspects of foreign policy, defence and national security The Women, Peace and Security agenda internationally and Australia's role in promoting and implementing it. The Subcommittee is now inviting written submissions by Tuesday, 20 January 2026. Media inquiries James Peikert, Office of Mr Tony Zappia MP (Member for Makin, SA; Chair, Human Rights Subcommittee) Ph: (02) 6277 4147 or (08) 8265 3100 For background information Committee Secretariat Ph: 02 6277 2313 jscfadt@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.