Nearly 9 in 10 ACT Women Make Plans to Stay Safe in Public: Minister

Women in Australia’s capital city do not feel safe every time they step out of their homes.

This is the warning from Finance and Women’s Minister Katy Gallagher at a recent Senate session, where she called for a change in men’s attitudes toward women.

Citing the results of a survey she launched in June 2025, the minister said most women reported feeling vulnerable when going out.

“More than two and a half thousand women and girls in Canberra generously took the time to complete this survey, and their responses are as powerful as they are confronting,” she said.

“86.6 percent of women reported changing their plans or behaviour to stay safe. And 43 percent of young women aged 15–24 take safety precautions every single time they leave home.”

Gallagher noted that bus interchanges and nature reserves were the most frequently reported unsafe areas.

“There were 1,164 mentions of inadequate lighting —especially at bus stops, interchanges, parks, and pathways,” she said.

Among the responses she received, the minister said that one female runner only dared to run in daylight and had to take her dog with her. The woman also told someone where she was going and shared her location with family and friends.

In another case, a woman said she sometimes had to take a taxi or change her attire to feel safe when getting from A to B.

“This is the lived reality for women, not just here in Canberra, but across Australia,” Gallagher said.

“The mental load of constant vigilance. The financial cost of choosing safer, more expensive transport options.

Women Attribute Safety Issues to Men’s ‘Harmful’ Behaviour

At the same time, the minister said that a significant portion of women believed men’s “harmful” behaviour toward them was the cause of their insecurity.

“Women have also told us clearly that they must be taken seriously when they make reports about behaviour that makes them feel unsafe or when they have experienced harm,” she said.

“As one respondent put it: ‘This is a men’s problem—their behaviour is making women feel unsafe. It is a small number of them, but it is still men who make us unsafe. The solution needs to involve men advocating and calling out other men.’”

Gallagher said women’s lack of security was a “cultural” issue, which could not simply be solved by improving public infrastructure.

“We need to continue to focus on efforts to change men’s attitudes and behaviours so that there is no longer a risk of violence for women to fear.”

Gallagher’s comments came as the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed an increase in reported sexual assault incidents nationwide.

Specifically, 40,087 victims of sexual assault were reported in 2024, up 10 percent from the previous year.

Meanwhile, the victimisation rate reached 147 victims per 100,000 persons, up from the pre-COVID-19 levels of around 100 and is the highest rate ever recorded.

Around 81 percent of the victims were female, with 39 percent aged between 10 and 17 years.