We’re helping to create safe, respectful and equitable workplaces for women, trans and gender-diverse people throughout the Canberra region.
We are experts in gender-based workplace issues and can refer you to the specialist employment and discrimination lawyers at the Women’s Legal Centre if you need further advice about:
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We also build awareness and understanding of workplace rights and entitlements through education and community engagement. Our free workshops and information sessions are tailored to community and industry-based groups, service providers and educational institutions, and cover employment rights and workplace issues that disproportionately affect women, trans and gender diverse people.
Through submissions, reports and cross-sector collaboration, we advocate for systemic reform to eliminate the causes of gendered workplace issues.
An initiative of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, we’re part of a network of Working Women’s Centres in all states and territories that were funded in response to recommendations of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report.
The inquiry found that sexual harassment is prevalent and pervasive across all industries. Workers, particularly women, suffer financial, social, emotional, physical and psychological harm associated with sexual harassment. It has a very real financial cost to the economy through lost productivity such as staff turnover and negative impacts on health and wellbeing.
As Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins said in delivering the 2020 report, “Workplace sexual harassment is not inevitable. It is not acceptable. It is preventable.”
The Working Women’s Centre ACT is dedicated to ensuring workplaces in the ACT and surrounding areas are places of safety, respect and equality.
Zhenia is the Program Manager of the Working Women’s Centre ACT, providing strategic direction and management of the Centre’s activities.
Alba connects the dots of collaboration, community, and legal education to empower women, trans, and gender-diverse people to thrive in their workplaces.
The Working Women’s Centre sits within the Women’s Legal Centre ACT, which provides the legal assistance that women in the Canberra region need to be safe from violence, injustice and discrimination.
Women’s Legal Centre ACT provides advice and support with:
Women’s Legal Centre ACT serves Canberra and the surrounding areas, including Queanbeyan, Yass, Bungendore, Murrumbateman.
Our focus is on assisting people who are experiencing or at risk of violence (domestic, family and sexual violence as well as other forms of gender-based violence), discrimination and systemic disadvantage (including, First Nations people, people from CALD backgrounds, people living with disability and gender diverse people).
The Women’s Legal Centre ACT has a team of social workers who collaborate with lawyers to provide wraparound support for clients with more complex needs.
We recognise that clients’ legal issues are often intertwined with other issues in their lives. By providing additional support, clients are better able to stay engaged with and resolve their legal matter, improving legal outcomes and overall wellbeing.
Social workers can provide court and mediation support, case management, referrals to other organisations and assistance in accessing financial assistance.
The Mulleun Mura Program is a First Nations staffed and led program providing culturally safe support and legal advice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, trans and gender-diverse people. The program assists with family law matters, early intervention care and protection and support for people affected by domestic and family violence.
The Mulleun Mura cultural support worker walks alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients, making it safer for them to access services across the Women’s Legal Centre in ways that respect culture, lived experience and self-determination.
Zhenia is the Program Manager of the Working Women’s Centre ACT, providing strategic direction and management of the Centre’s activities.
Zhenia’s work centres on community-engaged practice, collaborating across community, legal, and industry specific sectors to address workplace issues affecting women, trans and gender-diverse people in the ACT and improve access to justice.
She is committed to empowering people to understand their rights, engage with legal processes, and make informed decisions about their lives.
Zhenia has 10 years’ experience in community justice projects and policy. Before joining the Centre, Zhenia coordinated a legal education program with an Aboriginal Legal Service in the Northern Territory, working with young people in detention, diversion, and flexible learning settings. She also helped coordinate a community-led justice project in Arnhem Land that connected elders with the court system to ensure their voices shaped criminal justice outcomes.
Zhenia holds a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the Australian National University and is a recent Australian Progress Fellow.
Alba connects the dots of collaboration, community, and legal education to empower women, trans, and gender-diverse people to thrive in their workplaces. As Education & Advocacy Officer, she develops and delivers the program’s community engagement activities and collaborates with various industries to ensure that those most at risk of exploitation know their workplace rights, entitlements, and supports.
Alba moved to Ngunnawal and Ngambri land in 2017 from Indonesia and the Philippines. She brings her experience building relationships in the not-for-profit sector with a background in client services and leading trainings for environmental and feminist fundraising campaigns.
Alba completed her Master of International Development at the University of Canberra. She’s pivoted her focus to a local context and is passionate about making communities a safe and inclusive space for everyone.
