Public hearing on gender equality as a national security and economic security imperative
Parliament of Australia
On Wednesday, 20 May 2026, the Human Rights Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade will hold a public hearing for its inquiry into gender equality as a national security and economic security imperative.
Chair of the Human Rights Subcommittee, Mr Tony Zappia MP, said the hearing is a chance to hear from researchers, advocacy bodies and organisations on the front lines of crisis response to understand how gender inequality is impacting regional security.
Examples of witnesses the Subcommittee will hear from include:
- International Women’s Development Agency
- Griffith Asia Institute
- International Planned Parenthood Federation
- Human Rights Watch
- Jobs and Skills Australia
Mr Zappia said, ‘The hearing will provide an opportunity to understand the success of Australia championing gender equality internationally, and to gather ideas on how the Australian Government could better embed gender equality into its foreign policy and national security architecture.’
‘We will also hear about why women’s workforce participation is so important to meet our workforce needs in key industries, and the economic security and prosperity this could secure for Australia.’
Further information, including the full terms of reference, is available on the inquiry webpage.
Public Hearing Details
Date Wednesday 20 May 2026
Time: 9:00 am–1:45 pm (AEST)
Location: Virtual and Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra
The full public hearing program is available on the inquiry website.
The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.
Media enquiries
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
[email protected]
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.
