Victim-survivors need urgent reform to change the laws that silence them from reporting sexual violence. We’re calling on the federal government to:
1. Regulate how NDAs can be used
Change federal legislation to prevent abusers from using NDAs to silence victim-survivors
2. Change defamation laws
Reform laws to protect victim-survivors who report from defamation lawsuits.
“The NDA caused me harm, because when you silence survivors of workplace violence, you give power to their employer’s narrative”.
Gender-based violence is endemic in Australia.1 At least one in five Australian women have been subjected to sexual violence since the age of 15 and more than 40% of women have experienced workplace sexual harassment in the last five years.2,3 One in four women are victim-survivors of domestic and family violence.4
Many victim-survivors are silenced or exposed to legal risks when they report domestic, family and sexualviolence. We’re calling on the government to make urgent reforms that stop silencing victim-survivors and make it safe for them to report.
Suing for defamation has become a widely used tactic used by alleged perpetrators to silence women who report domestic, family and sexual violence at home, work and elsewhere.
Victim-survivors are open to legal risk for telling their doctors, counsellors, employers and family about their experience.
The financial and psychological cost of defending a defamation lawsuit deters many victim-survivors from defending a defamation claim filed against them for speaking about the violence and abuse. This leads some victim-survivors to feel forced to retract their complaint, pay compensation to the perpetrator, apologise or sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
NDAs are used by 75% of lawyers settling sexual harassment matters and these NDAs often prevent victim-survivors from talking about what happened with anyone – including family members, counsellors and medical practitioners.5
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Sexual Violence (23 August 2023).
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Intimate partner violence (24 February 2026).
Our website does not have a Quick Exit button.
If you think someone might be monitoring your search history, learn how to clear your history.
