Australian Women Service Members Launch Landmark Class Action Over Sexual Abuse Allegations

Four Australian servicewomen have launched a landmark class action lawsuit against the Australian Defence Force (ADF), alleging sexual abuse, harassment, and gender discrimination, with thousands of women eligible to join. The lawsuit includes allegations of being forcibly pinned and groped, waking up naked and bruised after parties with male officers, hostile and sexist comments, unsolicited pornographic material, and unwanted physical advances both during training and while on duty abroad. The law firm JGA Saddler, which filed the suit in the Federal Court, highlighted that the ADF provided an unsafe workplace for female personnel, with an estimated 60% under-reporting rate for sexual assaults. An ADF spokesperson stated the military is developing a sexual misconduct prevention strategy and emphasized that there is "no place for sexual violence" in the army. A major report last year found about 800 reports of sexual assault within the ADF between 2019 and 2024, underscoring the severity of the issue. Lawyer Josh Aylward noted that the threat of sexual violence is often a greater safety concern for female ADF personnel than the threat of war itself.