Bessie Project: Supporting safe access to abortion care (2025–2028)
Abortion is a human right and an essential part of healthcare. But access in NSW is not equitable or affordable for everyone who needs it. Financial, social and geographical barriers continue to prevent many people from accessing timely care. The Bessie Project (Supporting safe access to abortion care), funded by the NSW Government until June 2029, aims to help change this. We aim to strengthen referral pathways, identify and reduce barriers and connect people with service providers, ensuring they can access safe, timely and affordable care they need with dignity and support. Women’s Health NSW is leading the project in partnership with reproductive healthcare services, women’s health centres, ultrasound clinics, NGOs, along with other healthcare stakeholders across the NSW health system. At the heart of this project is a commitment to reducing barriers, strengthening connections between services and ensuring that everyone, regardless of where they live or their financial circumstances, has the opportunity to access the reproductive healthcare they deserve.
Knowing what to say: An allies toolkit shaped by multicultural and older women who have survived sexual violence (2026–2028)
Family and community support matters! Collaborating with multicultural and older women, WHNSW will develop an allies’ toolkit to support family, community and service providers prioritise the recovery and healing needs of sexual violence victim-survivors. Co-designed in women’s health centres, these hopeful, culturally responsive, trauma-informed initiatives will make diverse victim-survivors visible. This project is funded by the NSW Government via the Sexual Violence Recovery and Healing Grant Program.
Improving bowel cancer outcomes for multicultural women (2024–2025)
Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. Around 1 in 14 Australians will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime. This project, which ran for two years between 2024 and 2025, was designed to enhance knowledge of, and improve access to bowel screening and colonoscopy services for women from multicultural backgrounds. Funded by the Cancer Institute NSW, the project was delivered by Women’s Health NSW in partnership with six women’s health centres. Together we are explored, analysed and reported on the current challenges women and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds face when accessing bowel screening and colonoscopy services. By identifying strategies to address these barriers, the work we did in this project has contributed to improved uptake of regular screening, timely diagnosis and treatment to improve health outcomes for women from multicultural backgrounds across NSW. Read a summary project report by clicking on the image below:
Pathways Project (2023–2025)
‘Local pathways for victim survivors of sexual assault related non-fatal strangulation and acquired brain injury’ (the Pathways Project) was established after Women’s Health NSW identified a need to support and strengthen professional understanding and local capacity to respond to sexual assault-related non-fatal strangulation and acquired brain injury. By building awareness of the risks of non-fatal strangulation and sexual choking, and through the development of robust, multidisciplinary referral pathways across the state, the Pathways Project supported women to seek help and making informed choices about their health and wellbeing. The Pathways Project, which ran between 2023 and 2025, was one of 14 projects in the NSW Sexual Violence Project Fund, jointly funded by the NSW and Australian governments. More information about this project can be found on the dedicated online learning hub it created, It Left No Marks: http://www.itleftnomarks.com.au
Heart Health Pathways for Women (2018–2020)
This pilot project tested a tiered approach to screening for cardiovascular risk in women’s health centres, including linking women to care. Delivered in partnership with the Australian Women’s Health Network, Women’s Health NSW and the Heart Foundation, the project ran between 2018 and 2020. It was funded by the Heart Foundation.
Women’s Health NSW Database (ongoing)
The WHNSW Database, an integrated client management and statistical collection system, enhances the capacity of our members in their own evaluation processes, improves client management systems and provides a statewide view of women’s health issues in order to monitor trends and to inform planning and policy development. Women’s Health NSW initially developed a database system that recognises a holistic and feminist approach to healthcare using a Microsoft Access software platform, which has been migrated over to Microsoft SQL. Most of our members use the WHNSW Database on a daily basis. Some members, such as Full Stop Australia who use a sophisticated encrypted web-based database, forward their information annually for inclusion in WHNSW statewide data (view this in WHNSW Annual Reports). In 2026 we supported our members by creating a new WHNSW Data Dictionary to streamline data collection across the sector.
