Today, the Canberra Liberals announce a $875,000 funding commitment for Fearless Women if elected in October this year.

Fearless Women is a not-for-profit organisation which provides girls and young women in the ACT with a dedicated outreach and support service much the same as Menslink does for boys and young men.

Canberra Liberals Leader Elizabeth Lee said Fearless Women is a very important local organisation that needs certainty and ongoing funding so they can continue to provide much needed support to girls and young women in the ACT.

“Fearless Women not only visit schools throughout the ACT to talk to girls and young women about the importance of wellbeing, self-empowerment, and self-value but also offer a mentor program that focuses on personal, social and self-management skills,” Ms Lee said.

“Currently there are 60 young women paired with 60 mentors, made up of professional women volunteering their time with 130 more young women on the waitlist which highlights the need for this important organisation to remain viable into the future. But we know there are many more young women on the waiting list who are not able to access these vital services due to a lack of funding.

“In this calendar year alone, Fearless Women has also delivered training sessions free of charge to 80 schools but needs ongoing funding from the ACT government in order to continue providing this service.

“The Canberra Liberals understand and appreciate the importance of an organisation like Fearless Women and have committed to provide the necessary funding over the forward estimates so they can continue to assist young women in the ACT.”

Shadow Minister for Women Nicole Lawder said the Canberra Liberals will provide $125,000 in the first year and $250,000 recurrent funding for the following three years with assessments each year and a review at the end of the three-year agreement.

“We know many girls and young women face a number of challenges in today’s society that leads them to feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and uncertain about their future,” Ms Lawder said.

“In the ACT 59 per cent of young women were concerned about their mental health issues with 66 per cent feeling mental health was a barrier impacting on the achievement of study or work goals.

“Fearless Women provide a sense of belonging within a safe and inclusive community, boosting self-belief, inner strength, confidence, and courage, allowing young women to find their voice and understand who they are and what they can be.

“In order to continue to provide these necessary services to the girls and young women of the ACT Fearless Women need the support of the ACT government and a Canberra Liberals government will provide that support,” Ms Lawder concluded.

Fearless Women currently receives no recurrent funding from the ACT government and is currently providing their services on a three-year philanthropic funding arrangement which will conclude in June 2025.