The Howard government, through the use of the tools of neoliberalism and public sector
reform, has established a politicised public service whereby ‘frank and fearless’ advice is
no longer valued and there is zero tolerance for bureaucrats presenting perspectives that
may be considered critical of government policy. Within this context, the government’s
hostility towards feminism, and belief that feminist agendas are in conflict with
government priorities, is presented. It is shown that under the Howard government
femocrat structures have been disbanded, while their remit has been discredited. This has
had a dire impact on women’s policy machinery; government funding and support for
women’s movement initiatives and organisations; the consideration of women’s issues as
mainstream issues; and a valuing of gender analysis expertise in policy discourse. In this
article these impacts are discussed and policy examples are given outlining the
detrimental impact of these developments on Australian women’s rights, representation,
and choices.