International Women’s Day takes place every year on 8 March.

The 2026 theme is ‘Balance the scales’: a call to ensure equality and a fair go for women and girls across Australia and the world.

To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, we’ve gathered a list of resources available to support and uplift women in business. We’ve also included resources to help all employers improve diversity in the workplace.

Grants and programs

Our grants and programs finder is a free guided search to help businesses find grants, funding and support programs from across government.

You can now filter grants by specific objectives, including ‘Support for women in business’. Current women-focused grants include the Queensland Female Founders Co-Investment Fund, and the NSW Women in Business program.

Take a look to see what you could be eligible for and continue to check as programs are added throughout the year.

Strong women. Strong business.

Strong Women Strong Business gives mentoring and support for Indigenous women in business. It has resources and information covering a range of subjects, including starting out in business, financial literacy, setting goals, and balancing family and business. 

The program aims to help women to:

  • get support and advice from other women
  • access tailored content to build their business skills
  • find or become a mentor
  • grow their networks.

Women in rural, regional and remote enterprises (WiRE) program

The WiRE program supports women in rural, regional and remote enterprises who:

  • want to but don’t know how to start a business or community venture
  • want to grow their business or community venture
  • work in an organisation and want to progress that organisation and their career through entrepreneurial projects.

The program offers a place for women to network, collaborate and support each other. It gives access to workshops, mentoring and business resources.

Make your business a place of equal opportunity

When women and girls stand equal, workplaces are fairer, communities thrive, and society becomes safer for everyone. 

This International Women’s Day, consider how you can improve gender equality and diversity in your business. Evidence shows it improves productivity, decision-making and staff wellbeing. 

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency has guides, tools, masterclasses and advisory services for Australian employers, including:

  • a gender pay gap analysis guide
  • an action planning playbook to help prioritise actions to improve gender equality
  • guides to improve your workplace policies on parental leave, flexible work and recruitment.

More information