Four servicewomen have launched a landmark class action lawsuit against the Australian military alleging sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination.

Lawyers said they expected thousands of women to join the case against the Australian Defence Force (ADF), which was filed in the Federal Court on Friday.

Claims by the four women leading the lawsuit – whose names are withheld for legal reasons – include being forcibly pinned to a wall before being groped, and waking up naked and bruised after a party with male officers.

An ADF spokesperson said it was developing a sexual misconduct prevention strategy and there was “no place for sexual violence” in the army.

All women who served between 12 November 2003 and 25 May 2025 are eligible to join the suit, lodged by law firm JGA Saddler.

One of the lead applicants was a member of the air force who was one of two women in a building of about 200 people.

She alleged she was subject to hostile and sexist comments, inappropriate conversations, as well as being shown unsolicited pornographic photos.

She also alleged her sergeant told her “women shouldn’t be paid as much as men because they are not as strong”.

Another of the four applicants, who joined the navy, said she was subject to lewd comments throughout her training and unwanted touching.

She also alleged that while on duty abroad she was grabbed and kissed by her a colleague who resisted her attempts to get away.

A major report into suicide among Australian veterans last year found that about 800 reports of sexual assault were made within the ADF between 2019 and 2024.

It noted that there was an estimated under-reporting rate for sexual assault of 60% in the ADF and that that was “only a subset of all forms of sexual misconduct that occur”.

“The threat of war often isn’t the biggest safety fear for female ADF personnel, it is the threat of sexual violence in their workplace,” said lawyer Josh Aylward from JGA Saddler.

“They have signed up to defend their country, not to fight off fellow ADF personnel on a daily basis, all while simply trying to do their job.”

An ADF spokesperson acknowledged there was “work to be done” and added that “all defence personnel have a right to be respected and deserve to have a positive workplace experience in the ADF”.