THE SPATE OF LEGISLATION WHICH FOLLOWED COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THE LEGAL BUREAUCRACY OF STATE GOVERNMENTS IN AUSTRALIA HAS MADE THE LAW OF RAPE IN AUSTRALIA MORE CONFUSING AND POTENTIALLY INEQUITABLE. IN LAW, THERE ARE NOW 3 DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS OF RAPE --THE COMMON LAW, THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LAW, AND THE VARIATIONS BY THE STATE OF VICTORIA. NEW SOUTH WALES PROPOSES ANOTHER VARIANT. REFORM OF THE SUBSTANTIVE LAW IS NECESSARY, BUT WITHOUT CENTRALIZATION THE RESULT HAS BEEN DUPLICATION AND A CONFUSED RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM. THE COMMISSION REPORTS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THAT OF THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION, ARE TOO NARROW AND LEGALISTIC IN THEIR APPROACH. THEY CONCENTRATE ON PROCEDURAL REFORM ONLY, IGNORING THE SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF RAPE VICTIMS. STATISTICS AND CONCLUSIONS ALSO BECOME UNRELIABLE WHERE THERE IS NO UNIFORMITY OF RAPE LAWS. THE LEGAL DEFINITION OF RAPE SHOULD BE STANDARDIZED AS SHOULD RAPE VICTIM PROCEDURES, SO THAT RELIABLE EVIDENCE ABOUT SEXUAL OFFENSES CAN BE COLLECTED TO CONFIRM OPINIONS AND DISPEL MYTHS. YET, ALTHOUGH AUSTRALIA HAS A RANGE OF WRITTEN SUGGESTIONS AND PIECEMEAL REFORMS, THERE IS NO CONTINUING PROGRAM TO EVALUATE THEM. TO COMBAT RAPE IN THE COMMUNITY, AUSTRALIA NEEDS RELIABLE STATISTICS TO PROJECT ACTION FOR THE FUTURE AND TO DETECT CHANGING PATTERNS AND OFFENSE INCIDENCE. RAPE IS A SOCIAL PROBLEM DEMANDING A SOLUTION MORE COMPLEX THAN MERE LEGISLATION. FOOTNOTES ARE GIVEN.