• Entry type: Organisation
  • Entry ID: AWE0021

Women’s Electoral Lobby Australia

(From 1972 – ) WEL banner made by WEL-ACT member Julie McCarron-Benson
  • Nationality Australian
  • Occupation Lobby group

Summary

The Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) was established in Melbourne in 1972 by Beatrice Faust. She was inspired by feminists in the United States who had been rating presidential candidates. The organisation quickly spread to Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra and in 1978 WEL Australia was formed as a coalition of state, territory and regional groups. Primarily a women’s political lobby group, WEL surveyed political candidates and their policies affecting women, wrote submissions and developed media skills for women to lobby for the inclusion of women in the area of government policy. Originally the WEL campaign was based on six demands: equal pay, equal employment opportunity, equal access to education, free contraceptive services, abortion on demand and free 24-hour childcare.

Details

In February 1972, feminist Beatrice Faust invited ten women to a meeting in her Carlton house to discuss the forthcoming Federal election. They decided to survey election candidates on issues of special interest to women, as Ms Magazine had done in the USA during a recent presidential campaign.

By the second meeting the initial membership had doubled, and 130 women attended the third meeting a short time later.

Early the following year, there was a Victorian state election, and WEL organised a major forum in Dallas Brooks Hall, bringing together on stage the leaders of all five current political parties to answer the question:
Why should women vote for you?

WEL’s first national conference in Canberra in 1973 was attended by 400 women.

Read

Published resources

  • Book
    • Getting Equal: the History of Australian Feminism, Lake, Marilyn, 1999
    • Power and Protest: Movements for Change in Australian Society, Burgmann, Verity, 1993
    • Social movements: The Politics of Moral Protest, Pakulski, Jan, 1991
    • Labor to Power: Australia's 1972 Election, Mayer, Henry, 1973
    • WEL Women: Recollections of Some of the First WEL-ACT Women, Mc Carron Benson, Julie, 1991
    • A Brief History of the Women's Electoral Lobby (SA), Fisher, Betty, 1986;1996
    • WEL: 21 years in South Australia, Sloniec, Elizabeth, 1993
    • A Brief History of Women's Electoral Lobby WA, Burnett, Pat, 1985
    • A History of Women's Electoral Lobby Coffs Harbour, Degens, Pat, 1998
    • Women's Electoral Lobby: Australia/New Zealand 1972-1985, Preddy, Elspeth, 1985
    • From the Gilded Cage, WEL, 1974
    • Catching the Waves, Ryan, Susan, 1999
    • Ducks on the Pond: An Autobiography 1945-1976, Summers, Anne, 1999
    • Making women count : a history of the Women's Electoral Lobby in Australia, Sawer, Marian, 2008
    • Sisters in Suits: Women and Public Policy in Australia, Sawer, Marian, 1990
  • Book Section
    • Researching WEL, Grahame, Emma, 1998
    • Greenwood, Irene, Caine, Barbara, 1998
  • Article
  • Thesis
    • A Description and Analysis of Aspects of the Women's Electoral Lobby (Victorian Branch), Anderson, Peter, 1973
    • The Women's Electoral Lobby: An Historical Inquiry, Asher, Louise, 1980
    • The Political Development of the Women's Movement in Queensland, Gorring, Pam, 1978
    • Working Within the System: The Women's Electoral Lobby Fifteen Years On, Hill, Elizabeth, 1987
    • The Emergence of Contemporary Feminist Groups in Australia: With special reference to the Women's Liberation Movement and the Women's Electoral Lobby in the ACT, Hooper, Anne, 1973
    • The Women's Electoral Lobby and Women's Employment: Strategies and Outcomes, Nicholson, Joyce, 1991
    • The Interrelationship Between Interest Groups and Social Movement Organisations: The Experience of WEL 1972-83, Szramka, Annabel, 1986
    • The Women's Electoral Lobby 1972-1982: Sites of Conflict in Non-Party Feminism, Watson, Louise, 1982
  • Conference Paper
  • Edited Book
    • Women's Voices, Women's Lives, Scutt, Jocelynne A.
  • Resource
  • Report
    • Report on Women's non-government organizations conference, Beijing, China, August 31 - September 8, 1995 / Deborah McCulloch, Women's Electoral Lobby, McCulloch, Deborah, 1995
  • Site Exhibition

Archival resources

  • The University of Melbourne Archives
    • Women's Electoral Lobby Poster Think W.E.L. Before You Vote
    • Bebbington, Laurie
    • Bethune, Dulcie
    • Nicholson, Joyce Thorpe
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
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    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • Women's Electoral Lobby
    • D'Aprano, Zelda
    • Women's Liberation Movement
    • Cameron, Barbara
  • National Library of Australia, Oral History and Folklore Collection
    • Elizabeth Ward interviewed by Sara Dowse [sound recording]
  • State Library of Western Australia
    • Womens Electoral Lobby records, 1973-1974 [manuscript]
  • National Library of Australia, Ephemera Collection
    • [Women's Electoral Lobby : ephemera material collected by the National Library of Australia]
  • State Library of New South Wales
    • [Collection of pamphlets relating to the Women's Electoral Lobby and the Women's Liberation Movement]
    • Judith Steanes - interview with Joan Bielski of the Women's Electoral Lobby, 2000
    • Joan Bielski papers, 1968-2004
  • National Library of Australia, Manuscript Collection
    • Papers of Sara Dowse, 1958-2007 [manuscript]
    • Records of the Women's Electoral Lobby, 1952-2010 [manuscript]
    • Papers of Meredith Hinchliffe, 1957-1981 [manuscript]
    • Speeches 1972-1973 [manuscript]
    • Papers of Meredith Stokes, circa 1970-1997 [manuscript]
    • Collection of realia and papers relating to women's issues and organisations, 1975-2008 [manuscript]
    • Papers of Edna Ryan, 1948-1993 [manuscript]
    • Papers of Di Graham, 1975-1997 [manuscript]
    • Papers of Margaret Reynolds, 1973-2005 [manuscript]
    • Papers of Shirley Kral, 1953-2015 [manuscript]
  • Northern Territory Archives Service
    • Women's Electoral Lobby Darwin
  • Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection
    • Women's Electoral Lobby records, ca. 1970-1995
    • Pat Richardson scrapbooks relating to the Women's Electoral Lobby and women's events, 1977-2002
    • Edna Ryan papers, 1965-1986
    • Edna Ryan further papers, 1961-1989
    • First Ten Years of Sydney Women's Liberation Collection, ca. 1969-ca. 1980
  • State Library of South Australia
    • International Women's Day Committee Research Project : Summary Record [sound recording] Interviewers: Celia Frank and Kirstin Marks
  • National Museum Australia
    • Meredith Hinchliffe collection no. 1
  • Archives Office of Tasmania
    • Subject folders
    • Correspondence and associated papers
    • Banner with handprints of those who attended the women for reconciliation dinner

Digital resources

Related entries


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    • Bielski, Joan (1923 - 2012)
    • Faust, Beatrice Eileen (1939 - 2019)
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  • Employee
    • Denoon, Pamela (1942 - 1988)
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  • Member
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    • Cox, Eva Maria (1938 - )
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  • Director/s
    • Leonard, Marjorie (Helen) (1945 - 2001)
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  • Affiliated
    • Women's Electoral Lobby South Australia (1972 - )
    • Women's Electoral Lobby (ACT Branch) (1972 - )
    • Women's Electoral Lobby Western Australia (1972 - 2008)
    • Women's Electoral Lobby Victoria Inc. (1972 - )
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  • Foundation Member
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