The Australian Women's Register

Formed in 1935 in response to the long felt need for an organization that advanced women’s interests and stimulated their creativity, the Western Australian Women’s Society of Fine Arts and Crafts exemplified practical women-centred responses to the exclusion of women in the arts establishment. Three key periods of expansion were: the late 1940s, when work as a teaching society began in earnest; the mid 1960s, when memberships numbered 136; and the late 1970s and early 1980s, when craft had a renaissance and the organisation’s numbers swelled. The Subiaco property, purchased in 1973, still serves as headquarters and continues to host classes in a range of crafts.

Established in 1993 the Centre for Research for Women is a joint initiative between Curtin University of Technology, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia. Based on a model of inter-university collaboration, the centre promotes feminist research across disciplines, universities, the community and the public sector. The Centre for Research for Women maintains an extensive database of expertise aimed at expanding research opportunities and the dissemination of research programmes. Every three years the location of the centre rotates to another of the participating universities.

The formation of the Western Australian Council for Equal Pay and Opportunity in 1958 marked the beginning of a sixteen year long campaign seeking justice for women workers. The effectiveness of the campaign can be attributed to the wide ranging representation of affiliated groups, which included women’s organizations, trade unions and representatives from across the political spectrum. The organization dissolved in 1973 when discriminatory clauses were removed from State legislation and the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission decided in favour of equal pay.

Originally known as Livingstone House in Carlton, then as Livingstone Home in Cheltenham in 1891, the Methodist Homes for Children provided temporary care for abused or neglected children while waiting for them to go to homes in the country. The Committee, which comprised mainly women, wanted to ensure that the children were cared for in a home like atmosphere rather than that of an institution. As demand for such accommodation increased, children remained at the Homes until they completed their education. On their move to Burwood in 1953,The Homes were subsequently known as Orana, The Peace Memorial Homes for Children and from 1989 Orana Family Services. In 1989, at the request of the State government, the organisation moved to its present location in Meadow Heights.

Artemis was established in 1985 as a forum for women artists, art teachers, critics and writers. It sought to foster discussion and interest in the practice and ideas of women’s art, promote community awareness of women’s contribution to the arts, support women working in the arts and set up independent feminist criticism in order to address the perceived inequalities in Western Australia’s arts establishment. Artemis aimed to activate critical appraisal of patriarchal culture and its effects on art history, practice and theory to redefine women’s art practice in her own image. Artemis disbanded in 1990 due to the discontinuation of funding.

After attempts to establish a lending library at the Women’s Centre Action Group and Camp Books failed, Lespar Library of Women’s Liberation moved to purpose built facilities on Karin Hoffmann’s Darlington property. It operated on an open by appointment basis for twelve years. A key objective was to provide resources and facilities for women centred research. The library also acted as a repository, eventually housing the archives of various women’s organizations and individuals on a permanent basis.

Founded 25 March 1909 the Women’s Service Guilds of Western Australia formed a core feminist connection for the exchange of feminist strategies and ideas with international feminism for much of the twentieth century. While typified as conservative, the Guilds anticipated many radical trends and were at the forefront of activism which challenged the political and social boundaries that excluded from participating fully in society. They worked to raise the status of women and improve the welfare of children, primarily through legislative reform and initiated a wide range of campaigns on local, national and international levels.

The National Labor Women’s Network ( NLWN) was established in 1996 and is the peak women’s organisation within the Australian Labor Party. It aims to increase the numbers of women active in the Labor Party at all levels, to facilitate and strengthen relationships between the state Labor women’s organisations and the National Network. Membership is open to all current financial women members of the Australian Labor Party. The National Executive comprises representatives from all states and territories. The current Convenor is Nicola Roxon, Federal Member for Gellibrand, Victoria.

The Federal Women’s Committee ( FWC) was established at the inaugural meeting of the Federal Council of the Liberal Party in August 1945. It is the peak body representing women in the Liberal Party and acts as a voice for women in the development of policy and party organisational matters. Its aims are to promote and encourage women to become involved in political life, to contribute effectively to the formulation of policy and to assist the Party in implementing its decisions through effective community interaction.

Formed by Katharine Susannah Prichard in 1938 the Modern Women’s Club began as a coalition of women from the Communist Party and the Australian Labor Party’s Council Against War and Fascism. It sought to provide a forum for women “of all parties and opinions” to discuss and act on issues of the day. As Joan Williams notes, it was considered by some as “most avant-garde for the time”. The Modern Women’s Club rejected notions of “womanly” preoccupations instead acting as a forum in which working and Aboriginal women could discuss issues of the day, in particular, peace. The club’s other key concerns included equal pay, rights for women and citizenship rights for Aborigines.

Following the establishment of the Union of Australian Women in the early 1950s, the Modern Women’s Club donated its assets to the Western Australian (WA) Branch of the new organisation. The Modern Women’s Club was founded in Perth in 1938 as a forum for free discussion on issues of the day. The WA Branch of the Union of Australian Women folded in December 1973.

Established in 1922, The Queensland Country Women’s Association was declared by letters patent to be a Body Corporate on the 13th July, 1926.

It is a non-sectarian, non-party-political, non-profit lobby group and service association working in the interests of women and children in rural areas. Although ostensibly non-party-political, in practice the group has tended to bolster conservative politics and has supported traditional family roles for women. Historically, it was, however, also a progressive force in many ways, particularly in its encouragement of country women to take an active part in public affairs, and also in its lobby for and provision of services to rural areas.

Given its size and scope, it was arguably the most influential women’s organisation in Queensland in the twentieth century.

The South Australian Country Women’s Association is a non-sectarian, non-party-political, non-profit lobby group and service association working in the interests of women and children in rural and urban areas. Although ostensibly non-party-political, in practice the group has tended to bolster conservative politics.

The State association was formed in 1929. The first branch of the Association in South Australia was actually formed in 1926 at Burra by Mary Warnes. By 1988, nearly every small settlement in South Australia had a CWA branch and the Association comprised 270 branches with 7,500 members (at its peak in 1956 the Association boasted 277 branches and 14,000 members).

The Association has engaged in an enormously diverse range of service and lobbying activities since its inception – from the provision of rest rooms and holiday houses for members, and handicraft and homecraft instruction, to the provision of health services in rural areas. Much of the Association’s energy has been directed towards providing relief in times of recessions, droughts, floods, war and disasters. Its size and scope made it one of South Australia’s most significant women’s organisations.

Archival note:
It is the policy of the headquarters archives to call in all paper-based material relating to all branches when no longer required. For many years the South Australian Association was also responsible for branches in the Northern Territory.

The Country Women’s Association of Tasmania is a non-sectarian, non-party-political, non-profit lobby group and voluntary organisation working in the interests of women and children in both urban and rural areas. It was founded in 1936 in Launceston, with Mrs C. W. Peart as President, and grew quickly across the state.

The Association was formed partly in response to the formation of similar groups in other states. Its major activities have revolved around the provision of services to its members, fundraising, the improvement of amenities in rural areas (initially with an emphasis on child health services) and social activities.

The Catholic Women’s League of Western Australia was established on 23 August 1937 with the aim of centralising the activities of various Catholic women’s societies and to ‘give public expression to Catholic thought on vital questions arising from time to time’. It is affiliated with the Catholic Women’s League Australia Inc.

The Catholic Women’s League State of Queensland was established in 1975. It developed out of the Catholic Daughters of Australia, Brisbane, which was established in 1927. The League aims to unite Catholic women in a common bond of friendship for the promotion of religious, intellectual and social work. Membership is open to all Catholic women who are considered eligible by the branch executive. The organisation operates within the state of Queensland at all levels; state, diocesan/regional and branch. It is affiliated with the Catholic Women’s League Australia Inc. and the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations.

Women and the Australian Church was established in 1984 as a means of changing the understanding of the role of women in the Australian church and in society. It was initiated by the women Religious within the Catholic church and has been supported ideologically and to some extent financially by the Religious Orders of both men and women. It has developed into a network of local and regional groups in the various states of Australia. Men are included in the membership. Although Catholic by origin, it encourages membership from other religious denominations.

The Ordination of Catholic Women was founded by Zoe Hancock and Marie Louise Uhr in December 1993 to advocate the inclusion of women as ordained priests in the Catholic church. A national organisation, it held its first conference in Canberra in 1994 and its first international conference in 1999. It maintains a national office in Canberra, with regional convenors in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria and contacts in South Australia, North Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Kid First Australia is the trading name of The Children’s Protection Society (CPS), which was founded in 1896 as the Victorian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

An initiative of the Governor’s wife, Lady Sybil de Vere Brassey, its aims were to protect children from cruelty and neglect, to advance the claims of neglected, abandoned and orphan children to the general public, to co-operate with existing societies for this purpose and to enforce the existing laws for the protection of neglected children and juvenile offenders.

It was one of the few secular non government agencies in the child welfare field and it operated on the philosophy of persuading or, in the last resort, compelling parents to fulfil their responsibilities. It became the Children’s Protection Society in 1971. Changes to welfare policy and legislative reform in 1985 meant a change in the Society’s role but not in the objective to reduce child abuse and neglect.

In 2018 the Children’s Protection Society changed its name to Kids First Australia. Kids First Australia provides support services to children, young people, and families, such as counselling, treatment and theraputic healing for cases of absue and neglect, youth homelessness prevention, and mentoring and education services.

The Country Women’s Association of New South Wales, the first such group in Australia, was founded in 1922 at a Bushwomen’s Conference held in conjunction with the Royal Agricultural Show in Sydney. It is a non-sectarian, non-party-political, non-profit lobby group and service association working in the interests of women and children in rural areas. Although ostensibly non-party, in practice the group has tended to bolster conservative politics. Historically, it was, however, also a progressive force in many ways. As early as 1936, for example, the NSW branch passed a resolution in favour of equal pay for women. Although the organisation has in many ways defended traditional gender roles, it has advocated a greater public role for country women. Although its influence has declined, given its large membership and longevity, it was arguably the most influential women’s organisation in New South Wales in the twentieth century.

The Country Women’s Association of the Northern Territory is a non-sectarian, non-party-political, non-profit lobby group and service association working in the interests of women and children in rural areas. Although ostensibly non-party-political, in practice the group has tended to bolster conservative politics.

The Association was officially formed in 1961, although the first branch had been formed in Alice Springs in 1933, with branches in Tennant Creek, Darwin and Katherine following soon after. The southern branches were originally affiliated with the South Australian CWA, while those in Darwin and Katherine were connected with the Queensland CWA.

Archival Note: Since, prior to 1960, the Tennant Creek and Alice Springs Branches were managed by the South Australian CWA and the Darwin, and the Katherine and Darwin Branches were managed by the Queensland CWA, some records relating to these branches will be contained in the archives of those state organisations.

The Catholic Women’s League Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn was established on 8 November 1945. It began as a small group in St Christopher’s Parish, Canberra to provide hostesses for official parish occasions and to raise money for the church community. It spread later to the city of Goulburn, to town and country centres outside the Archdiocese. Its affiliation with the Federal Council of Catholic Women of Australia in 1953 meant that its agenda broadened from parish affairs to the wider community and to matters of national and global importance to women and their families. It now promotes the intellectual, spiritual, cultural and social welfare of women. It is affiliated with the Catholic Women’s League Australia Inc.

Originally known as the Girls’ Friendly Society, GFS Australia began as a local branch of the Girls’ Friendly Society founded in England in 1875 by Mary Townsend. This was an Anglican Church group which formed to give maids and female domestic staff spiritual guidance and social activities for their days off. The Society later also functioned in part as an employment agency. The first local Australian branch was formed in Adelaide in 1879, with branches being established in all states by 1901. It aimed to facilitate friendship between ladies (Associates) and working girls (members). Associates would help find members jobs and encourage them in Christian behaviour. By 1910 there were 329 members in Sydney. The activities of local groups varied considerably. However, in its early days, branches generally held meetings for working girls and several also ran hostels to provide them with accommodation. More recent programs have included camps and leadership courses. The Society no longer focuses solely on girls. As of 2004, its stated aims were ‘to minister to children, youth and their families’, and there were 14 branches of the Society across all Australian states.

The Australian Board of Missions formed in 1850 with the aim of converting the indigenous peoples of the islands around Australia to the Anglican faith. In 1910 it was decided to employ women in a fund-raising capacity by forming the Women’s Auxiliary to the Australian Board of Missions. Beginning in New South Wales, Auxiliaries were attached to a particular diocese and by the 1980s were established in nineteen of the twenty four Australian dioceses. Initially, the funds raised went toward missionary training. More recently, they have been dedicated to specific projects such as the establishment of a training centre for lay, Indigenous evangelists

The Itinerants Literary Society began as a result of a dispute with the Hamilton Literary Society in 1894 when a group of members broke away to form a separate society. They are ‘itinerants’ in that they meet at each member’s home in turn. The Society’s rules set out the number of members, hours of meeting and terms of membership. At each meeting, members present papers which range widely. The minutes show how themes and topics are chosen and reveal a close adherence to the rules. Early subjects discussed included famous writers and political topics (including women’s suffrage), ‘women who have made history’ (including Jane Franklin, Sarah Bernhardt and Sonia Kovaleski).

The Hamilton Literary Society is the oldest continuing literary society in Australia. It was founded by Lady Teresa Hamilton, wife of the Governor of Tasmania, Australia, in 1889. Originally known as the Nil Desperandum Society, the group met twice a month at Government House in Hobart, Tasmania, to hear papers read by members. From 1892, members of the Society were also members of the Australasian Home Reading Association – which was formed under the auspices of the Literature Section of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, for the purpose of developing a taste for recreative and instructive reading among all classes, and directing home study to definite ends.

The first meeting of the Girl Guides Association of Australia Incorporated was held in Melbourne in 1926. The formation of this national body came over a decade after the first guides group was formed in Tasmania, the Girl Peace Scouts. Other states quickly followed and by the time a national body was established, all states in Australia had guides groups.

The Association celebrated their seventy-fifth birthday in 1985 and at that time had approximately 100,000 members.