The Australian Women's Register

The Women’s Liberation Movement submission on equal pay was delivered in 1969 to the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission in Melbourne, by Sylvia Shaw.

The Grail is an international women’s movement , which describes itself as ‘a spiritual, cultural and social movement of women grounded in Christian faith and committed to the vision of a world transformed into a global community of justice and peace’. It was established in Sydney in 1937 after the arrival in 1936 of members of the Women of Nazareth, an international lay Catholic women’s organisation with its headquarters in The Netherlands. It sought a new and significant role for lay women Catholics in the church. In the view of Sally Kennedy, author of Faith and Feminism, ( Sydney 1985), ‘it combined a strong sense of women’s potential in the Catholic Church with a realistic appraisal of women’s powerlessness in it, and a high level of pragmatism to overcome this’. Its original focus was on the concept of specialised long-term training of youth leaders. Its focus is now ‘upon women’s education and personal development, on social and cultural critical analysis and organised action grounded in conviction’. It has centres in Sydney and Melbourne.

The formation of the Australian Local Government Women’s Association – South Australian Branch was preceded by the formation of a national Australian Local Government Women’s Association in Canberra in 1951. A non-party organisation, it was inspired particularly inspired by the belief that more women should be involved in local government partly because this arm of government was especially relevant to housewives and mothers.

The Association of Civilian Widows of Australia originated in Western Australia in 1953 at a meeting convened by the Women’s Service Guild. Its formation was largely due to the efforts of Mrs Invy Kent. Over the following two years Apex helped to establish a National Executive and over 200 branches of the Association across Australia. The Association is non-party political and non-sectarian and its objects are to promote the interests of the widow and her child wherever possible. It also engages in welfare work for its members and holds fund raising and social meetings. It’s motto is ‘Friendship and Service.”

The Australian Red Cross Society (ARCS) was formed just after the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, initially as a branch of the British Red Cross Society. Its first president was Lady Helen Munro Ferguson, wife of the then governor-general. Via a network of state branches and division, also presided over by women, the organisation extended its influence throughout the community of Australian women, urban and rural, to the point where women constituted the vast majority of its membership, as well as featuring prominently in its leadership. Although the organisation was involved in a range of activities, including the establishment of agencies overseas dedicated to supplying families in Australia with information about wounded and missing soldiers, it is probably best known for its success in mobilising volunteers to create the much appreciated and eagerly anticipated ‘comfort’ parcels that were sent to servicemen overseas. From the date of its inception until the armistice the ARCS dispatched 395,695 food parcels and 36,339 clothing parcels. Thousands of women contributed their time and money to make this possible

The International Tracing and Refugee Services department of the Australian Red Cross endeavours to locate, reunite and support families separated by war, conflict and disaster. As such, the department services one of the most longstanding activities of the International Red Cross Movement, that of restoring family links between victims of armed conflict. In Australia, an important predecessor of the department, The Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau, was founded at the beginning of World War 1 by Australian Red Cross Commissioners Vera Deakin and Winifred Johnstone. The Bureau was established in 1915 to help trace wounded and missing men and provide information about them to their families.

The Australian Junior Red Cross was founded in New South Wales in August 1918 by Mrs Eleanor MacKinnon, initially with the aim of involving children in the support of recuperating soldiers who were using existing Red Cross facilities, and then extending to concern about the needs of the children of soldiers. Over the years, the Junior Movement’s aims have evolved to focus on the development of an humanitarian ethos amongst young people, through education programs, and activities that encourage active citizenship and community participation.

Australia’s largest provider of first aid services was the initiative of a woman. In 1914, Lady Helen Munro Ferguson appealed to women and men with first aid and nursing training to enrol in voluntary first aid detachments. The service has steadily developed to become not only an important dispenser of first aid, but a major provider of first aid training. Women have played an important leadership role in the service since its inception.

The Australian Red Cross has given special emphasis to Disaster and Emergency Services as part of the larger role of the Red Cross in caring for victims of natural disasters, conflict and human tragedies. The Australian Red Cross took up this role as a philanthropic organisation already able to operate within the armed forces and within State disaster plans. In the main, disaster and emergency services have largely been a State-based function of the Australian Red Cross, with national coordination developing over time. Their disaster preparation and response strongly involves local branches and communities, with women providing much of the ground support and assistance, such as catering and registration, and increasingly management for the Australian Red Cross.

In 1929, Dr Lucy Bryce founded the first Australian blood service on the lines of the British Red Cross Society in London. By 1931 the Blood Transfusion Service, based in the Victorian Division of the Red Cross, was the recognized medium for metropolitan hospitals to obtain donors. The following year, it was operating around the clock. In 1938, the first Red Cross Blood Bank was established at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, with a number of its medical consultants, from the onset, being women.

As the International Committee of the Red Cross has been the ‘guardian’ of the Geneva Conventions on armed warfare, International Humanitarian Law is the basis of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. As a result, Australian Red Cross national Presidents and other leading women, such as Philadelphia Robertson, have been prominent in this field and in international conferences of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement.

International development programs and aid are a core function of the national office of the Australian Red Cross. Funds were initially donated to the Red Cross Society in the nation affected by disaster, as in the Japanese earthquake of 1923. From the 1970s, the national office of the Australian Red Cross has directly appealed for, and received, funds to assist in major international operations. The Australian Red Cross Field Force of overseas workers provided relief in the field during World War II into the 1970s. In many respects, these were the forerunners of Australian Red Cross delegates, who provide specialist skills for international programs, development and assignments by Red Cross Societies. Some of these delegates come under the International Committee of the Red Cross, others under the Federation, and some under the Australian Red Cross, depending upon the project. In 2004, the International Department of Australian Red Cross had specific desks for the areas, such as the Asia-Pacific, which serve as contact points for development programs. The Australian Red Cross’s Strategy 2005 aimed to provide high quality international humanitarian assistance and development programs in partnership with governments, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and vulnerable communities.

Community services were recognised in the first national Constitution of the Australian branch of the British Red Cross Society.

The Victorian Division of the Australian Branch of the British Red Cross Society was formed on August 21, 1914. Lady Margaret Stanley, the wife of the Governor of Victoria, was the first president. The wife of the Governor has continued to preside and women have maintained an active role in all aspects of the Australian Red Cross. They have continuously taken leadership roles in branches, units and regional committees, as well as in council and senior management.

Operated by Australian Red Cross Victoria since 1993 and funded by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, the Asylum Seeker Assistance Scheme provides services to asylum seekers who have cleared immigration and remain lawfully in the community while their application for refugee status is being processed.
In Victoria, caseworkers work with asylum seekers in the community providing the following support:
• Crisis intervention and needs assessment
• Administration of some emergency relief and financial assistance
• Access to health care and pharmaceutical programs
• Referral to other agencies (legal, medical, specialist counselling, social, education, material-aid, housing)
General casework support and advocacy

Many community programs grew from the hospital services – Volunteer Motor Corps (now Transport Services), Home Hospitals, Rest Homes and Amelioration – of World War I. From 1927, the Red Cross Auxiliaries became a chief peace-time activity of the Victorian Division. In World War II, remedial activities became known as Rehabilitation, and a Welfare Committee arose. Welfare then became associated with Social Work, which mainly focused on soldiers until the 1970s, when it turned to disadvantaged groups. In the 1980s, Hospital and Community Services encompassed many of these activities. In 1995, this area became more specialised, becoming Community Programs in 2002.

In the 1920s, the Victorian Division increasingly moved into civil emergencies, such as bush fire relief, floods and the influenza epidemic, using pre-existing services such as the Volunteer Motor Corps. Having served in World War I, plans were also made for the Voluntary Aid Detachments to come under the Australian Defence Department in the event of war or national emergency. Around 1928, the Victorian Council appointed a specific Sub-Committee for emergency and relief work, and bushfire assistance was given to Tasmania. In the Depression, the Victorian Division assisted in State Relief, and branches offered support. The Division’s emergency response is planned in advance and co-ordinated with the Victorian authorities, particularly the State Emergency Service.

First aid training, a core activity of Australian Red Cross, is largely a State activity. In World War I, Australian women were encouraged to enrol people with first aid certificates in Voluntary Aid Detachments. By the 1960s, Victoria had an education program in the area, which was covered, in the 1980s, by Health and Safety Education. Emergency first aid is included in Emergency Services. In 2004, accredited first aid courses were provided at an individual and industry level, with specialised training including critical incident simulations, and Red Cross continuing to sell First Aid kits.

Fundraising was initially the main function of the Victorian branch, with appeals launched by the President and undertaken through Committees and branches. Initially, funds were administered by the Australian Branch. Their Central Depot became the first collection and distribution point, although Victoria was also empowered to appoint a depot for contributions. Fundraising has gradually become more specialised, with Committees focused on the hallmark Red Cross Calling, the Murray Marathon since 1969, and a Desperate & Dateless ball for over ten years. Retail has expanded from Card & Gift Shops, to ‘Been Around Before’ stores and merchandise campaigns, while corporate sponsors, are emphasised and bequests, foundations and trusts have expanded.

The Tracing and Refugee Services Department endeavour to locate, reunite and support families separated by war, conflict and disaster. In Australia, it is related to the Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau of 1915, focused largely on war service personnel until it was found useful in post-World War II migration. In 1994, Tracing and Refugees became a core service for expansion, including a Volunteer Settlement Support Group and the Young Refugees Project. The service now includes family Tracing and Red Cross Messages, Health and welfare Reports from family overseas, Family Re-union, the Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Program and urgent Disaster inquiries.

The Victorian Junior Red Cross began under a Central Committee in 1921-1922, following the New South Wales Division in 1918. Between the two world wars, the Junior Red Cross was a major part of the peacetime programme of the Victorian Red Cross. In World War II, the Victorian Division’s Junior Red Cross restructured, sponsored by local Red Cross branches, companies and Links of Service. From the 1950s, Junior Circles again formed in schools. In the 1970s, its overall name became Red Cross Youth. In the 1990s, it expanded programs as Youth and Education Services (YES), becoming Youth and Multicultural Affairs in 2003.

Initially, major cities were represented on Victoria’s Provisional Committee for the Red Cross, and branches sprung up across the State. Branches reported to the Victorian Division, and Annual Reports. As many began to disband in peacetime, branches were reviewed in the mid-1920s. In World War II, they were boosted when Philadelphia Robertson became Director of Branches, with other prominent appointments following, and a greater regional focus in the 1960s. By the late 1990s, branches, and six administration zones, came under Services and Membership. In 2003, development of Membership and Volunteers warranted a separate section. Branches have been particularly active in local fundraising and community services.

The Victorian Women’s Suffrage Society, the first women’s suffrage society in Australia, was founded in 1884 largely due to the efforts of Henrietta Dugdale and Annie Lowe. Dugdale, very much a ‘freethinker’, claimed to been Victoria’s first activist for women’s suffrage-having publicly advocated women’s suffrage since 1868, along with married women’s property rights and the admission of women to the universities. In 1883 she published a utopian novel, A Few Hours in a Far Off Age, which she used as a vehicle for her then radical ideas about education, marriage, Christianity and rational dress for women. The Society’s platform was ‘To obtain the same political privileges for women as now possessed by male voters’. It had both male and female members.

The Australian Women’s Suffrage Society was founded in 1888 by Brettena Smyth. Smyth had previously been a member of the Victorian Women’s Suffrage Society but some members apparently objected to her outspoken opinions on birth control precipitating her decision to form a breakaway suffrage group. The new Society was very much linked with Smyth’s advocacy of every woman’s right to information about and access to contraceptives and she distributed advertisements for contraceptives, which she sold from her drapery and druggist shop in North Melbourne, at the Society’s meetings. Smyth had become convinced that the major problem facing most women was not the lack of political rights so much as frequent and involuntary childbearing. The Society had both male and female members. Particularly, Dr William Maloney, a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly who introduced several (unsuccessful) women’s suffrage bills into parliament between 1889 and 1894. The Society apparently disbanded with Brettena Smyth’s death in 1898.

The United Council for Woman Suffrage was originally formed in Melbourne in 1894 largely due to the efforts of Annette Bear Crawford who became its foundation president and secretary. Its aims were: to coordinate and amalgamate suffrage societies and to lobby members of parliament and municipal councillors about women’s suffrage; to educate the public about women’s suffrage; to educate the public about women’s suffrage; to educate the public about women’s suffrage and to train women speakers to address meetings. Those involved included representatives from suffrage societies, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the Victorian Trades Hall Council and the Vigilance Society. The Council conducted extensive lobbying during the Victorian municipal elections in 1896 and the Commonwealth Constitutional Conventional in Melbourne in 1898. The Council floundered with Bear Crawford’s illness and then death in 1898. The following year, however, Vida Goldstein became its organising secretary-which in 1900 became a full-time, paid position. Goldstein allowed a broader spectrum of organisations to affiliate with the Council, considerably expanding its support base-by 1900 it had 32 member organisations. While Goldstein resigned in 1901, the Council continued as an effective co-ordinating body for the suffrage campaign, often working with Goldstein’s new group, the Women’s Political Association, until Victorian women’s gained the vote in 1908.