The Australian Women's Register

Anna Vroland was an activist and writer who campaigned for Aboriginal rights in the 1940s and 1950s.

The Jessie Street National Women’s Library is a specialist library which aims to promote awareness of the cultural heritage of Australian women. It includes a library and archival collection which focus on issues of importance to women, as well as documenting the lives and experiences of women. Its collection of books was founded by a donation of 500 feminist books. The collection now includes feminist journals, an oral history collection, fiction, posters and archival materials.

The Olive Pink Society was formed in 1988 and works to address issues of race and gender in anthropology. It publishes the Bulletin of the Olive Pink Society.

The federal government replaced the National Women’s Advisory Council with the National Women’s Consultative Council in 1984. The NWCC produced its last report in December 1992 and in late 1993 it was replaced by the Australian Council for Women.

A member of the Australian Labor Party, Julia Irwin was elected to the Australian Parliament as Member for Fowler, New South Wales, in 1998. She was re-elected in 2001, 2004 and 2007. She was not a candidate in the 2010 federal election.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Joanna Gash was elected to the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Australia as the Member for Gilmore, New South Wales, in 1996. She was re-elected in 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2010.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Danna Vale was elected to the House of Representatives as the Member for Hughes, New South Wales in 1996. She became Minister for Veterans’ Affairs on 26 November 2001 and Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence from 2001 until 2003. From 1984 until 1988 Minister Vale was a full-time wife, mother and student. In 1988 she began practising as a solicitor and held this position until entering parliament.
She did not contest the 2010 federal election.

Jackie Kelly was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister in the third Howard Ministry on 26 November 2001. She was elected MHR (Lib) for Lindsay, New South Wales on 19 October 1998.

A member of the Australian Labor Party, Karin MacDonald was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory, representing the electorate of Brindabella, in 2001. She was re-elected in 2004.

Bronwyn Bishop, Minister for Aged Care (1998-2001), was elected MHR (Lib) for Mackellar, New South Wales on 26 March 1994.

A member of the Australian Democrats, Roslyn Dundas was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) representing the electorate of Ginninderra, in 2001. She was the youngest woman ever to be elected to an Australian Parliament, but was unfortunately defeated at the 2004 election.
In 2008 she was appointed Director of the ACT Council of Social Service.

A member of the Australian Labor Party, Sharon Grierson was elected as the Member for Newcastle, New South Wales, in the House of Representatives of the Australian Parliament at the federal election, which was held on 10 November 2001. She was re-elected in 2004, 2007 and 2010.

A member of the Canberra Liberals, Vicki Dunne was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory representing the electorate of Ginninderra in 2001. She was re-elected in 2004 and 2008 and 2012. She currently holds the position of Speaker in the Assembly.

Janice Crosio was the first woman Cabinet Minister of New South Wales, and first woman to serve on the executive at all three levels of government – local, state and federal. She was elected to the House of Representatives (ALP) for the seat of Prospect, New South Wales, in 1990 and retired in 2004.

She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) on 30 December 1978 for services to local government.

A member of the Australian Labor Party, Katy Gallagher was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the Parliament of the Australian Capital Territory (A.C.T.), representing the electorate of Molonglo, in October 2001. She was re-elected in 2004, 2008 and 2012 and served as Chief Minister from 16 May 2011 to 2014.

In 2014 Gallagher resigned from the A.C.T. government to seek preselection to the Australian Senate. She was appointed to fill the casual vacancy caused by the retirement of Senator Kate Lundy in 2015, and elected in her own right a year later, in 2016. After a brief interruption during the parliamentary elegibility crisis of 2018, when she was forced to stand down because she had not renounced her British citizenship prior to her nomination in 2016, she was re-elected as Senator for Canberra in 2019.

Jill Griffiths Hall has enjoyed a distinguished career in local, state and federal politics in New South Wales, representing the Australian Labor Party. She has held the federal seat of Shortland since 1998.

A member of the Liberal Party, Helen Cross was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory representing the electorate of Molonglo, in 2001. She served as an Independent from 2002 and lost her seat at the 2004 election.

A member of the ACT Greens, Kerrie Tucker was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory representing the electorate of Molonglo in 1995. She served in the Parliament until 2004.

Maura Fay’s name is associated with a variety of film, television and theatre projects including: Brides of Christ, The Paper Man, The Thorn Birds, Cold Feet, The Last Bullett, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Farscape and On the Beach.

Wendy Edmond was Queensland Minister for Heath and Minister Assisting the Premier on Women’s Policy. She was elected MLA (ALP) for the electorate of Mount Coot-tha on 2 December 1989.

Irene Longman was the first woman to both stand for and be elected to the Queensland Parliament. She was a member of the Country and Progressive National Party for the electorate of Bulimba from 11 May 1929 to 11 June 1932. Longman moved Address-in-Reply to the Governor’s Opening of Parliament Speech on 21 August 1929.

The federal government (Whitlam) appointed the International Women’s Year National Advisory Committee to oversee the distribution of government funding for projects between 1974 and 1976 associated with the United Nations-proclaimed International Year of Women (1975). Australia’s activities for the International Year of Women were also supported by a secretariat under Elizabeth Reid, the women’s advisor to the Prime Minister. Reid also convened the committee. Membership included Ruby Hammond, Irene Greenwood, Caroline Jones, Margaret Whitlam and Shirley Castley.

The committee attracted criticism from some activists in the Women’s Liberation movement over spending priorities. However, seed and grant funding assisted the development of many important organizations and publications including the Working Women’s Centre and Dr Kay Daniels’s Women in Australia An Annotated Guide to Records.

Kelly Hoare was elected MHR (ALP) for Charlton, New South Wales in 1998.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Sussan Ley was elected to the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Australia, representing the electorate of Farrer, New South Wales, on 10th November 2001. She was re-elected in 2004, 2007 and 2010.

Originally named the Nursing Mothers’ Association the extra A for Australia was added in 1969 to reflect the national nature as the Association grew.

Established at a time when formula feeding was seen as modern and fashionable and viewed as being as good as, if not better than breastfeeding.

The National Pay Equity Coalition took up the struggle for equal pay for women, intervening in national wage cases in the 1980s and 1990s.

Founded in Melbourne Victoria in 1964 as the Nursing Mothers Association. In 2001 the Association members voted for the name change to Australian Breastfeeding Association.