The Australian Women's Register

Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA) is the peak body for women with all types of disabilities in Australia. It is the only organisation of its kind in Australia and one of only a very small number internationally.

WWDA represents more than 2 million disabled women and girls in Australia. The organisation is run by women with disabilities, for women with disabilities, and it operates as a transnational human rights and systemic advocacy organisation.

Women with Disabilities ACT (WWDACT) is a systemic advocacy and peer support organisation for women, girls, feminine identifying and non-binary people with disability in the ACT region.

The WWDACT was established in 1995 and since then has worked with government and non-government organisations to improve the status and lives of women with disabilities in the area.

Women with Disabilities Victoria (WDV) is an organisation of women with disabilities, for women with disabilities.

The goals of WDV are to influence government and policy, engage and empower women with disabilities and to educate and build the capacity of service systems and organisations to be accessible to women with disabilities.

Methodist Ladies’ College (MLC), Kew, is one of the country’s leading independent girls’ schools.

According to their website, MLC ‘was founded in 1882 as a ‘modern school of the first order’ with buildings that formed ‘a collegiate institution for girls unsurpassed in the colonies’.’ Founded by the Wesleyan Methodists, the goal was to provide ‘a high-class Christian education for girls’ which was resemblant to that available to boys at that time.

The Friendly Union of Soldiers’ Wives and Mothers was founded by Lady Helen Munro Ferguson, wife of the Governor General, Sir Ronald Crauford Munro Ferguson, later Lord Novar, soon after the beginning of World War I.

The object of the organisation was:

The promotion of a friendly feeling amongst the relations of members of the A.I.F., and the giving of mutual help and advice in any trouble or difficulty arising in connection with the Members’ affairs.

In March 1942 the Australian Government passed the National Security (Employment of Women) Regulations which established the Women’s Employment Board (WEB). ‘The aim of the WEB was to encourage and regulate the employment of women in work usually performed by men’ during the Second World War. ‘From 1942 to 1944 the WEB set the wages, hours and conditions of over 70,000 female workers in Australian industries’ (Larmour, 1975).

The Australasian Women’s Association (AWA) was founded on September 3, 1900. It was a sister organisation to the Australian Natives Association (ANA) and was both a friendly society and a society that promoted national causes. The AWA ceased operation in 1964.

The Women’s Pioneer Society of Australasia is an organisation of female descendants of early colonial pioneers, government officials, military personnel, free settlers and convicts.

Soroptimist International is a worldwide organisation for women in management and the professions working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women. Soroptimists work at all levels of civil society, local, national and international, and are involved with a wide spectrum of women’s concerns.

The inaugural meeting to discuss the formation of a Soroptimist International organisation in Victoria was held in 1947. Founded by president Dr Jean Littlejohn, the ‘Divisional Union of Victoria’ (later the Region of Victoria) was accepted by the Federation of Great Britain and Ireland in November 1948. The Victorian Region, along with others in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, remained a member of the Federation until the establishment of the Federation of the South West Pacific in 1978.

The first Soroptimist International branch in Victoria was the Melbourne club, which received its charter on June 24, 1948. Dr Jean Littlejohn (CBE) was also the founding president, alongside members Margareta Webber and Myrtle Chisholm. Hilda Chandler was appointed honorary secretary.

The Morning Peninsula club was the second Soroptimist International branch in Victoria, receiving its charter on September 18, 1952. By 1982 there were 15 branches throughout Victoria.

The Women’s Union Committee of the ACT was formed in 1976 and promoted the role of women and their interest in unions. Some of the Committee’s key areas of activity included petitioning for anti-sex discrimination laws to be introduced into the ACT, increased funding for child care and new child care centres.

As its name suggests, the Federal District Women’s Bowling Association Past Presidents’ Association is comprised of the past presidents of the Federal District Women’s Bowling Association. The Association held its inaugural bowling match on Thursday 14 February, 1957.

UN Women National Committee Australia (formerly the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Australia Inc.) was established in 1991. The committee exists to raise funds for, and awareness of, UN Women’s work in the Pacific and around the world.

Playworks was established in 1985 and identified itself as the national women’s performance writing network. The aim of the organisation was to increase the number of women writing for performance. In late 2006 the Australia Council for the Arts consolidated both Playworks and the Australian National Playwrights Centre (ANPC) and a new organisation, PlayWriting Australia, was established.

The Pakies Club was founded in 1929 by Mrs Augusta (‘Pakie’) MacDougall, wife of theatre director Duncan MacDougall. The club operated on two floors at 219 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, and was a meeting place for artists and writers.

The café, a Little bit of Paris, boasted colourful modernist décor and was known for monthly ‘international’ nights featuring aspects of the culture and cuisine of a particular country.

A journal entitled Urgewas produced by Club members between 1933 and 1935.

Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR) was established in numerous New South Wales towns in 2001, with public meetings in Bowral and Armidale. Further public meetings were held in Cootamundra and Lismore and groups were launched in Orange and Goulburn. RAR then spread to Victoria, followed by other Australian states.

The group was originally founded by Anne Coombs, Susan Varga and Helen McCue.

RAR consists of Australian citizens living in rural and regional areas who aim to change Australia’s policy on refugees and asylum seekers towards a more humane approach.

Today RAR:
– Aims to raise public awareness of the issues involving asylum seekers and refugees
– Writes letters to newspapers and politicians
– Meets members of parliament to challenge inhumane policies
– Provides practical help to local refugees
– Fundraises for asylum seekers and refugees
– Attends rallies and vigils

The Catholic Women’s League of Narrabundah was founded in 1960.

Soroptimist International is a worldwide organisation for women in management and the professions working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women. Soroptimists work at all levels of civil society, local, national and international, and are involved with a wide spectrum of women’s concerns.

The South Canberra Branch of Soroptimist International was inaugurated in February 1971 and ceased operation in 2001.

The ANU Club for Women Inc was established in 1961 by the Vice Chancellor’s wife, Lady Molly Huxley. It was formed to provide support to the families of academics, staff, and visitors coming to the University.

Originally membership of the Club consisted mostly of wives of academics, past Vice Chancellors’ wives and professional officers of the ANU. Today, however, members include all staff, as well as those who have a close association with the ANU.

The Club has various sub-groups, including: the Monday Group; the Bushwalking Group, the Morning Book Reading Group; and the Evening Book Reading Group.

The Melbourne Women’s Walking Club was formed in 1922 by a group of young women excluded from the men-only Melbourne Walking Club. The Club pioneered treks with packhorses supplied by the mountain cattlemen who also acted as guides. In 1936 three members walked the Barry Mountains, the first women to do so.

Over the years their dress changed from long skirts to short skirts to riding breeches (then the only acceptable form of trousers for women). Finally in the 1930s they defied all conventions by wearing specially tailored shorts. World War 2 curtailed activities and led to a decline in the 1950s, but the club rallied and grew again. Later, groups began to travel further afield, both interstate and overseas. Recently there has been an influx of new members and the club continues to provide a wide variety of activities.

In March 2000, the National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) established the Australian Women’s Archives Project (AWAP) in order to support the preservation of Australian women’s archival resources. The project is a joint venture with the University of Melbourne, with staff in the School of Historical Studies providing assistance in the area of historical research, and the eScholarship Research centre providing technical innovation and support.

The Victorian Teachers’ Union (VTU) was established in 1926 following negotiations between the Victorian State School Teachers’ Union, the Victorian High School Teachers’ Union and the Victorian Technical Teachers’ Union.

The Australian Council for Women (ACW) was established in late 1993, replacing the National Women’s Consultative Council, to co-ordinate planning in Australia for the Fourth World Conference on Women to be held in Beijing in September 1995 and to consult with women and transmit their concerns and ideas to the government. Council members travelled widely in Australia, meeting women and consulting with community groups.

On International Women’s Day 1994 the ACW launched its Purple Postcard survey, asking women to list one concern, and sent questionnaires to non-government organisations. The major issues emerging from the survey were fear of violence, breast cancer, and the cost and availability of child care.

In February 1995, the ACW released its report listing strategies to tackle these issues of concern, to be included in Australia’s presentation to the UN Fourth World Conference. The ACW Chair, Sandra Yates, was a delegate to the Beijing conference and advisor to the Australian official delegation which was led by Dr Carmen Lawrence, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women and Minister for Health. The Council was disestablished on 31 December 1995.

The Gippsland Women’s Network (GWN) was incorporated in 2006. It had its beginnings in the 1970s-1980s during a time of rural recession, when farming women in the Gippsland area of Victoria began an active role in lobbying the Australian government for financial support, putting together proposals for ways to better market the products of their region. From those early days, the GWN has broadened its role to encompass a variety of activities aimed at raising the profile of women in the rural sector. This has included developing projects and running seminars and workshops aimed at fostering the establishment of community networks, and empowering rural women to take a more active role in creating a sustainable future for their communities.

The Women’s Caucus of the then Australasian Political Studies Association (APSA) was established in 1979. It was set up to improve the standing of women in the political science profession and to promote the study of women and politics. The annual general meeting of the Women’s Caucus is held during the annual conference of APSA. A representative serves on the APSA Executive. The caucus conducts regular reviews of the status of women in the profession and of the extent of the successful implementation of APSA’s policy that the study of women should be integrated into all politics courses.

The Australia women’s national rugby sevens team represents Australia at a national level. They were champions of the inaugural Women’s Sevens World Cup in 2009 and in 2016 they won the inaugural gold medal at the Rio Olympics.

The Magistrates Court represents the first tier of the Queensland Courts system. It is the place where most criminal cases are first heard; it is also where most civil actions are heard. It deals with civil cases where the amount in dispute is $150,000 or less. Some minor family law matters are dealt with by the Court as too are matters covered by the Customs Act 1901, the Social Security Act 1991 and the Taxation Act 1953. The Court also hears the majority of domestic violence matters, and applications for child protection orders.