Women's Electoral Lobby
Encyclopedia
WEL is credited with major achievements for women in Australia in relation to anti-discrimination and equal opportunity
legislation
, equal pay
decisions, the funding of women’s and children’s services.
.
WEL Australia is currently focused on a range of women's issues.
According to Joan Bielski, "In May 1972, Beatrice Faust
, a Melbourne
academic and abortion law reform advocate, addressed a meeting in Sydney
at the house of Julia Freebury, the Sydney organiser of the Abortion Law Reform Association
, about forming a women's lobby for the purpose of interviewing all candidates for the 1972 federal elections
about their attitudes to issues being enunciated by the Women's Liberation Movement
. Such a lobby group had already formed in Melbourne. After discussion, Caroline Graham, June Surtees (now Williams) and Wendy McCarthy agreed to become co-convenors."
From those roots, WEL has grown to being a national lobby group with branches in all States and Territories.
At WEL's 1978 national conference, a decision was made to set up a national office in Canberra
, which was originally set up in the laundry of Canberra Women's House in O’Connor.
It was also decided at the conference that WEL would employ a part-time National Communications Officer to ensure communication
and information-sharing between WEL branches and to better engage in federal government
and politics
. This role was at first restricted to supporting national campaigns.
According to the WEL History Project's report on WEL National Convenors, "the position evolved into a more professional lobbyist position... In 1987 Jane Elix, former national co-ordinator, made a powerful plea at a WEL conference for the holder of the position to be authorised to be a media spokeswoman. Elix observed that although founding WEL members believed in non-hierarchical structures and opposed specialisation of roles and functions, in practice this made it difficult to compete in the political arena of the 1980s. While WEL groups clearly did not want to lose power to 'Canberra', often WEL members were in sensitive jobs and were unable to speak publicly on policy." This illustrates an ongoing tension in WEL, which aims to respond quickly to make the most of the media cycle and the political climate
whilts still maintaining a de-centralised member-driven structure.
The ANU's WEL History Project documents name changes to the coordinator position and who held that position as follows:
1978 national communications officer
1982 national co-ordinator
1997 executive officer
2000 national co-ordinator
In 2010, the Women's Electoral Lobby Australia dispensed with its usual process of researching and writing individual policies on a range of policy areas in the lead up to the election
. Instead, WEL has developed a Feminist Policy Framework, which sets out a critera to test and rate the policies of political parties.
WEL's feminist framework tests how well policies:
Equal opportunity
Equal opportunity, or equality of opportunity, is a controversial political concept; and an important informal decision-making standard without a precise definition involving fair choices within the public sphere...
legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
, equal pay
Equal pay for women
Equal pay for women is an issue regarding pay inequality between men and women. It is often introduced into domestic politics in many first world countries as an economic problem that needs governmental intervention via regulation...
decisions, the funding of women’s and children’s services.
.
WEL Australia is currently focused on a range of women's issues.
History
The Women's Electoral Lobby (WEL) was formed in 1972 just prior to a Federal election of that year.According to Joan Bielski, "In May 1972, Beatrice Faust
Beatrice Faust
Beatrice Faust AO is an Australian author and women's activist. She was a co-founder of Women's Electoral Lobby and President of the Abortion Law Repeal Association of Victoria.-Biography:...
, a Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
academic and abortion law reform advocate, addressed a meeting in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
at the house of Julia Freebury, the Sydney organiser of the Abortion Law Reform Association
Abortion Law Reform Association
The Abortion Law Reform Association is a former advocacy organisation which promoted access to abortion in the United Kingdom. It campaigned effectively after World War II for the elimination of legal obstacles to abortion and the peak of its work was the Abortion Act 1967.In Autumn, 2003, ALRA...
, about forming a women's lobby for the purpose of interviewing all candidates for the 1972 federal elections
Australian federal election, 1972
Federal elections were held in Australia on 2 December 1972. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. The Liberal Party of Australia had been in power since 1949, under Prime Minister of Australia William McMahon since March 1971 with coalition partner the Country Party...
about their attitudes to issues being enunciated by the Women's Liberation Movement
Women's liberation movement
The Women's Liberation Movement was a political movement, born in the 1960s from Second-Wave Feminism.It generated mythology almost before it was born such as bra burning - and it was allegedly a matter of deep concern to those within it at the time that its history would allegedly be rewritten...
. Such a lobby group had already formed in Melbourne. After discussion, Caroline Graham, June Surtees (now Williams) and Wendy McCarthy agreed to become co-convenors."
From those roots, WEL has grown to being a national lobby group with branches in all States and Territories.
Achievements of the Women's Electoral Lobby
WEL has played a significant role in important policy changes such as the:- Passing of equal pay legislationLegislationLegislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
in 1972, which saw women awarded the male rate of pay, no matter what job they performed; - Legitimisation, policy development, legislative reform and community education programs on issues such as equal opportunity, sexual harassmentSexual harassmentSexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
and domestic violenceDomestic violenceDomestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
; - Drafting and implementation of state anti-discrimination and federal sex discrimination legislation; and
- Rape law reform, which has gradually led to significant amendments to the NSW Crimes ActCrimes ActCrimes Act is a stock short title used for legislation in Australia, New Zealand and the United States, relating to the criminal law...
.
Structure of the Women's Electoral Lobby
The structure of WEL mirrors Australia's federal political system. There are WEL branches in each state and territory, which focus on state policy and a national WEL branch that focuses on federal policy. Because of the overlapping nature of state and federal policy areas and feminist concerns, state and national branches of WEL often work together on projects or to lobby for policy change.At WEL's 1978 national conference, a decision was made to set up a national office in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, which was originally set up in the laundry of Canberra Women's House in O’Connor.
It was also decided at the conference that WEL would employ a part-time National Communications Officer to ensure communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
and information-sharing between WEL branches and to better engage in federal government
Federal government
The federal government is the common government of a federation. The structure of federal governments varies from institution to institution. Based on a broad definition of a basic federal political system, there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and...
and politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
. This role was at first restricted to supporting national campaigns.
According to the WEL History Project's report on WEL National Convenors, "the position evolved into a more professional lobbyist position... In 1987 Jane Elix, former national co-ordinator, made a powerful plea at a WEL conference for the holder of the position to be authorised to be a media spokeswoman. Elix observed that although founding WEL members believed in non-hierarchical structures and opposed specialisation of roles and functions, in practice this made it difficult to compete in the political arena of the 1980s. While WEL groups clearly did not want to lose power to 'Canberra', often WEL members were in sensitive jobs and were unable to speak publicly on policy." This illustrates an ongoing tension in WEL, which aims to respond quickly to make the most of the media cycle and the political climate
Political climate
The political climate is the aggregate, current mood and opinions of a populace about political issues that also currently affect that population. It is generally used to describe a state of change in mood and opinions rather than a state of equilibrium...
whilts still maintaining a de-centralised member-driven structure.
The ANU's WEL History Project documents name changes to the coordinator position and who held that position as follows:
1978 national communications officer
1982 national co-ordinator
1997 executive officer
2000 national co-ordinator
| Date | Who |
|---|---|
| 1978 | Maria De Leo |
| Feb 79–Sept 82 | Yvonne Carnahan |
| Oct 82–March 84 | Pamela Denoon† |
| March–Sept 1984 | Lorelle Thompson |
| Oct 84–Dec 84 | Jo Morgan |
| Jan–Feb 1985 | Lynne Gallagher |
| March 85–July 86 | Jane Elix |
| Sept 86–March 87 | Lynn Lee |
| May–Sept 1987 | Glenys Rogers |
| Sept 87–Feb 88 | Lynn Lee |
| March–Nov 1988 | Joy Taylor |
| Dec 88–April 89 | Nooshin Guitoo |
| June 89–Feb 91 | Anne-Marie Mioche |
| March 91–Dec 94 | Ann Wentworth |
| June–Aug 1992 | Julie McCarron-Benson |
| Jan 95–April 96 | Ingrid McKenzie |
| April 96–Jan 97 | Rivera Morton-Radovsky |
| April 97–Sept 98 | Lyn Peryman |
| Sept 98–April 2000 | Helen Leonard† |
| June 00–Aug 01 | Erica Lewis |
| Sept 01–02 | Vacant |
Feminist Policy Framework
In 2010, the Women's Electoral Lobby Australia dispensed with its usual process of researching and writing individual policies on a range of policy areas in the lead up to the election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
. Instead, WEL has developed a Feminist Policy Framework, which sets out a critera to test and rate the policies of political parties.
WEL's feminist framework tests how well policies:
- Ensure the benefits and outcomes are fairly distributed between women and men, as well as between different groups of women
- Value and reward fairly people’s different skills, experiences and contributions
- Recognise the value of caring and supporting roles, whether paid or unpaid
- Recognise and rectify past and current inequalities and between men and women; and
- Enhance opportunities for both women and men to take on equal rights and responsibilities in all aspects of society: politics, community, employment and social lifeSocial lifeSocial life may refer to:* an individual's Interpersonal relationships* Social relation * Social Life, an album by Koufax* Social Life, the indie/punk band from Greensboro, North Carolina....