Australian Federation of Women Voters

Delegates to the 3rd Triennial Inter-state Conference of the Federation, Melbourne, May 1930

The Australian Federation of Women Voters (AFWV), previously known as The Australian Federation of Women's Societies for Equal Citizenship was founded in 1921 as a national lobby group in the interests of women's rights post suffrage and "...for three decades it was in the vanguard of the progressive women's movement in Australia."[1] The federation had an official publication, entitled The Dawn, which had existed from 1918.[2]

Achievements of the Federation included:[2]

First discussed at the triennial Woman's Christian Temperance Union national conference in Perth in 1918, the Federation was established straight after the next gathering in Melbourne in 1921. Bessie Rischbieth (Western Australia) was elected president and Elizabeth Nicholls (South Australia), Annie Carvosso (Queensland) and Mary Jamieson Williams (New South Wales) were elected vice-presidents.[1]

The Federation existed until 1974, and was largely superseded by the Women's Electoral Lobby in 1972.[2]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Byard, Sheila (2014). "Australian Federation of Women Voters". The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia. Australian Women's Archives Project. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Guide to the Records of the Australian Federation of Women Voters". Catalogue - Manuscripts collection. National Library of Australia. 2002. Retrieved 10 May 2014.

External links