INTERNATIONAAL
Women's Rights Worlwide
WEL - History of the Women's Movement - Australia
New: 01-10-09A WEL / Australian feminist herstory, with interesting photos and spicy discussions. Audio & photos - 25th anniversary of the Sex Discrimination Act.
Australia party to the Optional Protocol to CEDAW
25 November 2008
The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP
Minister for Housing, Minister for the Status of Women
Dear Minister,
Women’s Electoral Lobby congratulates the Rudd Government on taking the important step to become a party to the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The announcement made by you and Attorney-General Robert McClelland on the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women was particularly timely and will give much encouragement to our members and to Australian women at large.
As the Australian affiliate of the International Alliance of Women,
we are very proud to be able to spread this good news around the world. It is one of the strongest messages that can be made about Australia’s commitment to women’s rights and will go a long way to restoring this country’s image throughout the international women’s movement.
Commission on the Status of Women 2009
Australia will indeed be able to hold its head high at the UN Commission on the Status of Women meetings next year and WEL looks forward with interest to hearing about the Government’s delegation to CSW 2009 and its stance on the Priority Theme:
“The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS” and Review Theme "Equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes at all levels".
Yours sincerely,
Priscilla Todd, Women’s Electoral Lobby Australia Inc.
Women's Electoral Lobby
Australia 1972
WEL is a feminist, not for profit, self-funded, non-party political, lobby group
FEMINIST: We believe women and men should have equal opportunities to develop their individual abilities.
NON-PARTY: We recommend that women vote for candidates who support women’s interests, regardless of their party.
POLITICAL: We develop policies which reflect a fair position for women.
LOBBY: We aim to influence politicians, their parties and others in power to implement our policies.
WEL, foundation
The Women's Electoral Lobby (WEL) is a feminist political organisation founded in Australia in 1972 and New Zealand in 1975. It is a non-party-political and non-sectarian women's political lobby. It is the women's organisation most often referred to in parliament, the media 
and books on Australian politics.
"WEL's role as an advocate for Australian women is recognised in the political and social history of Australia. WEL has been at the forefront of the struggle for equal employment opportunity, access to quality child care, sex discrimination legislation, equal representation on boards and women's election to Parliament.
WEL continues to fight for women's access to reliable contraception, safe legal abortion and fertility treatments." (WEL-ACT)
Over the years, much has been written by WEL and about WEL. However, perhaps due to the sheer volume of material, no full-scale history has yet been written about WEL.
WEL also existed in New Zealand 1975-2004 and its history has been recorded in Elspeth Preddy's book, The WEL Herstory: The Women's Electoral Lobby in New Zealand 1975-2002, Wellington, 2003.
A History of the Women's Electoral Lobby is being prepared by researchers at the Australian National University, with the assistance of a three-year grant from the Australian Research Council (ARC LRG A00104176 ). The WEL History has 253 photographs spanning 30 years in its database.
SURVEY OF PAST AND PRESENT WEL MEMBERS
A lot has been written about WEL, in the press, in politics texts and other academic and popular works. Some of that m
aterial has contributed to myths and stereotyp about WEL and its members.
We now have the data from the 2002/03 survey of past and present members to construct a full picture of the changes in the organisation, its members and their priorities over time. We received 550 completed responses to the survey.
Picture: demonstration against the Sex Discrimination Bill, 1983
'Celebration of the passage of the Sex Discrimination Act, 8 March 1984, organised by WEL outside Parliament House'
Susan Ryan was the Minister for the Status of Women.
She introduced the Sex Discrimination Bill.
Susan Ryan was a founding member of the Women's Electoral Lobby. She is seen here on the right in the photo.
On the left is Pamela Denoon, who was the National Coordinator of the Women's Electoral Lobby.
In the centre is Ian Macphee who was a member of the Opposition. He helped get the votes to ensure the successful passage of the Bill.
"The early days from 1972-75 were a time of exhilaration, adrenaline, trepidation, sisterhood, achievement and purpose... It was rewarding to find our well-researched and professionally written submissons were being listened to and were having an effect, even if limited'.
WEL and the International Alliance of Women
Pat Goble from Melbourne is the IAW Regional Co-ordinator for the Pacific. Together with Ann Heywood Pat attended the Jubilee Congress in Berlin and Freiburg, and joined the festivities of a hundred years IAW, in 2004.
Two members of WEL, both very active in the International Alliance of Women, are IAW Membership Secretary Pat Richardson and IWNews Editor Priscilla Todd.
Picture: Pat Richardson (left) and Pat Goble looking at the Wollemia Nobilis, a conifer found in a deep rugged canyon near Sidney, Australia by a Mr. Noble.
The Wollemia seems to be the oldest conifer in the world. It survived many centuries from dinosaur times.
It is also one of the most valued possessions of the Pinetum, in Hilversum, the Netherlands. It is kept here for security reasons (rabbits) in a cage.
The Pinetum is an internationally known garden of conifers, well known in the European Union.
Priscilla Todd (left), IAW secretary 
for 10 years and now editor for IWNews, is seen here with IAW regional co-ordinator of the European Union, Joanna Manganara from Greece.
Both were attending the Jubilee Congress in Berlin and Freiburg during the festivities of a hundred years IAW, in 2004.
A lifelong activist for women's rights
Kerry Lovering, OAM
Photo: Penny Stephens
The penny dropped for Kerry Lovering when she finished university. As a young geologist working her first job, she was stunned to learn that, as a woman, she was consigned to earn only 70% of her male colleagues' wages.
"My father always believed I could do anything, just like the boys, and I was astonished that I didn't have equality," she said. 
The experience pushed Mrs Lovering to march in the streets and lobby the powerful behind closed doors, and through the efforts of people like her, the fight for equal pay for equal work was won in Australia.
Indeed, since the 1970s the mother of three and ardent feminist has devoted herself to furthering the social status of women, serving as a local councillor, academic and equal opportunity officer during her 75 years. The news that she would receive an OAM for pursuing this passion left her feeling "surprised and quite honoured", she said.
As a convener for the Women's Electoral Lobby, her sights are currently focused on having abortion removed from the Crimes Act in Victoria, and engaging the Rudd Government on the issue of paid maternity leave.
She is thrilled that several senior federal ministers are women, a mark of the ground gained by the women's movement. But there is still work to be done and, she said, in some ways feminism could look to technology as its best friend. "You can't run a social revolution without a duplicating machine," she laughed.
Order of Australia
Kerry Lovering was honoured by the Federal Government in the Australia Day Honours with an Order of Australia. She is also President of the League of Women Voters of Victoria and on the National Board of WEL.
More about IAW Affiliates in Australia in 'History of WEL'
Website IAW Affiliate Women's Electoral Lobby, Australia on http://wel.anu.edu.au