Events

Women in the Victorian Parliament

As part of celebrations for the centenary of Victorian women's suffrage,the Hon Maxine Morand MP launched two online exhibitions at RMIT Storey Hall, Melbourne, on Monday 18 November. 'Representative Women: Victorian Women Parliamentarians Since 1923' and 'Carrying on the Fight: Women Candidates in Victorian Parliamentary Elections' showcase the hundreds of Victorian women who have stood for parliament over the course of the last entury. Both exhibitions were undertaken as part of the broader Australian Women's Archives Project (AWAP).

Guests enjoying music, food and drink beneath the high ceilings of Storey Hall on Monday afternoon were taken by surprise when six actors in period costume burst in with placards demanding ‘Votes for Women!' and ‘Deeds not words!' At 5.30pm, Professor Gill Palmer and Professor Joyce Kirk, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Business) and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research)respectively, officially opened proceedings on behalf of RMIT. The Minister for Women's ffairs, the Hon Maxine Morand MP, presented an address in which she reflected upon the difficulties encountered by Victorian women in the struggle to win the vote, and entertained the audience with some of the more colourful early twentieth century Hansard debates on the subject. Minister Morand launched the two websites, along with a special issue of the Victorian Historical Journal on women's suffrage and citizenship. Responses were given by Associate Professor Judith Smart and Professor Patricia Grimshaw. Formalities concluded with the presentation by Minister Morand to Professor Kirk of Dr Ethel Osborne's Victorian Honour Roll of Women certificate.

The bulk of research behind both exhibitions on parliamentary women was carried out by Dr Rosemary Francis. Further acknowledgement goes to Dr Nikki Henningham, Professor Patricia Grimshaw, the League of Women Voters, the Office of Women's Policy (State Government of Victoria), the State Library of Victoria, the Public Record Office of Victoria, and all at the E-Scholarship Research Centre, Melbourne.

The Women's Pages

The launch of 'The Women's Pages:  Australian women and journalism since 1850' was held at the National Press Club, Canberra on 13 November 2008.  The Hon Maxine McKew MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Child Care, launched the Women's Pages which is an online showcase highlighting the achievements of Australian women journalists and their contributions to the nation's public life and culture.  In her address, she recounted some of the stories contained in the Women's Pages.