LnRiLWZpZWxke21hcmdpbi1ib3R0b206MC43NmVtfS50Yi1maWVsZC0tbGVmdHt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOmxlZnR9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1jZW50ZXJ7dGV4dC1hbGlnbjpjZW50ZXJ9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1yaWdodHt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOnJpZ2h0fS50Yi1maWVsZF9fc2t5cGVfcHJldmlld3twYWRkaW5nOjEwcHggMjBweDtib3JkZXItcmFkaXVzOjNweDtjb2xvcjojZmZmO2JhY2tncm91bmQ6IzAwYWZlZTtkaXNwbGF5OmlubGluZS1ibG9ja311bC5nbGlkZV9fc2xpZGVze21hcmdpbjowfQ==
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
Australian women had had the vote since 1902. In 1972 an Australian woman could not even open a bank account without the backing of a man. So how could they use that vote to advance their demands — for equal pay, equal opportunity, day care, abortion and contraception? This is the inside story of how a group of feminists forced political change.
1972, feminist activist Beatrice Faust gathered with nine hand-picked women in the upstairs room of her home in Melbourne as morning sunlight streamed through the window.
Bea had already hosted a couple of meetings at her home in Drummond Street to talk about women-friendly political reforms. The idea behind what came to be known as the Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) was to find out the positions of parliamentary candidates on a range of issues relevant to women, and then publicise them in the lead-up to the 1972 election.
Bea’s initiative unleashed a wave of activist energy. The success of WEL empowered women who had been housewives to study, work, organise and stand for office, especially in local government, and so continue to work for the improvement of women’s lives.
See on ABC an edited extract from Judith Brett’s forthcoming book Fearless Beatrice Faust, published by Text Publishing on April 23.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-20/beatrice-faust-womens-electoral-lobby-judith-brett-female-votes/105128398
