By Helen Leonard
The Women's Electoral Lobby is celebrating 20 years of work and achievement on behalf of Australian women.
WEL burst onto the national political scene in 1972. Its founders were women inspired by the women's liberation movement — articulate, politically astute, marvellously energetic and innovative, determined to change society for women.
Many of the founders were young mothers at home; others were business women, teachers, a few academics and journalists. Membership exploded in a few months, and state branches sprang into existence almost immediately.
WEL's major objective was to force all parliamentarians, the public policy makers and the public administrators to address the issues arising from women's inequality in Australian society; to address women's rights and needs; to allocate public resources to them and to legislate to these ends.
At the same time, WEL worked to raise the consciousness of the media and society to the reality of women's lives — abortion, child-care, rape, sex education in schools, discrimination in education, training, employment and wages and the prevalent punitive attitudes to single female parents.
A WEL innovation during the '72 elections was the polling of all parliamentary candidates on their attitudes to a variety of feminist demands, and on whether they or their party would commit themselves to move on the matters raised with them. A questionnaire and an assessment strategy were developed. Teams of WEL members spread out over the country, delivering the questionnaire by interview to reluctant politicians. One federal minister was even tracked down at the UN in New York, and a journalist member put him through the interview.
After the replies were assessed against an agreed scale, ratings were published in the Melbourne Age and the Sydney Morning Herald as an election guide for women. A few polled well, many others showed themselves to be fine examples of patriarchy, and some of their views on paper held them up to ridicule. Their views on whether or not sex education should be available in schools brought the most confused and ridiculous responses, and child-care the most regressive and repressive (women with young children should be at home).
WEL continued to poll federal and state politicians at subsequent elections until the technique became dated and/or the politicians learned smarter but less sincere responses; also, its use by Fred Nile brought the technique into disrepute.
WEL fought many battles down the years for things such as child-care, reform of the sexual assault/rape laws, sex discrimination legislation, equal pay for equal work and now pay equity.
What happened to the founders — those bright, articulate, politically nnovative women of '72?
Some went into federal and state politics: Susan Ryan, former cabinet minister; Wendy Fatin, MHR (WA); Margaret Reynolds, Senator (Qld); Pat Giles, senator (WA); Carmen Lawrence, premier (WA). Some entered local government and some became mayors; Winsome McCaughy in Melbourne and Carol Baker in North Sydney were two.
Others, because of the depth of their knowledge of women's issues, went into government administration to develop women's policies and programs, so much a feature of Australian public administration today. Some re-entered education. Others helped develop women's refuges, women's health programs and child-care services. Some made their mark in business, academe and the professions, where it has not been easy to be a feminist.
Women such as Wendy McCarthy, recent deputy chair of the ABC and now director of the National Trust; Eva Cox, social policy analyst; June Williams, commissioner for equal opportunity in WA and their contemporaries are at the mid-point of their lives, and at the peak of their careers, abilities and influence.
Over the 20 years, new members have come in, developed a knowledge of women's issues and Australian politics, of how to write good submissions, to speak in public and generally develop their political skills. They in turn also went on to do other things. So WEL always needs new members to step into the places of activists moving on. This year WEL is actively seeking young women to join and take on the battles still to be won.