News and Events from WEL Victoria
On the 27th February 2022 WEL Victoria celebrates the 50th ANNIVERSARY of the founding of this organisation and national WEL celebrates with us. CLICK to read a memoire of the early days of WEL.
March 2021: Women gather at houses of parliament around the country for March4Justice. Read the speech by Brittany Higgins at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-15/brittany-higgins-speech-womens-march-parliament-house-canberra/13248908
Watch “Brazen Hussies“, a film of the early days of the feminist movement, on ABC TV on Monday, April 5 at 8.30pm.
September 2019: the NSW Parliament votes to decriminalise abortion. WEL NSW and the Pro-Choice Alliance together lobbied the NSW Parliament to pass the Bill.
October 2018: the Queensland Government votes to decriminalise abortion.
In 2012 WEL Victoria celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the founding of this organisation. We had a party at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre and a great speech from the then Convenor Kerry Lovering. CLICK for Kerry’s speech. For this event Wendy McCarthy remembered events and attitudes of the seventies and our hopes of the times. CLICK for Wendy’s thoughts.
A Conference of the International Alliance of Women (IAW) was held in Melbourne in 2012. It was sponsored by WEL Australia and organised by WEL Victoria, League of Women Voters and the Union of Australian Women. CLICK for the notes from the Conference. Also CLICK for the excellent paper presented by Dr Clare Wright on Gender and Power.
WEL member Kerry Lovering spoke to 175 students at Elwood College, outlining changes in the status of women in Australia over the past 100 years. CLICK for a summary of her talk.
The Deputy Leader of the Opposition Tania Plibersek addressed the National Press Club in March 2018 to outline ALP requirements for women: a need to talk to business and organisations to reduce the gender pay gap; the need to eliminate GST on tampons; more flexibility for men at work so they can do more at home; and the need to start teaching at schools about relationships.
Events around International Women’s Day: * Conference on “Overcoming Family Violence” March 12-14, contact AWAVA * Workshops on violence March 21 and on “Gender Equity” March 28, contact Women’s Health Victoria * Workshops for DV professionals in Ballarat and Melbourne March-June, contact DVRCV.