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The 1998 Women's Constitutional Convention
Dr Jennifer Curtin
Politics and Public Administration Group
23 January 1998
Introduction
In 1897, Elizabeth Nicholls (temperance activist) noted, 'unless Australia
is federated in the interest of women as well as men, our national life
will be one-sided, inharmonious and dwarfed'.(1) The Women's Constitutional
Convention (WCC), to be held at Parliament House in Canberra on 29-30
January 1998, aims to ensure that the debate concerning the potential
shift to a republic is not one-sided but includes the interests of women.
The WCC is being convened by a Steering Committee formed by six non-government
organisations (Australian Women Lawyers, Constitutional Centenary Foundation,
National Women's Justice Coalition, Women's Electoral Lobby, Women into
Politics and YWCA Australia). The Convention will be attended by representatives
of women's organisations and individual women. All women delegates to
the People's Convention have also been invited to attend. In this way,
the WCC seeks to provide women from all walks of life with the opportunity
to participate in discussions regarding constitutional reform and models
for a republican Australia.
Participation by women in the 1890s
Focusing on who was present at the constitutional conventions of the
1890s highlights that the 'process of designing Australia's political
institutions was exclusively male'.(2) Catherine Helen Spence stood for
election as a convention delegate in South Australia but was not successful.
Women in South Australia were eligible to vote for the 1897-98 Convention
and in the two referendums which followed.(3) Western Australian women
could vote when the Constitution Bill (1900) was put to referendum, but
women in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland were not entitled to vote
or stand in the convention elections, nor could they vote in the constitutional
referendums.(4)
Nonetheless, outside the conventions the extent of women's political
activity around federation was significant, given the traditional view
that a woman's role did not include voicing her political opinions in
public. Women's committees, both in support of and in opposition to federation,
sprang up all around the country. Women members took up public speaking,
conducted exchanges in the press, undertook fund raising and educated
other women about the draft Constitution. Once the conventions began,
several women's groups tabled petitions, requesting that women be included
in Commonwealth suffrage and for this to be written into the Constitution.(5)
Women and the 1998 People's Convention
The Coalition Government specifically provided for the representation
of Aboriginal people and young people in the Constitutional Convention
(Election) Act 1997 and a proper balance of women was also promised
in the legislation. In an effort to secure this proper balance, the Women's
Electoral Lobby argued in their submission that each group standing for
election should be made to alternate men and women nominees on their ticket.
While this demand was not included in the final Act, several tickets,
including the two major groups, the Australian Republican Movement and
Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy, did alternate men and women.
As a result, in NSW, Queensland, WA, Tasmania and the ACT women attained
50 per cent representation in at least one of the major organisations.
The overall percentage of women delegates to the Convention stands at
35 per cent (see Table). Women are almost half of the Government-appointed
delegates, and 38 per cent of the elected delegates. However, by making
political representation in state or federal parliament a condition for
40 positions, the gender imbalance amongst premiers and opposition leaders
at state level, and in both major parties federally, has contributed to
the under-representation of women as parliamentary delegates.
The presence of federal and state parliamentarians is necessary since,
compared to the 1890s, the electorate is much larger and many voters know
little about the Constitution and Australia's system of government.(6)
While an elected convention without politicians would 'deny to the process
of constitutional review access to a body of relevant experience on the
operations of government',(7) the dearth of women parliamentary delegates
highlights how institutionalised political inequality can permeate a range
of important decision- making arenas outside of parliament.
Table 1: Delegates to the 1998 Constitutional Convention
| |
Total
|
Women
|
Women as a % of total |
| Federal Parliamentary Delegates
State/Territory Delegates
Appointed Delegates
|
20
20
36
|
5
2
17
|
25
10
47
|
| Sub Total
Elected Delegates
|
76
76
|
24
29
|
32
38
|
| Total |
152
|
53
|
35
|
The Women's Constitutional Convention (WCC)
The WCC is an additional rather than an alternative forum for women,
initiated by women from several non-government women's organisations.
While it has no official link to the People's Convention, it nevertheless
seeks to enhance both the education of women and the representation of
women's interests with respect to a republic. Survey research suggests
that women think they know less about civic issues than men. In response,
the Civics Expert Group highlighted the important role education has in
reversing this trend.(8) In an effort to enhance women's understanding
of the constitutional issues under consideration, a series of information
and discussion sessions will be staged at the WCC. Papers will be presented
by academics and practitioners on republican models, the role of head
of state and whether constitutional reform should include a bill of rights,
a change to the constitutional preamble and/or reform of the electoral
system. Smaller discussion groups will then examine in more detail points
raised by these papers, thereby providing all women with an opportunity
to discuss the range of possible alternatives.
The WCC aims to enhance the representation of women's interests at the
People's Convention by preparing a list of outcomes or positions resulting
from group discussions. Organisers acknowledge that total agreement between
a diverse range of women will be difficult to achieve. However, a final
session will seek to arrive at a general WCC position on what future directions,
visions and positive resolutions best reflect the views and concerns of
the women present, which will then be tabled at the People's Convention.
Conclusion
With our existing constitution being drafted by an elected constitutional
convention, a precedent was set for popular involvement in constitution-making
in Australia. The aim of the 1998 People's Convention is to 'give the
Australian people their proper voice' in the discussion of Australia's
constitutional future.(9) In addition to representation by appointed and
elected women delegates (although not 50 per cent), Australian women have
mobilised to ensure an increased voice for themselves through the WCC.
It is unlikely that all the subjects covered or resultant WCC resolutions
will be addressed during the People's Convention, since the latter's focus
has been limited to the issue of the republic. Nevertheless, the WCC goes
some way towards providing Australian women their 'proper voice' in this
historic debate.
- Cited in H. Irving, 'Fair Federalists and Founding Mothers', in H.
Irving, A Woman's Constitution, Southwood Press, Marrickville,
1996, p. 17.
- H. Irving, 'Equal Opportunity, Equal Representation and Equal Rights?:
What Republicanism Offers to Australian Women', Australian Journal
of Political Science, vol. 31, no. 1, 1996, p. 42.
- This only applied to white women.
- C. Saunders, 'Introduction', in J. Hoorn and D. Goodman, Vox Reipublicae:
Feminism and the Republic, La Trobe University Press, Melbourne,
1996, pp 1-2.
- H. Irving, 'Fair Federalists and Founding Mothers', 1996, pp 12-15.
- C. Saunders, 'Women in a Convention in the 1990s', in H. Irving, A
Woman's Constitution, Southwood Press, Marrickville, 1996, p. 155.
- loc. cit.
- Civics Expert Group, Whereas the People .... Civics and Citizenship
Education, AGPS, Canberra, 1994, p. 101.
- Downer cited in H. Irving, 'Giving Voice to the People', Sydney
Morning Herald, 3 February 1997, p. 15.
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