Women's Advocacy

A simple Collection Search using terms such as suffrage, citizenship, franchise or equal rights brings up only a few results. 

The following agencies, however, may contain records of interest:

• Colonial Secretary (Agency 16)
• Anti-Discrimination Board (Agency 32)
• Equal Opportunity Tribunal (Agency 34)
• Administrative Decisions Tribunal (Agency 35)
• Ethnic Affairs Commission (Agency 1068)
• Electoral Office (Agency 1156)
• Office of Equal Opportunity in Public Employment (Agency 2223)
• Government Labour Bureau (Agency 2367)
• Public Employment Office (Agency 3893)

Colonial Secretary's papers

There seem to be only a few records within the collection relating to Women's Suffrage. There are some references to the Christian Woman's Temperance Union and other lobby groups in the Colonial Secretary's correspondence. The following table includes some letter numbers from the Indexes to Letters received and can be used as a guide for further research.

No attempt has been made to follow these letter numbers through the Letter registers (NRS 922) or to find out if the letters have survived (NRS 905).

NRS 922 Indexes to letters received

Year	Item	Copied	Group	Letter #
1891	[5/2566]	Reel 2964	Woman's Temperance Union	5608, 12922
1892	[5/2569]	Reel 2965	Womanhood Suffrage League	13132
1894	[5/2575]	Reel 2967	Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Asia	8497
1894	[5/2575]	Reel 2967	Young Woman's Christian Association (YWCA)	4467
1896	[5/2581]	Reel 2969	Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)	16246
1899	[5/2591]	Reel 2972	WCTU	11229, 22972
1900	[5/2594]	Reel 2973	WCTU	4639, 24772
1900	[5/2594]	Reel 2973	Womanhood Suffrage Newton Branch League	18781
1901	[5/2597]	Original	WCTU	8963
1901	[5/2597]	Original	Womanhood Suffrage League	1662
1902	[5/2600]	Original	Women's Social and Political League (Educational)	19701, 19751, 20189, 21106
1902	[5/2600]	Original	Womanhood Suffrage League	15407, 17306, 18354
1902	[5/2600]	Original	YWCA	11182
1903	[5/2603]	Original	Women's Political and Educational League	16 letters
1904	[5/2606]	Original	WCTU	5518
1904	[5/2606]	Original	Women's Progress Association Leagues re Brisbane	11 letters
1905	[5/2609]	Original	WCTU	3594
1905	[5/2609]	Original	Women's Progress Association	6347
1905	[5/2609]	Original	Women's Political League	15160,15782, 17268, 17732, 20084
1906	[5/2612]	Original	WCTU	16146
1906	[5/2612]	Original	Women's Political League	1079, 17711

The same or similar search phrases might be useful to locate more correspondence in the Colonial Secretary continuing on from 1907 or in the Letters received in the Premier's Department (NRS 12062).

We have also identified a Colonial Secretary's Special Bundle (NRS 905), which is described as a Proclamation by the Governor of NSW concerning an act to extend the parliamentary franchise to women, 3 July 1903, M6785/B in [5/6769].

There is also an Attorney General and Justice Special Bundle (NRS 333), which is described as Papers including Women's Legal Status Bill, 1905-39 in [3/3165].

Citizenship

The Naturalization records, which can be named searched, are a good starting point for further research into non-British immigrant women in NSW up to 1903. The Colonial Secretary's Papers may also provide further details on applications for naturalization.

Links to other resources

• NSW Parliamentary Archives Resources - Women in Parliament
• State Library NSW Mitchell & Dixson Libraries and Manuscripts Collections -  for records relating to women who were involved in the suffrage movement such as Rose Scott, Louisa Lawson, Edith Fry or Kate Dwyer
• National Foundation for Australian Women - Australian Women's Archives Project - for information on groups such as the Women's Electoral Lobby, The Women's Club or The Dawn - a journal for Australian women and links record collections around Australia.