Women's advocacy

Colonial Secretary's papers | Citizenship | Links to other resources

A simple search on Archives Investigator using terms such as suffrage, citizenship, franchise or equal rights results in only a few record series. Similarly, an advanced search: record item - title search using the above terms, brings up few results.

The following agencies though, may contain records of interest:

• Agency No. 16 Colonial Secretary
• Agency No. 32 Anti-Discrimination Board
• Agency No. 34 Equal Opportunity Tribunal
• Agency No. 35 Administrative Decisions Tribunal
• Agency No. 1068 Ethnic Affairs Commission
• Agency No. 1156 Electoral Office
• Agency No. 2223 Office of Equal Opportunity in Public Employment
• Agency No. 2367 Government Labour Bureau
• Agency No. 3893 Public Employment Office
• Agency No. 5154 Premiers Department

Colonial Secretary's papers

There appear to be 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 should be used as a guide for further research. No attempt has been made to follow these letter numbers through Letter registers (NRS 922) or to find out if the letters have survived (NRS 905).

NRS 922 Indexes to letters received

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.