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History

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  • 1894

    Women in South Australia campaigned for the vote.

    The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union gathered over 11,000 signatures on a petition and South Australia became the first Australian state to grant women the vote. However, access was not universal: Aboriginal women were often discouraged or prevented from voting, and were excluded from voting federally from 1902-1962.

  • 1946

    International Women’s Day was first celebrated in South Australia

  • 1969

    Women around Australia won “Equal pay for equal work” if they were doing the same work as a man

  • 1969

    The Abortion Law Reform Association fought for, and won, better access to abortion in South Australia

  • 1970

    A demonstration for ‘Women’s Liberation’ occured at Adelaide University as part of the growing women’s liberation movement

  • 1975

    SA passed the first legislation prohibiting gender-based descrimination in Australia

  • 1978

    Deborah McCulloch is Chairperson, prior to WWC opening

    December 1978-May 1979

  • 1978

    Unpaid maternity leave was granted for those in the South Australian public service

  • 1978

    The first Reclaim the Night rally took place

  • 1979

    The Working Women’s Centre mobile caravan office opened

    April 1979

  • 1979

    The Working Women’s Centre moved our first non-mobile office in the Trades Hall, Adelaide

  • 1979

    12 months of unpaid maternity leave became available for permanent workers

  • 1980

    Augusta Zadow helped to establish the Working Women’s Trade Union and advocated for women working in factories.

  • 1984

    The Sex Descrimination Act 1984 came into force

  • 1984

    The Working Women’s Centre Sexual Harassment Support Service Commenced

  • 1984

    The Working Women’s Centre ran a Women’s Employment Development Project

    1984-1985

  • 1985

    Irene Watson graduated with a law degree from the University of Adelaide, becoming the first Aboriginal women to do so in Australia

  • 1986

    The Working Women’s Centre developed a Sexual Harassment information and speaking kit

  • 1986

    Mary Gaudron was appointed as the first female High Court judge

    February 1986

  • 1987

    The Working Women’s Centre ran a project on unemployment for women over 25

    1987-1989

  • 1988

    A Guide for Working Women’ newspaper supplement was published

    1988-1989

  • 1989

    The Working Women’s Centre created a VHS film: ‘All together: Migrant women, work, and unions.’

  • 1989

    The Working Women’s Centre ran an RSI Support Program

    1989-1990

  • 1989

    Out of sight, out of mind: project on Outwork in South Australia

  • 1989

    The Working Women’s Centre hosted an arts project: Juggling the Roles: Wonder Woman, Supermum and me

    1989-1991

  • 1991

    The Working Women’s Centre did a report on home based computer workers – ‘Home is where the work is’

  • 1992

    The Women and Labour Conference was held in Adelaide

  • 1993

    Project: ‘Lifting the lid off the too hard basket’ about women who work outside the industrial award system in South Australia

  • 1993

    An information guide was developed for women dealing with sexual violence and harassment in the workplace

    1993-1994

  • 1994

    WWC moved to Norwich Centre, 55 King William Road, North Adelaide

  • 1996

    Talking back: Stories from the South Australian Working Women’s Centre’ was published

  • 1998

    The Working Women’s Centre did a project on Workplace Bullying and a report on nurses experience of bullying

  • 1998

    WWC moved to Level 1, Station Arcade, 52 Hindley Street, Adelaide

    August 1998

  • 2000

    The Working Women’s Centre did an Outworkers’ Quilt project called ‘Stitching the Stories of Women from Diverse Cultures’

  • 2000

    The campaign on Casual Work ‘Not a casual affair’ was run

  • 2001

    The Working Women’s Centre collaborated on a practical project on Workplace bullying – ‘making a difference’

    2001-2003

  • 2001

    The Working Women’s Centre ran an Unfair Dismissal Issues workshop

  • 2001

    A union campaign was won for maternity and carers leave for casual workers

  • 2002

    The Working Women’s Centre helped run an International Workplace Bullying Conference

    February 2002

  • 2005

    The Working Women’s Centre prepared a report on Gender, workplace injury and return to work: A South Australian perspective

  • 2006

    The Working Women’s Centre prepared the ‘Hot tips for student workers’ report

  • 2006

    The Working Women’s Centre ran the Domestic Violence and Women Worker’s Project

    2006/2007

  • 2007

    The Working Women’s Centre hosted the Our work– our lives: National Conference on Women and Industrial Relations

    September 2007

  • 2010

    South Australian woman Julia Gillard becomes Australia’s first female Prime Minister

    June 2010

  • 2012

    Community sector workers won their campaign for equal pay, after decades of having their work undervalued due to being ‘women’s work’

  • 2019

    The Working Women’s Centre celebrated it’s 50 year birthday

  • 2020

    The South Australian government passed laws providing for safe access to abortion clinics

    After campaigning from SAAAC, of which the Working Women’s Centre is a proud member, the South Australian goverment passed laws providing for safe access to abortion clinics.

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