The Australian Women’s History Network (AWHN) is committed to advocating on behalf of its members on issues that relate to feminist, gender, and women’s history.
The AWHN also advocates for issues including but not limited to First Nations, the GLAM sector, and women and gender diverse people in the academy and society.
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
In September 2023, the AWHN issued a statement to express dismay at the Australian Catholic University’s proposal to disestablish its Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (IHSS), including academic job cuts in the disciplines of history, medieval and early modern studies, philosophy, political science, religious studies, and theology:
AWHN statement on the Australian Catholic University
In June 2020, VIDA: Blog of the Australian Women’s History Network responded to the Australian federal government’s proposal to increase the cost of degrees in the humanities and some other disciplines through the Jobs Ready Graduates Package:
#SaveArtsDegrees: Humanities is the H in HEART
First Nations
In September 2023, the AWHN shared its support for the Australian Historical Association’s Special Resolution Endorsing an Indigenous Voice to Parliament:
Referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament
Galleries, Libraries, Museums, and Archives (GLAM)
In January 2023, the AWHN wrote a letter to the Australian federal governments Minister for the Arts Tony Burke MP to express deep concern about proposed budget cuts to the National Library of Australia’s Trove from June 2023:
AWHN statement on the National Library of Australia’s Trove
Women and Gender Diverse People in the Academy and Society
In March 2018, the AWHN commissioned and published a report relating to sexual and gender-based abuse and discrimination in Australian academia:
In September and October 2017, VIDA: Blog of the Australian Women’s History Network ran a series about the history of the debates surrounding marriage equality in support of same-sex marriage prior to the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey:
In November and December 2016, VIDA: Blog of the Australian Women’s History Network ran a series about the history of domestic, sexual, and family violence alongside the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence: