You may be aware that this Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project began as a pilot project with the National Library of Australia. At that time, the National Library of Australia received financial support from women barristers of over $30,000 to assist us during that pilot stage and was invaluable for moving into the current ARC funded project.
The National Library of Australia remains a partner, together with the University of Melbourne, the Federal Court of Australia, the Family Court of Australia, the National Foundation for Australian Women and Australian Women Lawyers. When the project is completed, it will create, showcase and analyse the first national, oral history of seven decades of Australia’s pioneer, ‘trailblazing’, women lawyers. This website lists the interviews completed to date.
Unfortunately, our ARC grant money is not designed to fully assist us in the final stage of the project, which involves substantial work setting up an online exhibition. Our aim is for this online exhibition to showcase not only the 50 or so women interviewed as part of the project, but also biographical entries of the now over 300 women nominated by individuals around the country during the course of this project. The exhibition will therefore provide a digital storytelling platform representing the considerable number of women identified as trailblazing women lawyers. In so doing, it will act as a permanent legacy honouring the contribution of women lawyers to society and institutions across Australia.
Please consider making a tax-deductible financial contribution towards this project. Your financial contribution to the Trailblazing Women Lawyers Project’s online exhibition will allow us to realize our aims and include all the women nominated in the online exhibition’s data. It will also ensure a broad audience can interact with the important stories of Australian Trailblazing Women Lawyers.
As a Linkage Partner on the Trailblazing Women and the Law Project, the National Foundation for Australian Women is providing an online platform to collect donations. To donate, please visit http://www.nfaw.org/donate/ and select ‘Trailblazing Women and the Law’ from the dropdown menu of organisations or funds. Remember donations made through the National Foundation for Australian Women are tax-deductible. Please retain the receipt for your tax return.
If you have any questions about the project, please do not hesitate to contact Professor Kim Rubenstein at Kim.Rubenstein@anu.edu.au