Since 1972, the residential Canberra suburb of Spence has been named after William Guthrie Spence (1846-1926), who co-founded the Australian Workers’ Union and was a member of the first Australian House of Representatives.
There has been a recent push to also publicly recognise Catherine Helen Spence (1825-1910), who was an author, teacher, journalist and social and political reformer.
She was the country’s first female political candidate and was a prominent figure in the fight for women’s suffrage.
The proposal to co-name Spence was run by the ACT Place Names Advisory Committee, which advises the government on naming suburbs and public places in the Territory.
Despite the move to recognise Spence, invitations were sent out in recent weeks with a list of only male speakers: ACT Surveyor-General Greg Ledwidge, Minister for Planning and Land Management Mick Gentleman and historian David Headon. The lack of female representation on the panel has prompted a backlash.
SBS News is aware of at least three female professors who received the invitation featuring the all-male lineup, including Susan Magarey, professor emerita at Adelaide University, who has written a biography on Catherine Helen Spence.
Kim Rubenstein, professor in the Faculty of Business, Government and Law at the University of Canberra has been involved in a campaign to recognise Catherine Helen Spence with a statue in Canberra.
Rubenstein offered to “say a few words … to ensure the young girls present feel like they too can be like Catherine Helen Spence”.
On 22 August, she received a response saying the Minister’s office “have declined the proposed amended schedule of the event”.
SBS News subsequently asked whether details included in the invitations featuring the all-male lineup were correct and, at the time of writing, had not received a response.
On Friday morning, Rubenstein said she received an email from the committee thanking her for her earlier offer to speak, apologising for the “to and fro” and accepting it, should the offer remain. The email also confirmed a timing change for the event.
Source: Spence co-naming lauch: Backflip over controversial all-male panel for female honour | SBS News