ELSIE CONFERENCE
15–16 MARCH 2024
UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY
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CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF HELPING WOMEN & CHILDREN ESCAPE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The story of Australia's first women's refuge is one of grit and hope. And its legacy is one that deserves celebration and recharged commitment.
To mark this anniversary, we held a historic conference celebrating 50 years since the establishment of Elsie Women’s Refuge, and the start of the women’s refuge movement in Australia.
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
ELSIE'S ORIGINS & LEGACY
From its founding on 16 March 1974 by an intrepid group of feminists who declared squatters’ rights to secure space for a shelter in inner-city Glebe, to the proliferation of refuges and shelters across the nation, it cannot be denied that Elsie Women’s Refuge sparked a movement.
There are now over 800 refuges and shelters – in our biggest cities and our smallest rural towns – that provide emergency shelter and practical support for women and children escaping family and domestic violence.
50 years on, we have much to celebrate, but also much to do. Recent research has revealed that Australian women are still being forced to choose between staying in a violent relationship or risking poverty for themselves and their children. We must examine the current challenges and explore what we can do differently.
