Victoria to Host Women's Conference in 1982

Victoria University will be the venue for a "Women on Campus" conference scheduled for May, 1982. The conference is the result of a proposal taken to council by Victoria's women's delegates, Sue Bond and Lesley Huffam.

The conference will be largely sponsored by outside groups. The BNZ has officially confirmed that they will fund all publicity expenditure. They are also willing to sponsor any material that is likely to be published from the conference.

It seems likely that other groups such as CORSO, the Committee on Women and the Mental Health Foundation will also contribute funds.

The Government Spokesman on Women, Mr McLay, has given his personal recommendation to Internal Affairs to grant $6000 for the running costs of the conference.

However, in spite of a statement of philosophy Mr McLay made at a Women in 1981 conference held in Auckland a couple of weeks ago that women must involve more men in their movement, it was decided that the conference next year will be open to women only.

Mr McLay said that, "one of the first things women who want to see equality should be doing is not only looking at the rights of women but also the rights of men."

But Women's Commission decided that to have men present at the conference would be disadvantageous as many women could feel threatened or inhibited.

Men could hear about what happened at the end of conference by reading about it in the media afterwards, they said. Only women journalists would be able to report the conference.

Michele A'Court