Ladies in the House: Episode Two: Gay Davidson
🎶 Intro
Hi, this is Kelly Chase and you are listening to a Museum of Australian Democracy and History Detective Collaboration: Ladies in the House. In this 3-part series we are going to celebrate the lives of three incredible women who worked in Old Parliament House- the building that now houses the Museum of Australian Democracy- and we will explore how these significant women contributed to Australian democracy.
In this episode I would like to introduce you to journalist Gay Davidson, who was the first woman to become a political correspondent for a large city newspaper publication in Australia, the first woman to head a bureau (or department) in Parliament House and the first female president of the prestigious National Press Club. She knew how to smash the glass ceilings that were obstacles for women in the workplace!
Journalism plays an important role in democracy. If the public are not aware of what is going on in parliament, then they don’t know who to vote for. If you ever see a picture of the chambers in Parliament House, the Press Gallery is that narrow balcony right behind the speaker’s chair where journalists can hear political debates firsthand and have the scoop about what to report on in their newspapers. Old photos generally show the balcony packed with men, but there was one trailblazing woman who helped to pave the way for other female political journalists, and that was Gay Davidson.
Gay, was born in New Zealand where she completed a cadetship in journalism before moving to Australia in the late 1960s. There she got a job at the Canberra Times covering issues on education before securing a position in the Press Gallery at Parliament House. If you have ever visited the Museum of Democracy at Old Parliament House, you will probably remember the glorious Senate or House of Representatives chambers with their plush leather seats and warm wooden fixtures, but you may not have seen the kitsch black and white tiled corridors that the journalists used to scurry through on their way to the balconies from their cramped offices and sound proof recording studios. In 1975, Gay became the first female head of bureau for the Canberra Times. That means she was the manager of all of the Canberra Times journalists working in the building.
Now one quirky thing that Gay is famous for, is her liberation of the toilets. You see way back in 1923 when Parliament House was built, only one woman had ever been elected into parliament over in Western Australia and so the plumbing of the building was designed for mainly men- this shows us how unlikely they thought it was that women could be politicians. As times changed and more women started working in the building, they had to walk great distances to use the bathroom. However, Gay sought to change this, she staged a quiet protest, a “sit in” one could even say, by guarding the door as her female workmates used the much closer male toilet. The Sergeant at Arms recognised her mutiny and removed the word “men” from the door, thereby officially making it a unisex toilet.
Another one of Gay’s achievements was the first female president of the National Press Club. The Press Club is an organization made up of mainly journalists who invite members of parliament, scientists, sports figures and other influential people to speak at their lunches. These Press Club speeches are still aired on television every week.
Sadly, Gay’s teenage daughter died from complications from a disease called measles. Many people at the time dismissed measles as being a harmless childhood disease, but Gay used her political and journalism contacts to raise awareness of the dangers of measles. After this, another important job she held was to work for the Commonwealth Department of Health where she helped write and edit important papers on health and make sure they were in plain English so that everyday people could understand health issues.
Upon her induction into the Media Hall of Fame a fellow journalist said about her, “[Gay] knew an awful lot about health and health politics… [She] was a … fine journalist in everything she did at The Canberra Times”.
Call to action🎶
A journalist finds stories on important issues that are happening around them and brings attention to those stories to try and make a difference in the world. I’m going to leave you with a few questions to think about. What issues are happening around you that you think are important? In our modern world, what would be the most effective way to bring attention to an issue that you think needs to be changed?
This is Kelly Chase, on the case.
Bibliography
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1969 'ACT breath tests almost certain', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 8 February, p. 2. , viewed 29 May 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article107077424
1968 'James Mason scorns an image', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 28 February, p. 1. , viewed 29 May 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131668018
1985 'Woman heads Press Club', The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), 13 August, p. 3. , viewed 29 May 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122522165
Coleman, Marie & Henningham, Nikki, 2004, Davidson, Gay (1939 - 2004), Australian Women’s Archives Register, The Australian Women’s Register, viewed 5 July 2021, http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE1115b.htm
Ferris, Jeannie, 2004, THE SENATE MATTERS OF PUBLIC INTEREST Davidson, Ms Gay SPEECH Wednesday, 1 December 2004, Hansard, Commonwealth of Australia Parliamentary Debates, https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=CHAMBER;id=chamber%2Fhansards%2F2004-12-01%2F0101;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2F2004-12-01%2F0000%22
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Pryor, Sally, 2018, Two Canberra journalists take their place in Media Hall of Fame, The Canberra Times, viewed 5 July 2021, https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6000143/two-canberra-journalists-take-their-place-in-media-hall-of-fame/
Taflaga, Marija, 2014, Who knew that toilets would have such a complicated history? Museum of Australian Democracy, viewed 5 July 2021, https://www.moadoph.gov.au/blog/who-knew-that-toilets-would-have-such-a-complicated-history/
Thornhill, Alan, 2004, Vale Gay Davidson & Chris George, Crikey, viewed 5 July 2021 https://www.crikey.com.au/2004/11/22/vale-gay-davidson-chris-george/
Waterford, Jack, 2021, Biography: MIRINGA GAY DAVIDSON, The Australian Media Hall of Fame, viewed 5 July 2021, https://halloffame.melbournepressclub.com/article/gay-davidson
