In short:
The Country Women’s Association of Western Australia has voted to change its 100-year-old constitution and allow men to become associate members.
The states of New South Wales, Tasmania and Northern Territory don’t allow men to be CWA members.
What’s next?
Men in WA will be able to apply for associate membership, which doesn’t allow for voting or individual branch membership.
The West Australian Country Women’s Association (CWA) has welcomed men into its ranks after 100 years, with members voting almost unanimously to grant men membership rights.
The vote comes as the CWA celebrates its centenary in Western Australia, and the historic vote is part of a swathe of constitutional changes voted in by members at the association’s annual general meeting.
Despite some early concerns that the landmark vote might not pass, 108 branches from around the state voted 106 to change the constitution, with only two branches voting against it.
The symbolic change means men can now apply for a CWA associate membership, which doesn’t allow for voting rights or individual branch membership.
CWA WA chief executive Trish Langdon said the decision to allow men to join came after members raised the issues over a number of years.
She said that accepting male membership was a way to thank men who had supported the CWA over the years, but also to help connect the association with influential figures.
“Some of the politicians who are males and might be in key portfolios like agriculture, there are many different portfolios, they can be a member,” she said.
“Mia Davies is a member, Nola Marino is a member, so why not have others, not just politicians, but business partners and so on.”
Gender diversity welcomed
Following the vote, some members at the annual general meeting raised the issue of transgender women joining the association.
Ms Langdon said that while there was no specific provision in the constitution to recognise transgender women, they were welcome in the association, with some already members.
“My sense is if people want to join the CWA, they need to abide by our values and our core businesses. It’s not there to make a political statement,” she said.
“I don’t have any issues at all with transgender people coming and joining as long as they abide by the values of the organisation.
“I know some fabulous transgender people who would make a fabulous contribution.”
The vote means Western Australia is now the third state along with South Australia and Queensland to allow men into their ranks as non-voting members.
Queensland CWA president Sheila Campbell said the organisation had led the way by welcoming men and transgender women into the association since 2015 under a Friends of QCWA banner.
“Our association is open to all women, including transgender women, and men as non-voting Friends of QCWA,” she said.
States divided on men
However, some states and territories including NSW, Tasmania and the Northern Territory remain off-limits to men and maintain a female-only membership.
Representatives from the NT and Tasmanian branches said the option to include men had not been raised by members, while a spokesperson for the NSW CWA said it was focusing on other areas and was not considering changes to its membership.
The Victorian branch of the CWA was contacted several times by the ABC but did not respond.
The historic meeting also saw members vote to change WA’s CWA from a not-for-profit to a charity in the hopes of increasing donations to the cash-strapped organisation.
New president, Perth-based Felicity Edwards, said the changes to the constitution, including membership and charity status would help modernise the century-old organisation.
“It needed a revamping, it needed to be modernised to the modern way of how things are done these days,” she said.
“It will allow us some flexibility and some opportunities, particularly financial opportunities that we didn’t necessarily have with the rules that we were governed under before.”
Ms Edwards, who joined the CWA seven years ago, said her main aim would be to grow and revitalise the organisation’s declining member base.
“There’s a lot to do, but my main focus is going to be on strengthening the existing membership,” she said.
