Lecture: The Queenslander: The Women’s Department

The Queenslander offered more than a space for domestic advice. Its women’s pages became an important platform for early Australian women journalists, authors and poets, many of whom pushed beyond the expected subjects of the kitchen, nursery and social etiquette to engage with wider social, cultural and political issues.

The women’s pages and social columns of The Queenslander and The Brisbane Courier also played an important role in colonial community life. Far from being merely gossip or entertainment, they connected readers, recorded social networks, enabled social mobility and helped mobilise support for charitable and community campaigns.

This lecture explores how women writers used these seemingly conventional spaces to expand the boundaries of women’s journalism and create new forms of civic education, community awareness and public participation in colonial Queensland.

About the speaker

Janelle Byrne is the vice president of the QWHA.