Guide to the Papers of Margaret Reynolds, 1973-2005

Summary

Collection number:

MS 9579; MS Acc09.190

Creator:

Reynolds, Margaret

Extent:

(85 boxes + 12 cartons + 2 box files + 1 elephant folio + 5 sound/av carriers)

Language:

English and English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Margaret Reynolds, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for research (researchers are required to read and sign a statement prior to accessing MS 9579/Series 11 and MS Acc09.190/'Last Bastion' series). Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

MS 9579 comprises correspondence, newspaper cuttings, press releases, photocopies, ephemera and printed material. The principal subjects are indigenous and race relations issues, reproductive rights, women and the Order of Australia, immigration, uranium mining, defence, drug law reform, peace movement and the Gulf War. The correspondents include fellow ministers, various organisations (such as Amnesty International, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and Women's Electoral Lobby), Lowitja O'Donoghue, Father Frank Brennan, Noel Pearson, Pat Dodson and Kennedy Graham.

MS Acc09.190 comprises documents from Reynolds's period as Minister for the Status of Women; material relating to women's rights before, during, and after her period as Minister for the Status of Women; papers relating to the Indigenous land and other rights including work undertaken while Reynolds was Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland; research materials, photographs, lists of women, questionnaires and speeches relating to Reynolds's book 'Last Bastion: History of Labor Women' and a later, unfinished book 'First Speeches'; publications collected by Reynolds, principally concerning the rights and political participation of women in Australia and the Pacific, including a copy of Reynold's book 'Herstory: Australian Labor Women in Federal, State and Territory Parliaments 1925-1994' published by the Senate Printing Unit; and photographs.

Biographical Note:

Margaret Reynolds (née Carter) was born in Launceston on 19 July 1941. She was educated in Launceston before gaining a BA from the University of Queensland in Brisbane and a Diploma in Special Education from James Cook University in Townsville.

In 1963 she married Henry Reynolds, whose papers are also held at the National Library (MS 9548).

Between 1960 and 1982 Reynolds worked as a lecturer and teacher in Townsville. She was a Councillor for Townsville City from 1979 to 1983.

Reynolds's career in Federal politics began in 1983, when she was elected ALP Senator for Queensland. She was Minister for Local Government (1987-1990) and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Status of Women (1988-1990). She was also a member of a number of committees and organisations, including the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (Federal Government Representative 1992-1995), Advisory Commission on Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (1993-1999), Commonwealth Expert Group on Women and Development (1993-1999), Federal Government's Status of Women Policy Committee (chair 1995-1999), Commonwealth Human Rights International Advisory Commission (chair since 1998) and United Nations Association of Australia (president since 1999). She retired as a Senator in 1999.

Her published works include The last bastion: Labor women working towards equality in the parliaments of Australia (1995) and chapters in various publications.

In 1999 Reynolds accepted the position of Adjunct Professor in the Department of Government at the University of Queensland.

Who's who in Australia 2001, p. 1566

Collection Retrieval Advice:

Please note: each consignment in this collection has a separate box number sequence (i.e. there are multiple Box 1's). Please cite the relevant Class number as well as the Box number when requesting retrieval of material from the collection.

Provenance:

The original consignment was donated to the National Library by Margaret Reynolds under the Taxation Incentives for the Arts Scheme in 2000. Further papers were added by Margaret Reynolds in 2009.

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn868730).

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Margaret Reynolds, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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