Mothers' Clubs in Victorian public education

In 1930, the Argus newspaper described the Victorian Federation of Mothers’ Clubs (VFMC) as the:

Mothers saw that many girls were not finishing school. To help change this, the VFMC organised a study tour for 37 teenage girls. The travelled to Sydney and to the new Parliament House in Canberra. The trip showed the girls that if they stayed at school and went to university, they could choose from many different careers.

During the depression, the government made cuts to schools, and many families struggled with money. More people joined Mothers' Clubs, and members worked even harder to raise funds and speak up for their communities. They helped provide school lunches and clothing for children who needed it. Despite their success in raising money, Mothers’ Clubs were not allowed to decide how the money was spent. 200 members asked the Education Minister to give them control, but their request was denied.

In the 1940s, Victorian Federation of Mothers’ Clubs (VFMC) members were very busy raising money to support the war effort. They also spoke up for families and supported a new law called The Child Endowment Act. This law, introduced by the Commonwealth Government in 1941, gave mothers a payment of 5 shillings each week for every child under 16 years old, except for the first child.

At a conference in 1946, then Premier John Cain Snr praised the mothers of Victoria. He said they had done “magnificent work for the younger generation”.

By 1956, Victorian Federation of Mothers’ Clubs (VFMC) members had raised 135,000 pounds for schools. Today, that amount would be worth $4.6 million.

The VFMC kept working hard to support local schools. In 1959, 300 mothers from 38 regional schools met in Bendigo. They discussed many school issues, such as:

• school toilets
• dangerous crossings
• needlework teaching
• fluoridation (adding fluoride to the water supply)
• more federal aid
• the danger of lead
• and poor-quality school uniforms.

The VFMC also helped bring sex education into schools by holding ‘mother and daughter evenings’.

In the late 1950s, the VFMC changed its name to the Victoria Federation of State School Mothers’ Clubs (VFSSMC). By 1958, they represented 850 Mothers’ Clubs across the state.

In the 1960s the Victoria Federation of State School Mothers’ Clubs (VFSSMC) took part in state and national conferences to ask the Federal Government to give more money to state schools. They pointed out that many school buildings needed repairs or replacement. They also pushed for:

• school libraries
• smaller class sizes
• more specialist teachers and office help
• safer road crossings for children.

In 1966, an important change was made: Mothers’ Clubs could now decide how the money they raised could be spent.

As more women started working and more families were led by single parents, many mothers had less time to spend on club activities. Because of this, Mothers' Clubs became Parents Clubs. The VFSSMC also changed its name to the Victoria Federation of State School Parents’ Clubs (VFSSPC). At the same time, School Councils were established. These councils included elected parents and teachers. They worked alongside Parents Clubs and helped manage parts of the school.

In 1976 the Minister of Education, Lyndsay Thompson, celebrated the VFSSPC’s 50 year anniversary, saying, “As valuable as their fund-raising efforts have been, mothers have perhaps formed an even more important role. They have indeed acted as a bridge, a line of communication between the school and the rest of the community.”

He also noted the importance of the name change, saying, “In these days of non-discrimination between the sexes it is most pleasing to note that it is no longer necessary to become a mother or even look like a mother to gain membership.”

Former Victorian Premier Joan Kirner was president of the VFSSPC at the time.

For a long time, the Victoria Federation of State School Parents’ Clubs (VFSSPC) supported the end of corporal punishment in schools. In the 1980s, the government finally banned it in their schools.

They also worked for more power for school councils, who became able to choose school principals.

In the 1990s, there were cuts to education funding from state and federal budgets. Many schools closed and teachers lost their jobs. The VFSSPC were active in organising rallies to protect public education and fought against plans to make parents pay fees for school, helping to stop those fees from being introduced.

In 2000, the VFSSPC became Parents Victoria. The group still works as a peak body to support public schools, communities, and families.

In 2003, Parents Victoria successfully pushed for slower speed limits near schools, which led to 40 kilometre per hour school zones.