Male bastion considers its views

The male-members only Australian Club has confirmed the observation that it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. How else to explain the fruits of a two-year process to decide whether women should be allowed to become members of the elite Sydney club frequented by past prime ministers, leading business figures, judges and members of the cloth? The warning put in writing to members by former Federal Court judge Peter Graham, who opposes the admission of women, is prescient: “The harm that will be done to the Club by the publicity of the Club’s affairs in gossip columns etc may be incapable of repair,” he said. This danger was confirmed with the airing of concerns expressed by some members that “the women you’d get would be women you wouldn’t want”. Opponents thought the club provided a place for members to get away from “bossy women”.

The fact it has taken years of consideration for the issue to reach a vote scheduled for Tuesday demonstrates the fraught nature of discussions. As Kylar Loussikian and Ellie Dudley reported on Thursday, those who support the admission of women say it would boost finances, bring into the club people in prominent positions who would otherwise be barred and keep the institution relevant. It’s debatable whether female membership is the question “most frequently on the lips” of club members as they enjoy one of the best views in Australia, from Macquarie Street across to the Royal Botanic Garden and Sydney Harbour. But it is sure to remain the issue for which the Australian Club is best known by those who will never be invited to be members, regardless of gender.

There is no doubt that single-sex institutions are swimming against the community tide, even as support for same-sex unions has become mainstream. Time marches on. In 1838, when the club was founded, Sydney’s well-to-do women were dressed up in bonnets, ruffles and flounces that were part of the Victorian era. The issue of club membership is, of course, one for Australian Club members to decide. We wish them luck in their deliberations, and recriminations. And we also voice our support for strong women.