Pressure grows on Hobart’s all-male clubs to allow women members

In response to Brisbane’s Tattersall’s Club allowing female members, a chorus of high-profile Tasmanian voices are calling for Hobart’s men-only clubs to wake up and accept equality of the sexes.

The Athenaeum Club on Davey Street, Hobart. Picture: SUPPLIED

PRESSURE is building on Tasmania’s men-only clubs to prise open their doors to allow membership to women, with a former anti-discrimination commissioner labelling the practice “dinosaur-like” and the state’s current commissioner urging a review.

Tasmania has two “social clubs for gentlemen”, which are sticking to their 19th century traditions despite the tide of change elsewhere.

Last week the exclusive Tattersall’s Club in Brisbane lifted its 153-year-old ban on women, after a vote among members.

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Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Sarah Bolt said she would be concerned if similar social clubs in Tasmania were restricting membership to men only.

“One concern is that continuing to restrict membership to clubs may impact on gender equality and professional opportunities for women,” Ms Bolt said.

She said the current Anti-Discrimination Act may contain an exception which allows such discrimination, but “it would be useful to review the law as it currently is”.

Former anti-discrimination commissioner Robin Banks applauded Brisbane’s Tattersall’s Club.

She said bans on women from joining such networking clubs was antiquated.

“I think it’s dinosaur-like,” she said. “It’s sad because these sorts of clubs really are an opportunity for people who share common situations and business links.”

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In Tasmania there are still two social clubs in Hobart that appear to be all-male bastions: the Athenaeum Club, founded in 1889, and the Tasmanian Club, founded in 1861.

While neither club would confirm to the Sunday Tasmanian whether membership was still restricted to men, the Athenaeum’s website describes it as “Hobart’s finest social club for gentlemen”, and Speaker Sue Hickey confirmed she was barred from entering the members’ bar at the Tasmanian Club.

“As far as I know, they are still men’s clubs,” Ms Hickey said.

Ms Banks was nominated to join the Athenaeum Club, by former club member and Denison MP Andrew Wilkie, when she was anti-discrimination commissioner in 2014. Mr Wilkie also nominated award-winning Tasmanian author Heather Rose.

But the two high-profile women were never granted membership.

Mr Wilkie, who resigned his membership after the stoush, said the all-male clubs needed to change.

Former anti-discrimination commissioner Robin Banks has not been granted membership to Hobart’s Athenaeum Club. Picture: SUPPLIED

Sue Hickey, Speaker of the House of Assembly in Tasmania, was barred from entering the members’ bar at the Tasmanian Club. PICTURE: Peter Mathew

“The decision by the Tattersall’s Club in Brisbane to allow women members should be a wake-up call to Tasmania’s men-only social clubs,” he said. “Surely it’s just plain wrong that in this day and age there are still such clubs to be found in our community.”

When asked by the Sunday Tasmanian whether the Athenaeum Club was still all-male, a staff member said “we don’t speak to the media”.

When the Tasmanian Club was asked the same question, a staffer said “we can’t confirm that”.

Ms Hickey said change was “inevitable”.

The former Hobart lord mayor said she had first-hand experience of being denied access to the inner sanctums of the old-style clubs.

“A couple of years back I was invited by some male friends for lunch at the Tasmanian Club,” Ms Hickey said.

But the staff blocked her from going to the members’ bar, where her friends were waiting.

“My friends had to put their drinks down and come and escort me to a table. They were actually embarrassed,” she said.

In terms of the legality of the practice, Ms Bolt said discrimination against men and women was against the law in a number of areas of public life, including membership of clubs.

However, under the Act, there is also an exception which allows a person to discriminate against another person on the ground of gender “in respect of membership of a club if the membership of the club is available only to persons of one gender”.

“My view is that it would be useful to review the law as it currently is,” Ms Bolt said.

The Queen Mary Club, opposite The Tasmanian Club in Macquarie St, only accepts female members. It also declined to comment.

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