In the traditions of the Augustus John Society (minted for David Feeney who placed Women in the Background in the Federal seat of Batman) we remind Andrew Robb and Julie Bishop of their departments' deliberations about this issue of women.

A.R Tayson was the Acting Director for the Commonwealth's Trade Commissioner Service in 1963 when it appointed Mrs Freda Wilson as Trade Commissioner to Los Angeles.

So optomistic were the Soroptomists about the advancement of women they'd written to the Minister.

Sadly he didn't want to reply.   The department was asked to do that and it ended up on A.R Tayson's desk.

It was clear in the department that External Affairs had created a rod for its own back by appointing women and the Trade Commissioner service did not want to "fall into the trap".

After all, how do you stop them once you let one in?   Surely it will open the flood-gates!

A.R. Tayson thought he had the answer.   The killer minute.   This'll fix 'em.   How that Mrs Wilson slipped through after that we'll never know.

Julie and Andrew, it's all there in the archives.   Why did they try to fix it when it wasn't broken?