MS 9353
Papers of Thelma Hunter (1923- )



Scope and Content Note

Papers

1950-84

4.34 m. (31 boxes)

Available for reference

Dr Hunter donated the collection to the Library in four instalments between 1991 and 1999.

The papers include correspondence, notes, typescripts, photographs, circulars, roneoed and printed material relating to Hunter's interests in women's issues and social policy, health politics and Indian politics.

The correspondents include Ulrich Ellis, R.I. Downing, Ronald Grieve, Enid Bach (Chairman of Suffragette Fellowship, England), Eva D. Spicer (Society for the Ministry of Women in the Church, England), Pamela Lewis (Status of Women Committee, England), I.B. West (Association of Head Mistresses, England), Doreen Powell (The National Council of Women of Great Britain) and Peter Arnold.

Hunter has kept most of the papers in files. The arrangement of papers within these files and the file titles have been preserved by the Library.

Papers of her husband, Dr Alexander Hunter, are held at MS 3652.


Biographical Note

Academic and feminist. Dr Thelma Anna Carmela Hunter's main research interests include women's issues and social policy, health politics and Indian politics.

1923

Born in Glasgow, Scotland

1942-46

Served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service

1947

Married Alex Hunter

1950-56

MA Political Science and Political Economy, University of Glasgow

1950-53

Part-time research assistant and examiner, University of Glasgow

1953-58

Part-time tutor, Oxford University Extension

1958

Arrived in Australia with husband and three children

1958-60

Part-time tutor in Economics, University of Melbourne

1960-64

Part-time lecturer and tutor in Politics, University of Sydney

1965-69

Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Australian National University

1969

Completed PhD in Political Science ('The politics of national health') at the Australian National University

1969-82

Senior lecturer in Politics, Australian National University

1971

Alex Hunter died

1979

Certificate of Special Studies in Visual Arts, Dartington College of Arts

1982-

Part-time lecturer in Politics, Australian National University

1984

Visiting Scholar, Victoria University, British Columbia

1984-85

Visiting Fellow, Centre for Continuing Education, Australian National University

1990-94

Visiting Fellow, Politics Programme, Department of Political Science, Australian National University

1994-95

Visiting Fellow, Politics Programme, School of Social Sciences, Australian National University

Publications:

Not a dutiful daughter: the personal story of a migrant academic, Canberra: Ginninderra Press, 1999

Numerous articles in Australian and overseas publications, including:

(i) 'The employment of women in Australia, Journal of industrial relations, vol. 3, no. 2, Oct. 1961
(ii) 'Planning Australia's National Health Service', Public administration (London), Autumn 1966
(iii) 'Indian communism and the Keralan experience of coalition government', British journal of Commonwealth Studies, vol. X, no. 1, 1972
(iv) 'Married women in academia: a personal view', Vestes: the Autralian Universities' Review, 1975
(v) 'The politics of National Health Insurance', in Perspectives on health poilicy, edited by J. Deeble and M. Tatchell, ANU Press, 1993

Series List

Series Title
1

Women: correspondence, 1960-69

2

Women: subject files, 1957-75

3

Women: printed material, 1968-75

4

Health: correspondence, 1967-84

5

Health: subject files, 1967-84

6

Health: conferences, seminars and lectures, 1950-84

7

Health: printed material

8

Indian politics

9

Photographs


Series Description

Series 1

Women: correspondence, 1960-69

The series comprises two folders of correspondence concerning women's issues, with organisations and government departments in England and Australia. The correspondents include Department of Adult Education, Sydney University, Department of Labour and National Service, Enid Bach (Chairman of Suffragette Fellowship, England), Eva D. Spicer (Society for the Ministry of Women in the Church, England), Pamela Lewis (Status of Women Committee, England), I.B. West (Association of Head Mistresses, England), Doreen Powell (National Council of Women of Great Britain), Juanita Frances (Married Women's Association, England), Western Australia Court of Arbitration, New South Wales Department of Labour and Industry and Apprenticeship Commission of Tasmania.

Folder

1

Correspondence, 1966-69

2

Correspondence concerning apprenticeship, 1960


Series 2

Women: subject files, 1955-75

Women and social policy has been one of Hunter's research interests and this is reflected in the subject files found in this series. The arrangement of papers within these files and the file titles have been preserved by the Library.

The papers include correspondence (Staffordshire Education Committee, Part-time Employment Agency, Manchester, Cheshire Education Committee, Rosemary Russell, D.D. Furley and Australian Broadcasting Commission), notes, typescripts, cuttings (including Canberra Times, Sydney Morning Herald, National Times, Life, Newsweek, New York Times, The Australian and Age), photocopies and roneoed material.

Folder

1

Abortion lobbyists, 1973-74

2

Abortion: overseas, 1973

3

Book reviews and abstracts, 1971-74

4

Capitalism, liberalism and women, 1972

5-7

Childcare, 1970-75

8

Citizens' Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 1970

9

Civil Service (includes cuttings on maternity leave), 1971-73

10

Courses, 1972

11-12

Education, 1972-74

13-14

Employment (n.d.)

15

Employment: part-time (correspondence), 1955-59

16

Employment: US, c. 1971

17-18

Equal pay, 1972-77

19

Feminism and politics: research, 1975

20

Feminism and pressure group politics (n.d.)

21

Feminist movements (n.d.)

22

Feminist theory, c. 1975

23

Industrial relations, c. 1971

24

Legal issues, 1973-74

25

Legal status of married women, c. 1968

26

Male allies, 1971-73

27

Matriarchy and fertility, c. 1975

28

Media, 1972-73

29

Migrant women (n.d.)

30

Overseas women, 1972-74

31

National Rehabilitation and Compensation Scheme (n.d.)

32

Public office, 1972-74 (See also Folders 60-63)

33

Racism and feminism, 1975

34

Responses of political system (n.d.)

35

Sex, class and socialism (n.d.)

36-37

Sex and political participation of women (n.d.)

38

Sex and political socialisation (n.d.)

39

Sex and stratification (n.d.)

40

Single mothers (n.d.)

41

Social policy (n.d.)

42

Social security, 1972-74

43

Social services, 1973-74

44

Social welfare, 1975

45

Social welfare benefits (n.d.)

46

Status of women (n.d.)

47-48

Television talks (n.d.)

49

Women: behavioural genetics (n.d.)

50

Women and the Church, 1958-59

51

Women and development, 1975

52

Women and politics, 1975

53

Women in China, 1973-74

54

Women in France (n.d.)

55

Women in India, 1957-73

56

Women in Japan (n.d.)

57

Women in Peri? (New Guinea?, n.d.)

58

Women in USSR (n.d.)

59

Women in the labour force: maternity leave (n.d.)

60-61

Women in parliament (n.d.)

62

Women in public life (n.d.)

63

Women in public service (n.d.)

64-65

Women in tertiary education, 1970-74

66

Women in trade unions (Australia and England, n.d.)

67

Women's advisors, 1973-74

68

Women's Electoral Lobby, 1972-74

69

Women's Electoral Lobby: ACT, 1974

70

Women's Electoral Lobby: Federal Election, 1972

71

Women's Electoral Lobby: telephone tree, 1973-74

72

Women's Electoral Lobby: First National Conference, Canberra, 1973

73

Women's Electoral Lobby: ACT Newsletter, 1973-75

74

Women's Electoral Lobby: miscellaneous (n.d.)

75

Women's Equity Action League, 1971

76

Women's issues: divorce reform, 1973-74

77-82

Women's issues, 1971-74

83

Women's liberation: Australia, 1972-74

84

Women's liberation: overseas, 1970-74

85

Women's liberation: printed, 1971-74

86-87

Women's organisations, 1971-74

88-91

Women's studies, 1974-76

92

Miscellaneous

93-96

Card indexes


Series 3

Women: printed material, 1968-75

Hunter has annotated most of the printed material found in this series.

Box

16

The spokeswomen: an independent monthly newsletter of women's news (US, 1972-73), Know INC (US, 1972-75) and other titles

17

Women's Liberation Federation Annual report and Newsletter (UK, 1967-73), Calling all women (UK, 1968-69), Report and Journal of the Association of Assistant Mistresses (UK, 1968-74) and other titles

18

Including Women workers (UK, 1965-68) and Refractory girl (1973-78)

19

Women's studies abstracts (US), 1972-78

20

Marked copies of MS, 1972-73

21

InterNationes (Germany), 1972-74 and other titles

22

Women in the work force, 1968-70 and other titles


Series 4

Health: correspondence, 1963-83

This small group of correspondence mostly dates from 1967-68 when Hunter was writing her doctoral thesis on the politics of the Australian national health scheme. The correspondents include Ulrich Ellis, R.I. Downing and Ronald Grieve. There are also some letters from Peter Arnold in 1983 concerning the Australian Medical Association and the General Practioners' Society of Australia.

One folder


Series 5

Health: subject files, 1967-84

The series includes notes, photocopies, cuttings and minutes of meetings of the ANU Health Research Project Advisory Committee, of which Hunter was a member.

Folder

1

Australian Medical Association (n.d.)

2

Australian Medical Association versus government, 1967-75

3

Australian Constitution and the national health issues (n.d.)

4

Comparative (n.d.)

5

Conflict within organised medicine, 1970-77

6

Consumerism, 1976

7

Contacts

8

Cuttings, 1970

9-16

Cuttings and photocopies, 1983-84

17

Doctor's Reform Society, Sydney, c. 1982

18-19

Department of Political Science, ANU: lecture notes and handouts

20

Health (n.d.)

21-22

Health services in ACT, 1981-83

23

Health Research Project Advisory Committee, ANU: minutes of meetings, 1977-78

24

Hospitals (n.d.)

25

Library of Nuffield Centre for Health Service Studies, University of Leeds: printed material

26

Mental health, 1976

27-28

National Health Policy in Australia (n.d.)

29

Party politics, 1963-77

30

Reprints of articles by Hunter, 1965-80

31

Roneo material, leaflets and circulars

32

'Pressure groups and health policy': Department of Political Science: students' results, 1979

33

Theoretical (n.d.)

34

Theoretical perspectives


Series 6

Health: conferences, seminars and lectures, 1950-84

The series comprises copies of papers, which were either written by Hunter or by other academics, given at conferences, seminars and lectures, as well as papers which had been sent to Hunter for her information. The files have been arranged in chronological order and, where possible, the names of the conferences, seminars or lectures are included.

Folder

1

1950-68

2

1965: ALP Federal Conference: Health Committee Report, Canberra

3-4

1968: Conference on Medical Practice and the Community, ANU

5

1974-78

6

1980-83

7

1981: Health Economists Group Conference, ANU

8-9

1982: ANU Public Affairs Conference

10

1982: Social Justice Project Mini-Conference on Health Policy and Health Equity, ANU

11

1983-84: 'Medical politics; the decline in hegemony of Australian Medical Association' by Thelma Hunter

12

Miscellaneous papers (n.d.)


Series 7

Health: printed material

The series include reprints by other authors, cuttings and photocopies of articles and other printed material.

Three boxes


Series 8

Indian politics

One of Hunter's interests was Indian politics. The series includes the following publications:

  • Hunter, Thelma. 'Congress Party politics and the general elections in India' (reprint), 1967
  • Hunter, Thelma. 'Indian communism and Kerala experience of coalition government 1967-69' (reprint)
  • Hunter, Thelma. Aspects of national health insurance in Australia published by Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, c. 1966

One box


Series 9

Series 9 Photographs (n.d.)

Six black and white and colour photographs of Peter Self, Hunter's companion, were donated to the Library after his death in 1999.

One plastic bag


Box list

Box

Series

Folder

1

1

1-2

1

2

1-6

2

2

7-13

3

2

14-20

4

2

21-28

5

2

29-34

6

2

35-40

7

2

41-48

8

2

49-57

9

2

58-64

10

2

65-71

11

2

72-76

12

2

77-81

13

2

81-84

14

2

85-89

15

2

90-94

16

2

95-96

16-22

3

Printed

23

4

1

23

5

1-6

24

5

7-13

25

5

14-20

26

5

21-27

27

5

28-33

28

5

34

28

6

1-7

29

6

8-12

29

7

1-3

30-31

7

Printed

31

8

Printed: Indian politics

31

9

Photographs

June 1999