This record includes two documents created by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). ASIO is Australia's national security agency. They are responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically motivated violence, and terrorism.
The information collected by ASIO in this record concerns Merle Thornton, a well-known women's rights activist in Australia. Merle Thornton caught the attention of ASIO when she formed the Equal Opportunities for Women association in 1965. ASIO saw her activism as a potential threat to society which could cause political unrest. She remained under ASIO surveillance until 1977.
These documents are examples of just some of the surveillance records produced by ASIO on Thornton. The first document is a background check on Thornton. The second document is a report summarising some of Thornton's activities, including an incident at the Regatta Hotel that is today remembered as a defining moment in Australia's feminist movement.
In March 1965, Merle Thornton and fellow activist Rosalie Bogner went to the bar at the Regatta Hotel in Brisbane. They were refused service because at the time it was illegal for women to be served alcohol in a public bar. The women then used chains with padlocks to chain their ankles to the bar. The police were called but decided to not arrest Thornton and Bogner.
Thornton and Bogner's actions at the Regatta Hotel are an example of non-violent public protest. Chaining herself to the bar caught the interest of the media, and drew national and international attention to the unequal treatment of women in Australia. At the time, Australian women were discriminated against in a number of ways. For example, they received unequal pay and were not allowed to work in the public service after getting married.
As president of the Equal Opportunities for Women Association, Thornton led a successful campaign for the removal of the marriage bar in the state and federal public service, with the law changing in 1966 so women could continue working after marriage. In 1970 – five years after the Regatta hotel incident – drinking laws were changed in Queensland so that women could not be refused service in public bars.
Today, the bar inside the Regatta Hotel that Merle and Rosalie chained themselves to is known as 'Merle's Bar.' Merle Thornton has also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Queensland to recognise her pioneering work in the field of women’s rights.
Related external resource: Chained to the bar at the Regatta Hotel | National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (nfsa.gov.au)
