Australian Centre for Lesbian and Gay Research (ACLGR)

The Australian Centre for Lesbian and Gay Research was established in 1993 to facilitate multidisciplinary research into issues related to or of relevance to lesbians and gay men. To achieve their objectives the Centre activities included the development of links with lesbian and gay groups to encourage dialogues which could result in research proposals; arranging activities such as conferences, seminars, forums and workshops and the printing of publications. The Centre was also a community resource responding to requests for information; lobbying for the acquisition by libraries of publications concerning lesbian and gay issues; and gathering information for future reference. As the Centre was self-financing considerable efforts were directed towards obtaining funding to allow the Centre to continue and extend its research activities. All office bearers and committee members provided their time and efforts on a voluntary basis. A part-time research assistant was employed from August 1993.

Irene Moss was elected President of the Executive Board. Dr John Hart was appointed Director and Joy Jackson was appointed Associate Director. The inaugural general meeting of 8 September 1993 voted to establish a Constitutional Review Committee. At the Annual General Meeting of 6 June 1994 the constitution was amended following the committees recommendations changing the Executive Board structure to create co-president and co-director positions. The Centre's name was changed from the Australian Centre for Gay and Lesbian Research to the Australian Centre for Lesbian and Gay Research (ACLGR). The Research Committee was also disbanded with the Working Group to take on its duties. The Centre was disestablished in 2005.

The Centre contributed to the development of proposals for research projects and also commissioned research. Visiting scholars conducted research using the Centre as a base and often spoke at the annual public lectures, or at seminars or conferences. Some research occurred at the request of community groups or individuals. Reference materials including copies of articles, photographs and news-cuttings were collected as a resource. The organisation and presentation of events including annual conferences, public lectures, seminars, forums and workshops were a major activity of the Centre. These activities engaged the community in discussion of issues and provided opportunities to raise funds for the Centre and their profile. The records include arrangements with presenters, drafts of presentations, posters and programmes.

The holdings include establishment records which document efforts to obtain support and funding for the research centre; communication with organisations sharing a common concern for gay and lesbian research; development of the Centre's constitution; applications for funding and public relations. The administrative records document the day-to-day management of the Centre including financial records. The official minutes of the meetings of the Executive Board and Annual General Meetings are not held. The Directors files series include copies of minutes for many of these meetings. There is a nearly complete set of minutes of the meetings of the Working Group which met monthly and oversaw the day to day running of the Centre. The series of newsletters provide a detailed account of the activities of the Centre. Other publications included conference proceedings; forms, brochures; pamphlets and books.