Secret Men's Business

There is an exclusive Sydney based institution known as the Australian Club where captains of industry, politics, and influence gather to enjoy each other's company.

Members can invite female guests, but females cannot be members themselves.The Australian Club was founded in 1838 enabling businessmen to meet, unwind, and cogitate the issues of the day.

The Macquarie Street club boasts "excellent dining facilities", accommodation including ensuite bedrooms and apartments, and a fully equipped gym with personal trainers.

An extensive library and first-rate business facilities along with a members-only portal is the extent of the scant website details of the salubrious club.

But doesn't it sound rather splendid?

Last week 62 per cent of members voted against women joining the exclusive club with just 37 per cent voting in favour. One member abstained.

A 75 percent in-favour vote was required to pass the motion. So, 37 per cent was not even close.

Former Prime Minister John Howard was photographed as he was leaving following the vote. Another former PM, Malcolm Turnbull, is also a member.

Cardinal George Pell and media mogul James Packer grace the elite membership list.

In response to the vote federal Labor MP Tanya Plibersek cleverly tweeted: "I'd rather have a schnitty at a pub any day of the week".

Fair call, if you ask me.

Perhaps the fact that denim is not allowed, and female guests must adhere to a strict dress code - "ladies may wear a dress, skirt, tailored trousers with a jacket, or evening pants in the club" left Ms Plibersek fondly reflecting on quality evenings at her local.

And while not particularly impacting my day-to-day existence nor my routines, the vote did have me thinking about my interactions in these types of clubs and the role they play in a modern society.

I have visited three private member clubs in Tasmania: The Athenaeum Club in Hobart, the Burnie Club, and the Launceston Club Inc, as a guest of members. It is my understanding that they are far less stuffy than those found on the mainland where population protects tradition. However, they are based upon the same concept.

The food was excellent, I always enjoy a few drinks and, when in the mood, the company in these social settings can be pleasant.

Feeling comfortable in a social environment is central to the way I interact. I like routine and friends and friends of friends and acquaintances, and not having to try too hard.

This does not mean I feel unable to mix it with the best. Rather, the need to perform in a setting that is inauthentic to me still troubles.

Yes - there are still pangs of inadequacy, but there is something more about these establishments that leaves me questioning, is this really me?

Critics of my sentiments will be quick to point out that there are women-only clubs, making the result of the vote a perfectly reasonable outcome.

Further, some members of the Australian Club were quick to counter criticism citing the existence of Queens Club, established in 1912 for country and city women, which is just a quick walk away, coincidently, in Elizabeth Street.

There would also be those who offer that government funded Men's Sheds, and men's book clubs as other examples of gendered decision making.

However, these organisations and associations are not the hub of influence for political and corporate deals. Quite the opposite. They are a structure that brings potentially vulnerable members of our community together in pursuit of mateship, camaraderie, and company. Members of the Australian Club are predominantly white privileged males, far from vulnerable, and hardly in need of a leg-up.

It is the knowledge that there are significant people making significant plans for the country whilst excluding more than 50 per cent of the population that is so questionable. It is their influence in the community and the message this vote sends, perpetuating inequality and the notion that depending on your gender, more than half of you can never join.

Tasmania is often accused of being backward - a backwater. Yet it was in 2001 that the Launceston Club, established in 1882, first admitted women as members. In 2002, the Lady Franklin Club merged with the Launceston Club to admit men and women to the new Inc from 2003.

The Burnie Club, by its own admission, moved into the 21st Century in 2018 when prospective female members were encouraged to apply once proposed by a current male member.

Hobart's Athenaeum Club, founded in 1889, rejected women members until 2019 when gender was removed as a prerequisite for membership.

Of course, one must acknowledge that recruiting a broader membership by including women must assist to secure the financial future of clubs.

But it also shows that a club such as the Launceston Club Inc had been thinking about this conundrum twenty years ago.

People across our communities will group together whether there are exclusive clubs or not because it is about finding spaces where we feel comfortable.What the exclusive must remember, nonetheless, is their traditional role as leaders and the messages they intentionally or inadvertently promote.