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Lesbians on the loose

Call Number
Nq 306.7663099441 LES
Created/Published
Newtown [N.S.W.] : Lesbians on the loose, 1990-
Issue
Vol. 3 No. 1 (January 1992)
Images
24
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Text

LESBIANS ON THE LOOSE  

JANUARY 1992 ISSUE 25  

VOL. NO.  

FREE  

CATH PHILLIPS SACKED!  

On Friday December 13 Cath Phillips was sacked from her  

position as General Manager of Mardi Gras. statement issued  

by the Mardi Gras board on December 18 reads as follows:  

"Cath Phillips ceased to be General Manager of Sydney Gay  

Lesbian Mardi Gras on Friday, 13 December 1991, Mardi Gras  

President Richard Cobden has announced.  

'Cath became Acting General Manager in late 1990 and was  

appointed General Manager in March 1991, having previously  

served as Committee member, Board member and President'.  

'One of Cath's great achievements with Mardi Gras was her  

crucial role in the greater involvement of lesbians with the  

organisation. That involvement continues as strongly as ever  

throughout the Board, staff and committee.'  

In an interview conducted the same day as the statement's  

release, Cath said "I don't know why it happened. I've been  

given no reason other than irreconcilable differences." She said  

she doesn't know what these are.  

Cath had recently been on holidays and was told that while she  

was away the Board would discuss Board-staff relations and  

also her performance review. When she returned on Monday  

Dec. she was given letter containing what she called "spurious  

allegations" and which changed the terms of her duties. Neither  

Cath nor Mardi Gras president Richard Cobden disclosed the  

letter's contents to LOTL.  

Cath sent the Board reply saying she rejected their letter but  

was happy to discuss matters with mediator present. The  

board met on Thursday night and passed motion asking for  

2010 's Tenth Birthday Dec 15  

Photo: Dianne Fairweather  

her resignation.  

Cath was asked to  

meet with the Board  

without mediator  

on Friday morning.  

At the meeting Cath  

said she'd be happy  

to discuss problems  

with mediator, but  

she was asked to  

leave without  

notice.  

In subsequent  

interview Richard  

Cobden said that  

Cath's grounds for  

dismissal are being  

communicated to  

her by letter. He said that he "didn't consider the press forum  

to discuss someone's performance and was not about to engage  

in public slanging match." He also said it's the Board's job to  

Cath Phillips with Kimberley O'Sullivan at the Australia  

and Beyond Launch Dec. 16  

Photo: Dianne Fairweather  

review an employee's performance, LOTL don't have the whole  

story and that no one person is more important than Mardi Gras  

itself.  

meeting of Cath's supporters was being held on Friday  

December 20 to look for more facts and to consider options. One  

of its convenors, ex-board member Sue Brooks, called Cath's  

dismissal an "astonishing decision". She said, "the Board's left  

the community in quandary. What does it do for women's  

involvement in Mardi Gras?"  

Cath is looking at range of options with view to reinstatement.  

She said that under the company's procedures it's possible to  

appeal dismissal. Cath feels that the Board's decision is partly  

"based on an unwillingness to accept strong woman in (the  

General Manager's) position". She thinks that Mardi Gras has  

never addressed issues of sexism and still needs to do more for  

women. "It can't pat itself on the back over one woman DJ at  

Sleaze." Cath still believes "coalition politics is the way to get  

there but it's rocky road". She also passionately believes in  

Mardi Gras and is concerned for its future. "It needs to be seen  

as stable, viable and well-organised and incidents such as this  

don't let people think that."  

Richard denied that Mardi Gras was sexist saying that they  

were looking at who holds positions of power at the parties. He  

said that the board would consult with the staff the following  

week and then make decision about filling the vacant position.  

It's possible, he said, that Mardi Gras could survive through  

February without General Manager.  

Frances Rand  

inside...  

loti turns 2...c10ver nearly 20... dawn o'donnell...  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-884067310

APA citation

(1990). Lesbians on the loose Retrieved April 5, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-884067310

MLA citation

Lesbians on the loose Newtown [N.S.W.]: Lesbians on the loose, 1990. Web. 5 April 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-884067310>

Harvard/Australian citation

1990, Lesbians on the loose Lesbians on the loose, Newtown [N.S.W.] viewed 5 April 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-884067310

Wikipedia citation

{{Citation
  |
  | title=Lesbians on the loose.
  | year=1990
  | issn=1324-6542
  | issue=Vol. 3 No. 1 (January 1992)
  | location=Newtown [N.S.W.]
  | publisher=Lesbians on the loose
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-884067310
  | id=nla.obj-884067310
  | access-date=5 April 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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