"For the Lords and Ladies?": The Empire Press Union and the participation of Australian and NZ journalists 1909-1939

In providing an overview o{ the activities of the Empire Press Union, this paper will assess more particularly the role played by journalists in its deliberations over the first three decades ofthe 20th century. Early press conferences convened by the EPU coincided with increased activity by journalists' associations across the empire and provoked agitation in Australia and elsewhere about the apparent exclusion of journalists from this prestigious forum. Despite the powelful influence exercised from the outset bv newspaper proprietors' associations over the selection of conference delegates, pressure from below revived after World War 1, resulting in the attendance of women delegates at the 1920 and 1925 events. Drawing on a range of examples from Britain and the Dominions, including Australia and New Zealand, the author assesses the impact of journalists and related issues at Press Union forums across its first three decades.