Portrait of Elizabeth Reid, leader of the Australian official delegation to the Mexico City International Women's Year conference, addressing the audience in King's Hall, 6th August 2005 [2] / Bob Givens

Elizabeth Reid, a public servant and academic, came to prominence when Gough Whitlam appointed her as his Special Advisor on Women's Affairs. She held this post from 1973 to 1975, during which time she coordinated Australia's contribution to the commemoration of the United Nations Decade for Women (1976-1985) and International Women's Year (1975). She led the Australian delegation to the World Conference for International Women's Year, Mexico, June 1975. She subsequently managed the UN Asian and Pacific Centre for Women and Development in Tehran, Iran (1977-1979) and was Principal Officer, Secretariat, for the 1980 UN World Conference of the Decade for Women, New York. Since 1980 she has worked as a consultant and has been involved with numerous United Nations organisations concerned with development programs and HIV/AIDS.