Figure 1.--Australian Scouting is now a fully mixed proigram. Here we see a girl participating in a campout with the boys.

Australian Scouting is now a fully coeducational or mixed gender program. Girls now wear the Scout uniform and skirts have been added to the uniform garments. There was a separate Girl Guide program. Girls age 15 and older were allowed to join in 1973. Younger girls were first allow to join in 1987. Some Australian Scouters are not happy with these changes. One Australian Scouter writes, "I'm sorry to be negative but since 1973 my boyhood Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts haved pandered to womens ideals and turned this once upon a time boys only Scouts into a fashion and pop culture social club with boys now having no exclusive outlet to hangout with their male cohorts and have been sold out and forced to share their once proud history with girls and I have burned my boyhood uniform and my old cubs hat that I wore aged 8. We have been railroaded and bullied into adding girls to a boys organisation and yet boys can't join Brownies or Girlguides so how fair is that and that means they have three outlets for camping related experiances and boys none and WHY. A dad used to join the scouts to influence his son as did mums in Brownies or Girl Guides but this dead now as father and son don't trek together in their real scout uniforms which blendered with the greenery of the campsite it's self and this is now watered down with teary eyed girls muscling in on our territory and our only outlet to earn merit badges with other boys not getting beauty secrets and putting up with sassy and silly giggling girls in stupid versions of 'our' uniforms. This former cub is no more and they stole away my boyhood and replaced it with fake namby pamby KEN and BARBIE fashions and cottonwool camping. What will it be next dresses for both boys and girls because it's cheaper?"

Mixed Gender Program

Australian Scouting is now a fully coeducational or mixed gender program.

Uniform Changes

Girls now wear the Scout uniform and skirts have been added to the uniform garments. I'm not sure if the girls are also allowed to wear short pants.

Girl Guides

There was a separate Girl Guide program with a destinctive uniform as in Britain.

Integration Process

Girls age 15 and older were allowed to join in 1973. Younger girls were first allow to join in 1987.

Opposition

Some Australian Scouters are not happy with these changes. One Australian Scouter writes, "I'm sorry to be negative but since 1973 my boyhood Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts haved pandered to womens ideals and turned this once upon a time boys only Scouts into a fashion and pop culture social club with boys now having no exclusive outlet to hangout with their male cohorts and have been sold out and forced to share their once proud history with girls and I have burned my boyhood uniform and my old cubs hat that I wore aged 8. We have been railroaded and bullied into adding girls to a boys organisation and yet boys can't join Brownies or Girlguides so how fair is that and that means they have three outlets for camping related experiances and boys none and WHY. A dad used to join the scouts to influence his son as did mums in Brownies or Girl Guides but this dead now as father and son don't trek together in their real scout uniforms which blendered with the greenery of the campsite it's self and this is now watered down with teary eyed girls muscling in on our territory and our only outlet to earn merit badges with other boys not getting beauty secrets and putting up with sassy and silly giggling girls in stupid versions of 'our' uniforms. This former cub is no more and they stole away my boyhood and replaced it with fake namby pamby KEN and BARBIE fashions and cottonwool camping. What will it be next dresses for both boys and girls because it's cheaper?"