The women were protesting against the imprisonment of Wollongong conscientious objector, Louis Christofides, after he had failed to pay a fine for refusing to register for national service.

The women had chained themselves to the railings of the public gallery inside Parliament House, causing the House of Representatives to be suspended for 37 minutes while police freed them.

The Speaker of the House, Sir William Aston, ordered all galleries to be cleared as the women chanted slogans and sang protest songs. One protesters placard was seized and ripped up by an attendant.

Aston ordered police in the public gallery to remove the women, however, as the women had chained themselves to the railings, they could not be moved. Bolt cutters were eventually used to remove the chains and the protesters were detained for around 45 minutes, however no charges were laid.

Concerns for the well being of one of the women were raised and she was examined by a doctor as she was in an advanced state of pregnancy.

Once escorted outside, some of the protesters walked onto the roadway in front of parliament house with the chains held over their heads. The planned to execute further protests and to "continually disrupt the waterfront with rolling strikes and demonstrations".

See: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/11947044