The Council of Estonian Societies in Australia (Austraalia Eesti Seltside Liit, AESL) is the national umbrella organisation connecting Estonian community groups across Australia. It brings together 11 member organisations and provides a national structure for coordination and communication.
Through its membership in the Estonian World Organisation, AESL represents Estonian Australians within the wider global Estonian network.
What AESL does
AESL holds regular meetings where member organisations share updates on events and developments taking place across Australia. These meetings provide a forum for information sharing and discussion of matters affecting the broader community.
Each year, AESL collects activity reports from its members and publishes an annual report booklet. This publication provides an overview of community activities across Australia for that year.
AESL administers a modest community budget. Traditionally, funding has been allocated to:
- Estonian children’s and youth camps across Australia (including long-standing support for Sõrve Summer Camp and more recently camps in Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne)
- The Estonian Australian Archives in Sydney
AESL also traditionally provides seed funding (a loan) to organisers of Eesti Päevad (Estonian Days), the largest Estonian cultural gathering in Australia, held every two years in different cities over four to five days.
How AESL is funded
AESL’s income is derived from two primary sources:
- Interest income generated from reserve funds and past investments
- Annual contributions from member organisations, calculated according to their membership numbers
AESL also accepts donations. These funds support AESL’s coordination, administrative and representative functions.
Members (as of February 2026)
Current member organisations of AESL include:
- Adelaide Estonian Society
- Brisbane Estonian Society
- Estonian Australian Archives
- Estonian Cultural Foundation in Australia (ECFA)
- Estonian Society of Sydney
- Gold Coast Estonian Society
- Melbourne Estonian Society
- Sydney Eesti Seltsi Kunsti-, Käsitöö Ja Etnograafia Ring (SESKKE) — the Sydney handicrafts society
- Sydney Estonian Parents’ and Friends’ Association – SÕRVE Sõbrad
- Virmalised Sydney Estonian Folk Dancers
- Wollongong Society
Its role is to facilitate national coordination and represent member organisations at a broader level.
