[2][3] The AFTS began with a Facebook conversation between co-founders Reilly McCarron and Jo Henwood in July 2013.
[4] A Pozible crowd funding campaign,[5] [3]and initial enthusiasm expressed through a Founding Membership including fairy tale scholars Jack Zipes and Maria Tatar, led to an inaugural conference in Sydney in June 2014.
The first committee was elected at the conference on Monday 9 June 2014, with Reilly McCarron as president, Julie Mundy-Taylor as vice president, Pam Blamey as Secretary, Danuta Raine as Treasurer, and Jo Henwood (co-founder), Belinda Calderone, and Thang D. Luong as committee members.
[8] The goals of the organisation are to collect, organise and catalogue original Australian fairy tales, adaptations and interpretations, and criticism and to discuss, analyse and encourage the create of Australian fairy tale works.
[16][13][17] The Society hosts annual conferences,[18][3] a YouTube channel, including a podcast series, and a webseries about the French Salonnieres,[19] and a Redbubble merchandise shop[20] of member artists' work.