Damon Mcknight
Australia was one of the first countries to allow women to vote in federal elections. In 1902, the Australian Parliament passed the Commonwealth Franchise Act, which gave women over the age of 21 the right to vote in federal elections and stand for federal parliament. However, it's important to note that this excluded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people from Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands (except New Zealand). Prior to this, some Australian colonies, such as South Australia and Western Australia, had already granted women the right to vote in local or state elections, with South Australia achieving universal suffrage for women in 1894.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Country that gave women the right to vote first | New Zealand |
| Year Australia gave women the right to vote | 1902 |
| Australian state that gave women the right to vote first | South Australia |
| Year South Australia gave women the right to vote | 1894 |
| Year South Australian women could first vote in an election | 1896 |
| Year Western Australia gave women the right to vote | 1899 |
| Year Victoria gave women the right to vote | 1864 |
| Year Victoria took back the right to vote for women | 1865 |
| Year Victoria gave women the right to vote again | 1908 |
| Year NSW gave women the right to vote | 1902 |
| Year First Nations women in Australia got the right to vote | 1962 |
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What You'll Learn
Women's suffrage in South Australia
The women's suffrage movement in South Australia gained momentum with the formation of the Women's Suffrage League of South Australia in 1888. The league, established by Mary Lee and Mary Colton, and later joined by social reformer Catherine Helen Spence, was the most influential group advocating for women's right to vote in the colony. Their efforts, along with those of other suffragists, led to the Parliament of South Australia endorsing women's right to vote and stand for parliament in 1894. This legislation, known as the Constitutional Amendment (Adult Suffrage) Act 1894, received royal assent in 1895, making South Australia the first Australian colony to grant all women the right to vote.
The 1894 Act was a significant milestone, as it gave women in South Australia equal political rights to men. While the bill was being debated, opponents of female suffrage attempted to derail it by amending the bill to allow women to be elected to parliament, assuming this would lead to its defeat. However, the amended bill passed, granting women not only the right to vote but also the right to hold legislative office. This made South Australia the first place in the world to grant equal political rights to men and women.
In 1901, when Australia federated, only women who had the right to vote in their home state could vote in federal elections. As a result, women in South Australia could vote in these national elections, even before the Commonwealth Franchise Act of 1902, which officially granted most women in Australia the right to vote in federal elections. However, it is important to note that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as people from Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands (except New Zealand), were excluded from this Act unless they already had voting rights in their state elections.
While South Australia played a pioneering role in women's suffrage, the fight for equal representation in parliament continued for many years. Despite these challenges, South Australia's early leadership in granting women the right to vote remains a significant chapter in the history of women's political empowerment.
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The Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902
The passing of this Act was preceded by a long history of activism and advocacy by suffragists and progressive politicians. Before 1901, only two Australian colonies had granted women the right to vote: South Australia in 1894 and Western Australia in 1899, although with racial restrictions in the latter. In 1897, a conference was held to discuss the draft Australian Constitution, and politicians debated whether women should be given the right to vote in federal elections. Despite opposition, the Commonwealth Franchise Bill was introduced in the Senate on April 9, 1902, by Senator Richard O'Connor, and it was passed into law on June 12, 1902.
The Act established a First-past-the-post voting system, postal voting, and absent voting at the federal level. It is important to note that while the Act gave women the right to vote at the federal level, many women still did not have the right to vote in their home states. Additionally, the Act specifically denied voting rights to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as people from specific racial and ethnic backgrounds, reflecting the "'White Australia policy' of the time.
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The first women in Australian Parliament
Australia was the second country in the world to grant women the right to vote in federal elections, in 1902. The Commonwealth Franchise Act of 1902 gave women over the age of 21 the right to vote in federal elections and stand for election to the Australian Parliament. However, this right was not extended to Indigenous Australians until 1962.
Despite this groundbreaking legislation, it took 40 years for the first women to be elected to the Australian Parliament. In 1943, Dame Enid Lyons became the first woman elected to the House of Representatives, representing the seat of Darwin in Tasmania. She served as an MP from 1943 to 1951 and was the first female Cabinet member, holding the office of Vice President of the Executive Council from 1949 until her retirement in 1951.
Also in 1943, Dame Dorothy Tangney became the first woman elected to the Senate, representing Western Australia. She served as a Senator from 1943 to 1968 and was the first woman from the Australian Labor Party to be elected to Parliament.
These two women were the first female federal parliamentarians in Australia, and their elections marked a turning point in the country's history.
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The fight for women's suffrage
In the 19th century, Australian women had very few legal rights. However, this began to change with the emergence of women like Henrietta Dugdale, who publicly advocated for women's suffrage from 1868. In 1884, Dugdale, along with Annie Lowe, founded the Victorian Women's Suffrage Society, the first Australian women's suffrage organisation. The society called for votes for women on the same basis as men, and their efforts laid the groundwork for future progress.
South Australia played a pivotal role in the fight for women's suffrage in Australia. In 1861, propertied women in the colony were granted the right to vote in local elections, although they were excluded from parliamentary elections. This marked a significant step forward, as it was the first instance of women being granted voting rights in Australia. The Parliament of South Australia took it a step further in 1894 by endorsing the right of women to vote and stand for parliament, with the law receiving royal assent in 1895. This made South Australia the first electorate in the world to grant equal political rights to both men and women.
As the Australian colonies debated federation in 1897, politicians discussed whether the new Constitution should include women's suffrage in federal elections. This led to the introduction of the Commonwealth Franchise Act in 1902. Despite opposition from many politicians, the Bill passed, becoming the Commonwealth Franchise Act on June 12, 1902. The Act granted Australian women over the age of 21 the right to vote in federal elections and stand for election to the Australian Parliament.
While the Commonwealth Franchise Act was a significant milestone, it's important to note that it excluded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as people from Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands (except New Zealand), unless they already had voting rights in their state elections. It would take until 1962 for First Nations women and men to gain the right to vote in federal elections.
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The Australian State and Commonwealth Parliaments
In 1901, when Australia federated, only women who had the right to vote in their home state could vote in federal elections. This meant that women in South Australia and some in Western Australia could vote in federal elections. After pressure from suffragists and politicians, the Commonwealth Franchise Act was enacted on 12 June 1902, giving all Australian women over the age of 21 the right to vote in federal elections. However, it is important to note that this excluded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people from Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands (except New Zealand), unless they already had the right to vote in their state elections.
While Australia was quick to grant women the right to vote, actual representation in Parliament took much longer. For example, in New South Wales, women were not allowed to stand for the Legislative Assembly until 1918 and could not be admitted to the Legislative Council until 1926. It was not until the 1980s that the situation began to change, with women's representation in Parliaments still less than 20% nationally as of the source date.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Australia was the second country to allow women to vote in federal elections.
New Zealand was the first self-governing country to allow women to vote in parliamentary elections.
Women in Australia gained the right to vote in federal elections in 1902, with the passing of the Commonwealth Franchise Act.
South Australia was the first Australian state to grant women the right to vote, in 1894.
Before Australia, women in the United States territories of Wyoming, Utah, Washington, Montana, and Colorado had been granted the right to vote. In Europe, Finland was the first country to grant women the right to vote, in 1906.
