On this day The first two women to be members of the Australian Parliament were Senator Dorothy Tangney and Enid Lyons MP. They were both sworn in at the opening of the 17th Parliament in 1943. Although Australia had been the first country to give most women the right to vote and stand for election, it wasn’t until ideas about the place of women in society changed during the Second World War that women succeeded in being elected to the Australian Parliament.
Both Dorothy Tangney and Enid Lyons had extensive experience in politics before entering Parliament. Dorothy Tangney was an Australian Labor Party organiser in Western Australia. Enid Lyons was the wife of former Prime Minister Joseph Lyons and well-known as a gifted public speaker. Both were committed to women’s rights and issues such as welfare benefits, health and education.
It is important to note that although women had the right to vote and stand in parliament in Australia since 1902 as per the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 This excluded indigenous Australians, Africans and Pacific Islanders with the exception of Maori, this originally included Asians however in 1925 British Indians and all naturalised Asians were given the right to vote, a right that would not be extended to Africans and Pacific Islanders until 1961 And indigenous Australians until 1962 although indigenous service members had been granted the right to vote in 1949 Despite voting being compulsory for everyone else since 1911 it wasn't made so for indigenous Australians until 1984 In theory indigenous Australians could vote if they already had the right to vote at a state level since 1902 but in practice this was a different story
Information sourced from the Parliamentary Education Office and the Australian Electoral Commission
Pictured below 👇🏼 is both Enid and Dorothy entering Parliament
Elijah Carney (Indigenouslockpicker)
On this day
The first two women to be members of the Australian Parliament were Senator Dorothy Tangney and Enid Lyons MP. They were both sworn in at the opening of the 17th Parliament in 1943. Although Australia had been the first country to give most women the right to vote and stand for election, it wasn’t until ideas about the place of women in society changed during the Second World War that women succeeded in being elected to the Australian Parliament.
Both Dorothy Tangney and Enid Lyons had extensive experience in politics before entering Parliament. Dorothy Tangney was an Australian Labor Party organiser in Western Australia. Enid Lyons was the wife of former Prime Minister Joseph Lyons and well-known as a gifted public speaker. Both were committed to women’s rights and issues such as welfare benefits, health and education.
It is important to note that although women had the right to vote and stand in parliament in Australia since 1902 as per the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902
This excluded indigenous Australians, Africans and Pacific Islanders with the exception of Maori, this originally included Asians however in 1925 British Indians and all naturalised Asians were given the right to vote, a right that would not be extended to Africans and Pacific Islanders until 1961
And indigenous Australians until 1962 although indigenous service members had been granted the right to vote in 1949
Despite voting being compulsory for everyone else since 1911 it wasn't made so for indigenous Australians until 1984
In theory indigenous Australians could vote if they already had the right to vote at a state level since 1902 but in practice this was a different story
Information sourced from the Parliamentary Education Office and the Australian Electoral Commission
Pictured below 👇🏼 is both Enid and Dorothy entering Parliament
2 months ago |[YT] | 6