Women's Suffrage in Australia

Women's suffrage in Australia was one of the early achievements of Australian democracy.^¹ Following the progressive establishment of male suffrage in the Australian colonies from the 1840s to the 1890s, an organised push for women's enfranchisement gathered momentum from the 1880s, and began to be legislated from the 1890s.^¹ South Australian women achieved the right to vote and to stand for office in 1895, following the Constitutional Amendment Act 1894 which gained royal assent the following year.^¹ Western Australia granted women the right to vote from 1899, although with racial restrictions.^¹ In 1902, the newly established Australian Parliament passed the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902, which gave women equal voting rights to men and the right to stand for federal parliament.^¹ By 1908, the remaining Australian states had legislated for women's suffrage for state elections.^¹ Grace Benny was elected as the first female local government councilor in 1919, Edith Cowan the first state Parliamentarian in 1921, Dorothy Tangney the first Senator and Enid Lyons the first Member of the House of Representatives in 1943.^¹