Women and Politics in Australia

By bridgettelayman

  • South Australian Parliament Passes the Adult Suffrage Act

    On 18 December 1894, the South Australian Parliament passed the Constitutional Amendment (Adult Suffrage) Act. The legislation was the result of a decade-long struggle to include women in the electoral process. It not only granted women in the colony the right to vote but allowed them to stand for parliament. This meant that South Australia was the first electorate in the world to give equal political rights to both men and women.

  • Commonwealth Franchise Act Passed

    In 1902, the newly established Australian Parliament passed the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902, which set a uniform law enabling women to vote at federal elections and to stand for the federal Parliament. This removed gender discrimination in relation to electoral rights for federal elections in Australia.