Justice2

Women and The Law

By Rayne Lenix

  • First Female Workers Riot

    Occured at Parramatta Female Factory over conditions and food deprivation.

  • First Australian Suffrage Society

    Henrietta Dugdale, Vida Goldstein and Annie Lowe formed the Victorian Women's Suffrage Society. (Date not exact)

  • Women's Suffrage League

    Formed in South Australia

  • SA Bill Passed

    The SA government passed the bill on womens voting rights.

  • Voting and Women in South Australia

    The proclamation of South Australia's Suffrage Act, assanted to by Queen Victoria on 2nd February, gave women an equal right wiht men to vote, and to stand for election to the Colony's House of Assembly. Women with property could also vote in the Legislative Council elections.

  • WA Bill Passed

    The WA parliament passed the bill for womens right to vote.

  • Voting and Women in Western Australia

    Western Australian Women win the right to vote in WA elections with Queen Victoria's assent to the bill, passed by the WA parliament on 15th December 1899.

  • Australian Constitution

    Queen Victoria's Assent enacts the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution

  • Federal Suffrage

    Commonwealth Franchise Act grants right to vote and stand for election for the Australian parliament to women on the same basis as men, with Aboriginal people in some states still without this right.

  • First Women toStand for Elections

    Vida Goldstein, Nellie Martel and Mary Ann Moore Bentley stand for the Senate. And Selina Siggins stands for the seat of Dalley in the House of Representitives.

  • Voting and Women in Tasmania

    Tasmania Women won the equal right to vote in elections for the House of Assembly. And women who owned property were eligible to vote for the Legislative Council.

  • Standing for Elections in Tamania

    Women have equal right to stand for both the Upper House and the House of Assembly. (Dates not exact)

  • Australian Exhibition of Women's Work

    Opening in Melbourne by Lady Northcote. With Pattie Deakin running a model creche during the five-week exhibition showcasing the work of musicians, artists and craftswomen.

  • Voting and Women in Victoria

    Victorian Women have equal right to vote in State elections. Women who meet the property qualification can vote in the Legislative Council elections.

  • Upper House voting in Tasmania

    Women who served in WW1 (1914-1918) were eligible to vote for the Upper House.

  • First Woman in Australian Parliament

    Edith Cown (Nationalist, West Perth) became the firt eoman to be elected for Australian parliament. She served in the Legislative Assembly until 22nd March 1924.

  • Australian Federation of Women Voters

    Bessie Rischbieth founded this federation of Autralian women's political associations as a national group to liaise with international feminist organisations. And to advie the League of Nations. After 1922 Australia was one of the few member nations to comply with the equality provision in the covenant of the League in including a woman on each official delegation.

  • Right to Stand for elections in Victoria

    Women won equal right to stand for elections in Victoria. (Dates not exact)

  • First Woman speaks in NSW Parliament

    Millicent Preston-Stanley, elected to the NSW House of Representitives for the United Australia Party in May, delivered her first speech two weeks after the opening of the parliament.

  • First woman elected to the federal parliament

    Dame Enid Lyons becomes the first female member of the House of Representitives for the United Australia Party, and the Australian Labour Party's Dorothy Tangney takes a seat in the Senate representing Western Australia.

  • South Australia Council of Aboriginal Women

    Founded by Gladys Elphick, a Kaurna descendant. (Date not exact)

  • Zelda D'Aprano

    Zelda chained herself to the Commonwealth Building in Melbourne. She was campaigning on women's workplace issues. (Date not exact)

  • Equal Pay

    Australian female workers win equal pay rates with men doing comparable work under an Arbitration Commission decision for incremental increases.

  • The Woman's Electoral Lobby

    10 women met in a feminists home to discess ways of playing more influential foles in the election in Decemeber that year. (Date not exact)

  • Pay Parity

    Pay parity achieved for women workers. (Date not exact)

  • International Women's Day

    Australia held the first national conference from the 31st of August to the 6th of September.

  • ANZAC Day disgrace.

    64 of 250 women were arrested for trying to march in the ANZAC parade to remember the women who were raped during the war.

  • Australia signs CEDAW

    Australia become a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. (Date not exact)

  • National Foundation for Australian Women

    The official launch of the National Foundation for Australian Women

  • Women's History Month

    Hon Margaret Reid, Senator for the ACT and Presidant of the Sneate, launched Women's History Month in Parliament House, Canberra.

  • Officer of the Order of Australia

    Was awarded to Zelda for her campaigning in 1969. (Date not exact)