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Pre-European Settlement
Prior to European settlement and the arrival of the First Fleet, Australia was inhabited by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They were led by elders and followed traditional laws. -
European Settlement
Captain Cook taking possession of the Australian continent on behalf of the British Crown, AD 1770, under the name of New South Wales
Image courtesy of the Museum of Australian Democracy With the First Fleet arrival in 1788 until 1843, Australia had an autocratic government whereby a ruler had absolute power over the people. New South Wales was established as a British penal colony with a governor who made all the laws and was in charge of making decisions for both convicts and free settlers. -
First Voters
Parliament House, Sydney
Image Courtesy of the Museum of Australian Democracy Men who owned property or paid rent on property could vote, whilst all women and Indigenous Australians did not have the right to vote. -
Males in South Australia
Residential qualification voting certificate
Image courtesy of the Museum of Australian Democracy South Australia was the first state to grant the right to vote to males of 21 years of age or over. -
Males in Victoria
Interior of a polling booth
Image courtesy of the Museum of Australian Democracy Victoria became the second state to grant the right to vote to males of 21 years of age or over. This was also the Gold Rush era in Victoria and while there were many people from all over the world who had settled in Victoria, none of them had the right to vote in the country. -
Males in New South Wales
Voting card for representatives in the NSW Legislative Council, 1844
Image courtesy of the Museum of Australian Democracy New South Wales became the third state in Australia to grant voting rights to all males of 21 years of age or over. -
Males in Queensland
Queensland became the fourth state to grant voting rights to all males of 21 years of age or over. During this time, Australia existed as six independent colonies with separate laws and policies in each state as each state was self-governed. -
Males in Western Australia
Western Australia became the fifth state to grant the right to vote in elections to all males of 21 years of age or over. -
Women in South Australia
Women staging a protest in Melrose, SA.
Image courtesy of the Museum of Australian Democracy South Australia became the first state in Australia to be granted voting rights to women of 21 years of age or over. This was the first time in Australia's history that women could vote, and South Australia was one of the first places in the world to give women the vote. -
Males in Tasmania
Crowds gather to find out election results in Hobart on election night, April 1903.
Image courtesy of the National Archives of Australia, http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/enlargement-eid-75-pid-72.html Tasmania became the final state to grant voting rights to males of 21 years of age or over. -
Females in Western Australia
Western Australia was the second state in Australia to grant the right to vote to all women of 21 years of age or over. -
First Federal Election
Opening of the first Commonwealth Parliament of Australia, Exhibition Building, Melbourne, 1901.
Image courtesy of the Museum of Australian Democracy The first federal elections were held. The the only people allowed to vote were men from Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania; and only women from Western Australia and South Australia. Women from other states and Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders from all states still could not vote. -
Universal Suffrage
Universal suffrage was granted to most men and women over 21 years of age at federal elections with some exceptions. Indigenous Australians and natives from Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands (except New Zealand) were excluded from enrolment and voting. Australia considered itself a 'white' society and existed under a 'White Australia Policy'. -
Females in New South Wales
Females of 21 years of age or over in New South Wales are granted the right to vote. -
Females in Tasmania
Females of age 21 and over in Tasmania are granted the right to vote. -
Females in Queensland
Women inside the city polling station, voting for the first time in a Queensland state election, May 1907
Image courtesy of the Museum of Australian Democracy Queensland becomes the next state to grant voting rights to females of age 21 or over. -
Females in Victoria
Henrietta Dugdale, pioneer of the Victorian Women’s Suffrage Society to campaign for the female vote.
Image courtesy of the Museum of Australian Democracy Females aged 21 years or over in Victoria are granted the right to vote. -
Compulsory Voting
The 1924 federal election is the first in which voting is compulsory. Those eligible to vote are required by law to be enrolled on the Electoral Roll and to vote in federal elections. -
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians who had served in the defence forces were granted the right to vote in federal elections. Many Indigenous Australians served in the armed forces during World War II. Those who had not served in the defence forces were still unable to vote. -
All Indigenous Australians' Right to Vote
Aboriginal people vote at a polling booth, Bagot Settlement, Northern Territory.
Image courtesy of the Museum of Australian Democracy Indigenous Australians were entitled the right to enrol and vote at federal elections and referendums. Although this right was exercised, voting was voluntary instead of being compulsory. -
Age of the Franchise
Voting in 1973
Image courtesy of the Museum of Australian Democracy The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 years of age. This reflected changing attitudes towards adulthood during this time, where many people thought that if many people were old enough to serve in the defence force, they were mature enough to vote. -
Indigenous Australians Franchise
Enrolment and voting became compulsory for all Indigenous Australians. This reflected an Australia which valued all people as equal rather than on the colour of their skin.
