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Women won the right to vote in South Australia
With the introduction of the Constitution (Female Suffrage) Act 1895 (SA), women in South Australia became the first Australian colony and the fourth in the world to grant women voting rights. References:
Image: The National Archives
http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/Australian_Electoral_History/wright.htm
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/on-this-day/2012/12/on-this-day-sa-gives-women-the-vote -
Aboriginal people won the right to vote in South Australia
At the same time women in South Australia were granted voting rights, Aboriginal people were also given those same rights. References:
Image: http://www.nma.gov.au/engage-learn/schools/classroom-resources/by_subject
http://www.aec.gov.au/Education/files/history_indigenous_vote.pdf -
Catherine Helen Spence - first woman to stand for political office
Catherine stood for office in the Convention of Adelaide, becoming the first woman in Australia to nominate. References:
Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catherine_Helen_Spence.jpg
http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/women_and_politics/spence3.htm -
The Women's Franchise League established
Established by Mrs Ferguson, Emily Hensman, Christina Clark and Eleanora James, the Women's Franchise League combined suffrage efforts by several groups, organising and mobilising women to fight for voting rights. References: Image: https://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/AboutParliament/History/WomeninPoliticsinSouthAustralia/Pages/TheWomensSuffrageLeague.aspx http://womenshistory.net.au/ -
Women granted voting rights in Western Australia
With the passing of the Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1899 (WA), Western Australia was the second State to grant voting rights to women. References:
Image: https://awhf.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/miss-franchise-western-mail-16-june-1899-p-23.jpg
http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/Australian_Electoral_History/wright.htm
http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item-sdid-14.html -
Federation
The advent of Federation meant that people had the same voting rghts for Federal elections as they did at State level. References:
Image: http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=11395162&isAv=N
http://constitution.naa.gov.au/stories/celebration/pods/inauguration-day-1901/index.html -
Aboriginal voting rights stripped
The Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 stripped voting rights from indigenous people who had already been granted the vote by their State governments. It specifically excluded 'any aboriginal native of Australia, Asia, Africa, or the islands of the Pacific, except New Zealand' from voting unless they were actually on the roll before 1901. References:
Image: http://www.janesoceania.com/australia_aboriginal_history/index1.htm
http://www.aec.gov.au/Education/files/history_indigenous_vote.pdf -
First woman elected to Parliament
Edith Cowan was the first woman to be elected to parliament in Australia, winning the seat of West Perth in the WA Legislative Assembly. References:
Image: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an23351616
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cowan-edith-dircksey-5791 -
Some Indigenous Australians voting rights returned
Indigenous Australians who had previously been granted voting rights or who had served in the armed forces regained the right to vote with the signing of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1949. References: http://www.aec.gov.au/Education/files/history_indigenous_vote.pdf -
Aboriginal people granted the right to vote
After many protests, the Commonwealth Electoral Act (1962) permitted all Australian indigenous peoples to vote. -
First indigenous parliamentarian
Neville Bonner was appointed to a vacant position in the Queensland senate and subsequently won the next election, holding his seat until 1983. References: http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs231.aspx -
First female Prime Minister
Julia Gillard was elected unopposed by the Labor Party in a leadership spill, becoming Australia's first female Prime Minister. References:
Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Gillard#/media/File:Julia_Gillard_2010.jpg
http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/gillard/
http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/gillard/
