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Centenary of Women's Suffrage in Western Australia
In 1999 we celebrated the Centenary of Women's Suffrage in Western Australia. It is important to remember that many women around the world today are still denied the right to vote. Women in Australia have the right to vote - this was not always the case. Below are the dates women's suffrage was granted for a number of countries in the world. In all of these countries women have made enormous contributions. Voting rights are an important human right, and a good indication of how a country values its citizens. Australian democracy grants the right to vote to all of its citizens.
| NZ - 1894 | FINLAND - 1906 | KUWAIT - 1999 | MEXICO - 1958 | |||
| BRITAIN - 1918 | CANADA - 1917 | TURKEY - 1929 | USA - 1920 | |||
Centenary of Women's Suffrage in Western Australia 1899-1999
Key Dates
| Date | |
|---|---|
| 1894: | SA women over 21 gain the right to vote. |
| 1899: | WA women over 21 gain the right to vote. |
| 1901: | State franchises applied at the first Federal election - meaning women from WA & SA are entitled to vote federally. Women from New South Wales, Tasmania, Queensland, Victoria and all Aboriginal women are not entitled. These other states follow: 1902 - NSW, 1903 -Tasmania, 1905 - QLD, 1908 - VIC. |
| 1920: | Women became eligible to become Members of the Legislative Assembly. Mrs Edith Cowan OBE, became the first Woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament in 1921. |
| 1947: | Florence Cardell-Oliver becomes the first female Cabinet Minister in WA's parliament. |
| 1950: | There is only one female member of parliament at this time. |
| 1954: | The Hon Ruby Hutchison became the first woman to be elected to WA's Legislative Council. |
| 1962: | All Aboriginal people over 21 gain the right to vote. |
| 1973: | The qualifying age for enrolment, voting and candidature for elections at all levels lowered to 18 years. |
| 1990: | Carmen Lawrence becomes WA's first female Premier. |
| 1999: | There were 20 female members of Parliament. |
Women have contributed greatly to the governments of Australia. Female parliamentarians and voters have been noted for creating and furthering government policy and action across a wide range of areas.
