Women And The Right To Vote

Australia led the world in granting political rights to women.

However, despite granting the vote to all women in 1903, progress was slow in other areas, and it was not until 1926 that women were able to both vote and stand for all Houses of Parliament in all parts of the Commonwealth.

The right to vote and sit in Parliament was confined to men and women over the age of 21 years.

The Commonwealth rights excluded Aboriginal natives of Australia, Asia, Africa or the Pacific Islands except New Zealand, unless they already had the franchise at the State level. Aboriginal Australians were not granted the full franchise at the Federal level until 1962.

At the Federation referendums of the late-1890s and the first Federal Election in 1901, only women from South Australia and Western Australia were entitled to vote.

The first woman to win election to an Australian Parliament was Edith Cowan. She was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly district of West Perth in 1921 and held the seat until 1924.

The first country to grant women the right to vote was New Zealand in 1893.