Motions

Women's Suffrage Anniversary

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.B. Martin:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges that in 2024 we mark 130 years since the passage of the Constitutional Amendment (Adult Suffrage) Act 1894 through both houses of the South Australian parliament, which saw South Australia become one of the earliest jurisdictions in the world to grant women the right to vote;

2. Recognises the crucial importance of access to full democratic participation for all citizens to the achievement of a fair, equitable and successful society; and

3. Reaffirms our commitment to upholding South Australia’s long and proud tradition of national and global leadership in progressive democratic and social reforms.

(Continued from 13 November 2024.)

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (20:18): I rise today to speak in support of the motion marking the 130^th Anniversary of the passage of the Constitutional Amendment (Adult Suffrage) Act 1894, an extraordinary milestone in South Australia's democratic reform. On 18 December 1894, the adult suffrage bill was passed in the South Australian parliament, granting women the right to vote and also making South Australia the first jurisdiction in Australia where women could stand for parliament.

Amendments to our constitutional act made our state (then a colony) the first in Australia to grant women the right to vote in parliamentary elections and the first place in the world to grant women the right to stand for parliament.

Reform was contemplated in our parliament as early as 1872, with the first resolution being introduced in 1885 by Dr Edward Stirling who said at the time that 'the right to vote by no means indicated that women should have a right to a seat in the House.' Several bills were debated and lost before the historic bill was agreed to in 1894.

A coalition of women and men of diverse backgrounds worked together to win the franchise through the South Australian Women's Suffrage League which was formed in 1888. Catherine Helen Spence and Mary Lee led the charge, and the Working Women's Union and many church groups played significant roles. Elizabeth Nicholls led the Woman's Christian Temperance Union which collected over 7,000 of the 11,000 signatures on the historic petition, no small feat when the population was dispersed and canvassing was on foot.

An anonymous newspaper letter writer known only under the pseudonym Zenobia, but thought to be a member of the league, articulated her support for suffrage in the Register.

What women want is to assist in procuring a proper set of men for the Parliament. We want the sort of men that will pay more attention to the rights and needs of women and the rights and needs and defence of the home than the men hitherto found in our legislature.

All those a woman loves are injured or benefited by the laws of the land and by the administration of the laws. Without a vote woman is powerless to mould or amend those laws.

An account of the tense and uncertain battle, including how the measure was in doubt just 12 hours before the final vote and nearly failed, was provided by journalist Cornelius Proud in Review of Reviews. He himself was labelled a faddist for his support of the cause, and his report of the personalities and tactics by those on both sides of the debate is an entertaining read.

The prominence of the temperance workers in the fight for suffrage caused the public house party to take fright…

Later, he triumphantly declared that:

I had the honour to draft the now historic petition, afterwards signed by 11,000 persons, and to carry that ponderous document (which opened to about 400 feet in length) down to the House of Assembly for presentation to the Hon G K Hawker.

The bill was passed in the House of Assembly on the morning of 18 December 1894 by 31 votes to 14, effectively enfranchising over 80,000 South Australian women. Three years after the passage of the bill, in her President's address to the Temperance Union, Mrs Elizabeth Nicholls reported:

The dire results prophesied by opponents of women's franchise have not come to pass. We have not heard of any domestic quarrels, or any neglected children as a result of the new departure, and dinner was cooked on election day much the same as usual.

In 1994, to celebrate the centenary of the passing of South Australia's historic legislation, the tapestries that are now on display in the House of Assembly were commissioned. In addition to the extraordinary effort of 16 volunteer community Weavers, many women from across the state took the opportunity to weave in a few stitches themselves and record their names while the tapestries were temporarily located in a bank foyer on King William Street, Adelaide. The campaign to gain public and parliamentary support for women's suffrage was a collective effort, and the tapestries commemorating this historic victory reflect this. For me, it is always a talking point in giving school tours of Parliament House.

On 18 December 2019, the former Marshall Liberal government commemorated the 125^th anniversary of our landmark legislation. The theme for the anniversary, 'Their Triumph; Our motivation', recognised how the efforts of the suffragists in the late 19^th and early 20^th century were critical in the shift towards greater gender equality.

The anniversary was marked by various events throughout the year, including a community grants program in which 28 organisation shared $125,000 in grants to commemorate the anniversary, allowing them to hold events, run education programs and produce materials to promote the anniversary; a signature event at the Adelaide Town Hall was held, featuring distinguished speakers and championing women's rights and celebrating this milestone; the Legislative Council and the House of assembly jointly re-enacted the passage of the Adult Suffrage Bill 1894 on 18 December 2019; and other events and media activations.

The Liberal Party recognises the important contributions women make and have always been committed to promoting women's equality and participation in all aspects of life. This motion highlights fairness and opportunity for all. It reaffirms our dedication to fostering a society where everyone should have the same opportunities to participate in the democratic process.

The 130^th anniversary will occur on 18 December 2024. This extraordinary achievement resulted from years of campaigning, letter writing, signature gathering and lobbying by both men and women in the South Australian community. Gaining the vote was a step towards gender equality in South Australia and meant that women had taken a step towards influencing decisions by having their say in general elections. By supporting this motion we acknowledge the historic significance of the Constitutional Amendment (Adult Suffrage) Act and reaffirm our dedication to South Australia's tradition of leading the way in democratic and social reform. I commend the motion.

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (20:25): I would like to start by thanking the Hon. Nicola Centofanti for her contribution and a really great speech on what is one of the most important reforms that has happened in South Australia. I think it is really worthy to celebrate South Australia taking the lead on what was a globally significant reform, to be the first place in the world to not only grant women the right to vote but grant them the opportunity to stand for parliament. Unfortunately it took a long time after getting the right to stand for parliament before the first woman took her seat, but it was an important reform.

South Australia has an important role and has had an important history in electoral reform, as we have seen even here in South Australia in just the last few weeks with reforms to get rid of donations from big business and from unions and to replace that with public funding so that there are more equitable elections. Reforms to continue to increase the franchise with the bill that this house passed just the other day and a very significant event which we participated in today, which was the first address of the Voice to Parliament. That long history of progressive reform when it comes to social movements and elections is something that South Australians should rightly be proud of, and it is worth celebrating this 130-year anniversary. I commend the motion.

Motion carried.