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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-05-31 Daily Xml
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Resolutions

Women's Suffrage Anniversary

Consideration of message No. 229 from the House of Assembly.

1. That, in the opinion of this house, a joint committee be established to inquire into and report on matters relating to the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage and to consider—

(a) the significance of the Adult Suffrage Bill 1894;

(b) the courageous political campaign by South Australian suffragists, unions, and women's rights movements;

(c) recognition of Aboriginal women in South Australia, who gained the right to vote in 1894, but were denied the right to vote at Federation until 1967;

(d) ways to commemorate the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage in South Australia; and

(e) any other related matter.

2. That, in the event of a joint committee being appointed, the House of Assembly shall be represented thereon by three members, of whom two shall form a quorum of assembly members necessary to be present at all sittings of the committee.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (12:23): I move:

That the council concur with the resolution of the House of Assembly contained in message No. 229 for the appointment of a joint committee on matters relating to the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage, that the council be represented on the joint committee by three members of whom two shall form the quorum necessary to be present at all sittings of the committee, and that the members of the joint committee to represent the Legislative Council be the Hon. G.E. Gago, the Hon. T.A. Franks and the Hon. J.M.A. Lensink.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (12:24): I rise on behalf of the government to support the motion. On 18 December 1894, the South Australian parliament passed the Adult Suffrage Bill, which granted women the right to vote and stand for election in the colony's parliament. In March 1895, the bill received royal assent from Her Majesty Queen Victoria and on 25 April 1896 women in South Australia voted for the first time in the colony's election. Although South Australia was the fourth jurisdiction in the world to grant women the right to vote, even more notable was the fact that we were the first jurisdiction in the world to grant women the right to stand for parliament. We will remain forever indebted to the female suffragists behind this success in 1894.

Some of the women we remember include Mary Lee, referred to as 'the streetfighter', a widow who collected an impressive 11,600 signatures on a petition; Catherine Helen Spence, who was the first female political candidate in Australia and considered to be an intellectual powerhouse; and Augusta Zadow, who remained dedicated to improving the rights of working women, particularly those in clothing factories. Of course, there are many other suffragists who, first and foremost, wanted to end women's oppression in relation to their employment opportunities, the exploitation of women and young girls, their access to education, denial of property rights and many other deeply entrenched inequalities at the end of the 19th century.

Part of that entrenched inequality was particularly evident in relation to the universal right to participate equally with men in society's parliamentary decision-making processes. Prior to 1894, women were not afforded the right to vote or stand for parliament, and although, clearly, today the gender gap in politics in our parliaments is still wide—which has many implications for our society—nevertheless, we must take this opportunity to consider the significance of the Adult Suffrage Bill 1894 and the enormous changes that it brought about. It was considered that, with women gaining the right to vote, there would be a natural defence against exploitation and other inequalities and history has proven this to be true, although, sadly, too many gender inequities still exist today.

The legacy of South Australian suffragettes needs to be acknowledged and enshrined in our state's history, not only as a reminder of their magnificent achievements but also of their brilliant activism, courage and tenacity. It is also worth noting their ability as suffragists to work collectively and effectively when we consider the huge variation in the backgrounds of these women: they came from quite different social strata, economic backgrounds and very different experiences. We see women from The Women's Suffrage League, the YWCA, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, the Wesleyan Methodists and also the working women's trade union.

Establishing a process which looks at ways to commemorate our 125th anniversary provides an opportunity to the wider community, including the community sector, women's services, local government and, obviously, members of parliament, to identify the best way to commemorate, celebrate and acknowledge the contribution of those trailblazers of 1894 during our 125th anniversary, which falls in 2019. In addition, there will be an enormous opportunity to recognise and consider the fact that Aboriginal women in South Australia were granted the right to vote in 1894, but denied the right to vote at Federation until 1967.

The centenary of the 1894 bill provided a wonderful opportunity for parliament to work together and provide a legacy, and we see elements of that in the magnificent tapestries in Parliament House. I am confident that together we can find appropriate ways to commemorate and acknowledge our groundbreaking 1894 suffragists. I commend the motion to the house.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.M.A. Lensink.

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