Women's Franchise Act Centenary



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SpeakersPresident
BusinessBusiness of the House


    WOMEN'S FRANCHISE ACT CENTENARY
Page: 4236

    The PRESIDENT: I draw the attention of the House to the fact that today is the centenary of the assent to the Women's Franchise Act 1902 in New South Wales. That followed the Commonwealth Franchise Act of June 1902, which gave women the right to vote in Federal elections. These Acts extended the parliamentary franchise to women, giving them the right to vote in elections on the same basis as men. It should be noted that indigenous women and men were not given the vote on the same basis as women until 1962. The New South Wales Act did not give women the right to stand for Parliament. That right was granted in 1918 for the Legislative Assembly and in 1926 for the Legislative Council. Since 1918 there have been 66 women members of Parliament: 31 in the Legislative Assembly and 35 in the Legislative Council.