In 1902, after vigorous lobbying, the Commonwealth of Australia became the first country in the world to give women both the right to vote in federal elections and the right to be elected to federal parliament when they passed the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 (Cth). As electoral laws varied between states, it was not until 1924 that women in all states of Australia had the right to vote and stand in all elections. However, South Australia was the last state to have the first woman elected in 1959, thirty-eight years after the first woman was elected to an Australian parliament in Western Australia (Australian Suffragettes, 2010).
Even though Australian women have the right to vote, as in many countries today, their representation in the parliament does not correspond to their electoral power ad the issue has moved from suffrage to the question of equal representation. In any event, the suffragette’s legacy “Your vote is your voice” has been achieved (Australian Suffragettes, 2010).