27 Aug 1902 - Women's Franchise Act (voting)

#OnThisDay 27 August 1902 the Women's Franchise Act gave women the right to vote in state elections in New South Wales.

Sir Henry Parkes had introduced electoral reform bills in 1890 and 1891 which included provisions for women to vote but both bills were defeated. The Women's Franchise Act passed on the third attempt and followed similar success on the Federal stage when Australia became the second nation in the world to give women the right to vote.

Women could not stand for election for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly until 1918 and the first female elected was Millicent Preston-Stanley in 1925.

Sources: Parliament of New South Wales. Looking back: Women’s enfranchment in NSW

Department of the parliamentary library. (1997). First women in Australian parliaments – historical note

Related

• Women in Parliament on the Parliament of NSW website
• Women's Advocacy webpage
• Electoral Rolls Guide

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