Australia celebrates the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote
10 June 2002
This week marks one hundred years since Australian women were given the equal right to enrol and vote in federal elections, the Australian Electoral Commissioner, Mr Andy Becker said.
"On 12 June 2002 we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of our federal electoral system, in which we were the first country in the world to simultaneously give women the right to enrol, vote and stand for Federal Parliament," he said.
Mr Becker said that a century ago, electoral laws were passed which for the first time gave Australia the ability to conduct national elections under federal law. This is an ability that some well-established democratic nations do not have even to this day.
"Right from the beginning, our federal electoral laws enshrined the importance of conducting free and fair elections in which men and women could equally participate."
"The 1902 electoral laws gave women throughout Australia the right to enrol, vote and stand as candidates in federal elections, a right which women exercised in the 1903 federal election.
"The laws also confirmed Australia's commitment to the secret ballot by entrenching it in federal elections," Mr Becker said.
Prior to the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 and the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1902, which both became law in June 1902, the first federal election in 1901 was conducted under various State electoral laws, some of which did not permit women to vote. *
Mr Becker said the 1902 federal electoral laws included many elements which remain important and fixed fundamentals of our federal electoral system today.
"Our federal electoral system is a national asset which continues to contribute to even the most basic elements of our lives in this democratic country."
Mr Becker said that while we had much to celebrate, the laws used to run our federal elections were by no means perfect one hundred years ago.
"There were still restrictions placed on Indigenous and other Australian's rights to enrol and vote based solely on their race," he said.
"Over the last 100 years there have been significant reforms to our electoral system to make it today a world's-best system which all Australian electors are proud to participate in."
Legislative developments since 1902 include the introduction of preferential voting in 1918 and compulsory voting for elections in 1924, the granting to Aboriginal people (without exceptions) the right to enrol and vote in 1962 and in 1973 the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18.
"This reform continues today, both through legislative and administrative change, as the Australian Electoral Commission continues to administer a federal electoral system which meets the high expectations of all Australian voters," Mr Becker said.
"The quality of our electoral system is also internationally recognised with requests for AEC staff to provide electoral advice and assistance being received from more than 35 countries over the last 15 years."
Further information
Visit the AEC website at www.aec.gov.auand look under 'WHEN' to find out more about Australia's federal electoral history. This information includes facsheets on:
Contact
Brien Hallett
Assistant Commissioner
Information and Research Branch
Ph. (02) 6271 4477
Bernadette O'Meara
Information Section
Phone (02) 6271 4529
* Only women in South Australia (from 1895) and Western Australia (from 1899) had voting rights at the 1901 election. Women gained the right to vote in State elections: in 1902 in NSW, in 1903 in Tasmania, in 1905 in Queensland and in 1908 in Victoria.
