Behind the News Stories
Watch this short video on the History of Voting (4m 37s) in Australia. This BTN story reports on a history of Gender Equality (4m 2s) in Australia, including the right to vote.
Votes for Australian Women
In 1902, Australia became the first independent country in the world to give most women the right to vote and to stand for Federal Parliament. Get the details here. New Zealand women had the right to vote from 1893 but it was a colony, not an independent country yet.
Electoral Milestones for Women
Check out the major milestones in electoral history on this timeline at the Australian Electoral Commission.
Catherine Helen Spence
Learn about one of the most important figures in Australian Electoral History. Find the facts from the Reserve Bank. Read a detailed biography (a more difficult text) on the Australian National University site.
Suffragettes in Victoria
Find out about the ‘monster petition' that was presented to Victorian government in 1891. Did it convince the parliament to give women the right to vote? Learn about Melbourne-born suffragette Vida Goldstein.
Women’s Right to Vote in Queensland
Find out about famous Queensland suffragettes:
Emma Miller Leontine Cooper Margaret Ogg
The Suffrage Movement in Britain
There are some great primary source photographs as well as a lot of interesting information on National Geographic for Kids. The British suffragettes used Australia as an example of what could be achieved. They deliberately broke the law to protest their right to vote. Read about it at the Museum of Australian Democracy.