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Home > About Us > Centenary of Suffrage > History

Centenary of Suffrage - Timeline

100th Anniversary of Women's Right to Vote International Women's Day, 8 March 2005

A timeline of key dates in the journey of Queensland women’s voting rights

1860 First Queensland State elections
1893 New Zealand, the first country in the world to give women the right to vote
1890 Women’s Christian Temperance Union adopts suffrage as part of its charter
1894 Women’s Equal Franchise Association established in Queensland, led by Emma Miller.
Woman’s Franchise League (later Women’s Suffrage League) formed, led by Leontine Cooper
1896 South Australia becomes first Australian state to allow women the right to vote. Also first in world to give women opportunity to stand for parliament
1901 Electoral reforms extending vote to women in state elections and a ‘baby vote’ for men with two or more children born in Queensland introduced to Parliament. Fails to proceed.
1902 Most Australian women aged over 21 able to vote in federal elections (excluding Aborigines, Torres Strait Islanders, Asian and South Pacific Islanders)
1903 Queensland Women’s Electoral League established (July)
1903 Women vote in first federal election (December)
1905 5 January – Electoral Franchise Bill and Elections Act Amendment Bill introduced into Queensland Parliament.
25 January – Passed by Parliament and Governor’s assent granted
1907 Queensland women vote in their first state election
1915 Queensland women gain right to stand for Parliament
1929 Irene Longman elected first woman in Queensland Parliament
1965 The Elections Act Amendment Act 1965 (Queensland) passed, extending the vote to Indigenous Queenslanders
1966 Indigenous Queenslanders vote in their first state election
1967 Federal referendum gives citizenship to Indigenous Australians
1973 Voting age reduced from 21 to 18 years.

For more dates and information about significant milestones, download the Women's Right to Vote Fact Sheet (Help with Downloading and Printing PDF 394 kB)