27 August 1902 - Women's Franchise Act
On 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
Women in the archives
Tips for finding records related to women in the archives: at work, in family life, in the care of institutions and in death
Published on
Women's stories
Browse all
Women police in NSW: a history of firsts
A collection of photographs at the Justice & Police Museum document the hard-won firsts, beginning in 1915, that led to women attaining equal status within the NSW Police Force
Meet the artist – Meroogal Women’s Art Prize 2024 winner Jackie Streit
'Vexations in blue' by Jackie Streit has been awarded first prize in the Meroogal Women’s Art Prize 2024
Tea and scandal
‘Come to afternoon “Tea and Scandal” tomorrow’ is the wonderfully enticing offer made via postcard by Viley and Olive, young friends of Vera Bell
Bicycle race
'Bicycle race' is just one of many postcards from the collection of Vera Bell as part of the Bell family papers, now housed in the Caroline Simpson Library