IWD 2011 – Celebrating 100 years of women's achievements This year has begun with natural disasters close to home and international political upheaval; a topsy-turvy world with many fighting hopelessly against change. Yet change is a constant in the wilderness. Anything purporting or struggling to stay the same as it was before quickly becomes outdated. Many changes have occurred in relation to the status of Queensland women over the past 100 years. Not always via the natural flow of things, but through the vision and persistence of generations of change-makers. This month we recognise a centenary celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD); milestones reflecting the passion and progress of women all over the world. In 1911, across Europe, more than one million women and men attended the first International Womens’ Day rallies, campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, hold public office and end discrimination. The first Australian International Women’s Day rally was held in 1928, and celebrated the year after in Brisbane. It had only been the end of the century before when women around the world were beginning to claim the right to vote in government elections. First New Zealand. A year later, South Australia followed suit as the first Australian State. Place by place, not without noise and hard work, more women arrived to the party. Australian women were able to vote in federal elections by 1902 (excluding Aborigines, Torres Strait Islanders, Asian and South Pacific Islanders). In 1905, Queensland women won the right to vote in State elections. Much of the fight for women’s suffrage in Queensland was led by the Woman's Equal Franchise Association, headed by Unionist Emma Miller. Miller was a strong advocate for workers and women’s rights during the last century. The Queensland Council of Unions hosts the Emma Miller Awards in her honour each year, celebrating the achievements of contemporary union women. “Suppose she thinks for herself. Over the dinner table wife is to quarrel with husband and sister with brother. Political faction is to divide the home and drive man's helpmeet from his side. We reiterate our conviction that the great body of Queensland women do not want it: we are perfectly sure that in the end it will be for evil.” - The Brisbane Courier, 1 September 1900
Indigenous Australians gained the right to vote in federal elections in 1962, and in 1965, Indigenous Queenslanders gained the right to vote in State elections. It was still a few years later that the Federal referendum was held to grant citizenship to Indigenous Australians. Back in 1915, Queensland was the second State to allow the right for women to sit in parliament. In 1929, Irene Longman was elected to Queensland Parliament, endorsed by the Country-National Party and the Queensland Women's Electoral League. It took until 1966 for a second woman, Vi Jordan, to enter parliament. In 2001, Queensland Parliament attained the highest proportion of women representatives of any Australian parliament, and one of the highest proportions in the world.
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