The Museum of Australian Democracy (MOAD) in Canberra has unveiled a new exhibition to mark the 75th anniversary of the first women being elected to the Australian Parliament.
Located at the Old Parliament House, the MOAD exhibition explores the journeys of 11 female trailblazers, each the first to hold particular Parliamentary positions.
In a statement, the MOAD said the stories were ones of resilience, perseverance and ground-breaking achievements.
It said that among the women featured in the exhibition were Dorothy Tangney and Enid Lyons (pictured), the first women elected into Parliament in 1943; Julia Gillard, the first female Prime Minister; and Janine Haines, the first woman to lead an Australian political party.
“The exhibition recognises the significant contribution these women made in Australia’s democracy,” MOAD said.
“It gives visitors the opportunity to look back on their lives, uncover their motivations and what they view as their greatest accomplishments.”
It said the Breaking Through exhibition also uncovered some of the more difficult sides of being a woman in Parliament.
“Despite the first women being elected into Parliament in 1943, the first ladies toilet was not established in Parliament House until more than three decades later.
“This toilet only came about after much complaining from two female Parliamentarians who were not happy that they had to go to the lower floor to use the toilet. A urinal was eventually boxed in and converted to a female toilet in 1974.”
The same problem applied to journalists covering proceedings, with the Press Gallery on the top floor of Parliament House without a female toilet until the early 1970s. Women were expected to walk downstairs if they needed to use the bathroom.
