ABSTRACT
With the exception of New Zealand, Australia was at the forefront of granting political rights to women at the turn of the nineteenth century, with South Australia granting women the vote on the same basis as men in 1894. Women gained the right to vote in Commonwealth elections in 1902. However, the success of women in winning the right to stand for election has varied greatly across the states and territories, as has the success of women candidates standing for election, and there have also been significant variations in representation between upper and lower houses. Although women had the right to stand for election in Commonwealth elections from 1902, it was not until 1943 that the first woman was elected. Several state upper houses did not have their first woman member until well into the second half of the twentieth century.
