In August 1943, in the midst of the Second World War, the first two women to be elected to the Federal Parliament of Australia were Dame Enid Lyons for the Tasmanian seat of Darwin in the House of Representatives and Miss (later Dame) Dorothy Tangney as a Senator for Western Australia.

A 'marvellous reception'

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Black and white photo of two women, Dorothy Tangney and Enid Lyons, walking together towards the entrance of Old Parliament House
Photo of Dorothy Tangney and Enid Lyons entering Parliament House in 1943, from the Papers of Dorothy Margaret Tangney, 1938-1986, nla.obj-3190082597 

In an oral history interview with Mel Pratt, which you can hear on Trove, Enid Lyons reflected on the welcome she received in Parliament.  

They gave me a marvellous reception. Both sides of the house received me very kindly on the night I made my first speech.

Many in the community also expressed a warm welcome to their first female federal politicians. The Australian Women’s Weekly reported Tangney and Lyons received nearly a thousand telegrams and letters of congratulations in those first few weeks. Many of these are held in the Library's collection.  

Feminist and activist Bessie Rischbieth sent her enthusiastic congratulations from London, where she was undertaking war work at the Boomerang Club:  

Well done! Well done! I am so pleased to congratulate you on being returned as the first woman representative to the Commonwealth Parliament and you will carry the banner in your own splendid way. I know the late Prime Minister [Joseph Lyons, Enid’s husband who died in 1939] should welcome such representation, as women do throughout Australia.

American born, British politician Viscountess Nancy Astor sent the following ⁠telegram to Lyons. Viscountess Astor was the second woman to be elected to the House of Commons, and the first female Member of Parliament to take her seat in the Commons. The first woman to win a seat in British Parliament was Constance Markievicz who never took her seat in the Commons. As a member of Irish political party Sinn Féin, she would not swear an oath of allegiance to the king.

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Telegram sent from Nancy Astor to Enid Lyons with a message that reads 'Congratulations from us both stop I know what it means to be first and I pray you will not be the last'
Telegram from Nancy Astor to Enid Lyons, 1943, from the Papers of Dame Enid Muriel Lyons, 1931-1974, nla.obj-3211564956

Others took a more tongue in cheek approach. T.C Bragge, wrote to Lyons, ‘Bravo! Hearty congratulations. My conception of masculine superiority has been shattered…’  

The paper The Dawn celebrated Senator Tangney’s election: 

That our own state of Western Australia should have the honor of returning the first woman Senator is cause for great pride to all Western Australian women and in keeping with the tradition of service and public spirit of the women of this stage.

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Two well-dressed women, Enid Lyons and Dorothy Tangney, standing and chatting
Photo of Enid Lyons and Dorothy Tangney in Canberra in 1943 from the Papers of Dorothy Margaret Tangney, 1938-1986, nla.obj-3190086734

The papers of both women, digitised by the Library and available to explore in Trove, reveal much more than the enthusiasm of the community at their election. Tangney’s papers include correspondence, speeches, reports and detailed files on a wide range of topics from health, housing and education, to natural disasters and the status of war brides. Lyons’ papers are equally rich in detail. Her oral history interview reveals her pride in the contribution she made to social services: pride in the contribution she made to social services:

I had a place in the party…I had my little bit of influence in the matter of social services for instance. It was I who was responsible for the piece of policy which gave free medical attention to old age pensioners for instance.

(Lady) Jessie Street: Activism beyond the Parliament 

Jessie Street also stood for election in the 1943 Federal Election. Together with Tangney and Lyons, Street was among a group of more than 20 female candidates that year. She was narrowly defeated for the seat of Wentworth after preferences were counted. Another attempt in 1946 was also unsuccessful.

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Jessie Street walking between tables with dozens of women seated and clapping for her
Photo of Jessie Street entering a dinner held in her honor by the United Association of Women, of which she was President, in appreciation of her ‘gallant fight in recent elections from the Papers of Jessie Street, circa 1914-1968, nla.obj-397288787

This loss did not prevent her from continued activism. Her contribution to democracy occurred outside of a role in federal parliament, but it was no less significant.  

Street was a prominent feminist and activist in the decades leading up to the 1943 election and her activism continued in the years that followed. Among her causes was the place of women in the post-war reconstruction. In a speech broadcast on the ABC in 1944 Street argued for equality of opportunity in the post-war world:  

…the contribution that women can make to public life through the professions or in industry is important. Women in the past have been very much hampered by their inexperience in those spheres. They haven’t had the opportunity to qualify for representative positions or positions of control and direction. In other words, because of the lack of opportunity to gain experience they’re denied the opportunity of exerting any influence in framing policies or directing public affairs.

Street’s influence and interests extended beyond Australia. One of her prominent international contributions was as the sole female advisor in the Australian delegation to the United Nations conference on international organisation in San Francisco in 1945. As the war ended, Street was working at the coalface of peace.

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Jessie Street sitting at a desk with papers and a small label reading 'Australia' in front of her
Jessie Street representing Australia at the United Nations, c. 1940, nla.obj-231551090

In a broadcast discussing the conference she reflected on the importance of equality for women in the peace process:

Women have a special task, a special duty, at this United Nations Conference, which is laying the foundations and building the framework of an International Organisation. Our universal hope is that this organisation will establish the rule of justice and liberty for all people in all lands, and maintain peace and security throughout the world. This will not be achieved unless all barriers to the full participation of women in the political, economic, and cultural life of countries are removed.

The papers of Jessie Street, Enid Lyons and Dorothy Tangney show the history of the democratic contribution of three prominent Australian women in fine-grained detail. There is much to discover in their correspondence, speeches, reports and notes which informs our understanding of their contributions within and outside of Parliament which may provide insights into the democracy of today and the future.

Papers of Jessie Street were partially digitised thanks to the generous support of the Friends of the National Library.