The Australian Women's Register

Sylvia Hale was elected to the NSW Legislative Council on 22 March 2000 representing the Greens. She served in the New South Wales Parliament until 2010, when she resigned.

Delcia Kite was a long-time member of the Australian Labor party. She served on the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1976 – 1995. She was a Member of the indirectly elected Council 1934 – 1978. Date of Election 27 November 1975.
She was a Member of the directly elected Legislative Council. Dates of Elections 27 November 1975 and 24 March 1984.

Kayee Griffin was elected to the NSW Legislative Council on 22 March 2003 representing the Australian Labor Party. Before her election to the State Parliament, she served as a Canterbury Municipal Councillor from 1991-2003 and was mayor in 1995.

Elizabeth Kirkby, a member of the Australian Democrats, was a Member of the directly elected Legislative Council. Date of Election 19 September 1981 and 25 May 1991. She served from 1981-1998. She was State Parliamentary Leader of the Democrats from 1981 – 1998.
Councillor of Temora Shire Council 1999 – 2004
Military Service: Auxiliary Territorial Service 1942-1945.
Elizabeth, who was granted retention of title of “Honourable” for life, worked as a Parliamentarian, actress, script writer, radio public affairs commentator and grazier. She became Australia’s oldest university graduate at the age of 93 in 2014, when she was awarded a PhD from the University of Sydney.

Catherine Cusack was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council on 22 March 2003. She is a member of the Liberal Party and was Shadow Minister for Juvenile Justice, Shadow Minister for Women. She was re-elected in 2011 and held the position of parliamentary secretary to the premier from 2014.

Florence Lloyd was a member of the Liberal Party. She was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1973-1981. She was a Member of the indirectly elected Council 1934 – 1978. Date of Election 5 April 1973. A Member on reconstitution 6 November 1978. Florence Lloyd was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1982.

Mabel Furley was a Liberal Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 14/11/1962 and 22/4/1964 (1 years 5 months 9 days). She was elected to fill a casual vacancy and in 1935 was appointed an OBE.

Judith Walker, a member of the Australian Labor Party, was a Member of the directly elected Legislative Council. Date of Election 5 December 1984. She was a member from 1984-1995. Elected for balance of term of service of Hon. J.J Morris, resigned. Granted retention of title of “Honourable” for life.

Judy Jakins was a member of the National Party. She was a Member of the directly elected Legislative Council from 24 March 1984 until 1991. She was the first woman elected to represent the National Party in New South Wales when she entered Parliament in 1984.
She was an Alderman of Dubbo City Council 1991 – 1995.

Marie Bignold was a member of the Call To Australia Group (CTA). She was a member of the directly elected Legislative Council from 1984-1991; she was elected on 5 December 1984. Bignold was the first woman lawyer to take a seat in the Legislative Council.

Marie Fisher was a member of the Australian Labor Party. She was a Member of the directly elected New South Wales Legislative Council from 1978-1988. Date of Election 7 October 1978.

Anne Press had a parliamentary career that spanned two decades and the opposite ends of the political spectrum. Initially elected in 1959 as an ALP councillor, Press was soon expelled (in 1959) from the party following her vote against party lines when she voted against the Legislative Council Abolition Bill. She then became a member of the Independent Labour Group, to which she belonged for eight years. She joined the liberal party in 1967, and was successfully re-elected to the council as their candidate in 1970. She retired from parliament in 1978.

Marjorie Woodman was twice a candidate for Parliament for the Australian Democrats: New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Strathfield, 1988, 1991. At the time of her first candidacy, she had been a resident of Strathfield for most of her life. She was active in human rights, environmental and animal welfare organizations. Marjorie Woodman opposed the building of Olympic Park at Homebush Bay on the grounds of expense and destruction of precious wetland. She was concerned about the pollution in Parramatta River and was in favour of reducing the city’s dependence on oil. She was also in favour of legislation to protect threatened species.

Louise Weingarth was a once only candidate who stood as an Independent for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Willoughby in 1991. There is no mention of her in the NSW Electoral Roll, Ryerson Index, or Internet using Google search engine.

Margaret Wright was a once only candidate for a short lived party: the Workers Party in the 1976 elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Illawarra. Trained as a nurse, Margaret, at the time of her candidacy, was a housewife and the mother of three children, living in West Wollongong.

Christine Welsh was once only candidate but is an active member of the Australian Greens party in her area. She was their candidate in the 2003 elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Georges River. Christine Welsh was a long term resident of the St George area when she ran for election. She had worked in both the public and private sector and had experience in areas of human rights, industrial relations and policy development.

Omega Wu was a once only candidate who stood for the Unity Party in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly election for Strathfield in 1999. Her campaign stressed social equality and the elimination of racism. Omega Wu has worked at Joblink (1996-7) and as an interpreter with the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. At the time of her campaign, she was Student Welfare officer for the Sydney Institute of TAFE.

Anne-Maree Whitaker has moved from work as a public servant and political staffer, to a career as a professional historian with a special interest in Australia’s Irish and Catholic history. An ALP member, she was a candidate in the House of Representatives election for Wentworth in 1987 and in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly election for Bligh in 1991. Anne-Marie had more success in local politics being a member of the South Sydney Council between 1989-1995.

An Australian Democrats member, June Young ran unsuccessfully for election on two occasions: New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Sutherland, 1991 and House of Representatives, Hughes, 1993. Mother of three children, June Young’s concern for the environment was clear in her campaign literature. She was a Technical Assistant at the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation).

Susan White was an activist and ALP member who was elected as to the Hornsby Council in 1999-2004 and was Deputy Mayor. She was active in her local community, and when elected to Hornsby Council was a member of many committees including Heritage, Traffic and Parking committees. In 2003 Susan White unsuccessfully ran for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (Hornsby). At the time of her candidature, she was a member of the Berowra Valley Regional Park Trust and was active in campaigns to protect local bushland and to preserve the Heritage Precinct of Old Hornsby. She has four children and works as a school psychologist.

Matilda Ann Aston (December 11, 1873 – November, 1947), better known as Tilly Aston, was a blind Australian writer and teacher. She founded the Victorian Association of Braille Writers (which became the Victorian Braille Library) and then went on to establish the Association for the Advancement of the Blind, assuming the post of secretary.

Tilly’s energy was unbounded and her achievements (along with those of her co-workers) to promote the human rights of vision impaired people were plentiful. They include:

• Successfully lobbying for the world’s first free post system for braille (and later talking) books.
• Gaining free public transport for blind people.
• Achieving the right to vote for blind people.
• Lobbying for the repeal of the bounty system which meant blind people had to pay hefty levies before they could travel interstate
• Gaining Government approval for a pension for all legally blind people.

Kathleen Whitten was a successful local government figure for more than a decade, being Alderman of the Campbelltown Municipal Council (1959-72) and Mayor (1961-2). She was in favour of hospitals and sewerage provision for Campbelltown and St Marys and improvement in the rail services to the area. Kathleen Whitten was very active in her electorate and was patron of the local Girl Guides and Boy Scouts associations, a member and patron of Parents and Citizens Associations in North and East Campbelltown, President of the Campbelltown Milk Zone Dairymen’s Council 1963-64, a member of V.I.E.W. and was associated with the Campbelltown Theatre Group and the Girls’ Marching Association.

Kay Wicks was a once only candidate who stood for the Communist Party of Australia in the 1981 elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Newcastle. Her election leaflets stressed her and her party’s opposition to nuclear energy, support for Aboriginal Land Rights, expansion of ethnic centres, and electoral reform – particularly four year terms for Parliament.

Brigitte Williams was a once only candidate who represented the Australian Democrats in the 1999 elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Oxley. She believes in community action and is active in Landcare and the local Catchment Management Committee. Brigitte has worked in the hospitality industry in managing positions in a hotel and a caravan park (1980-82). She then managed a market garden and was Secretary for the Bellinger River Action Group (1984-94) while completing her tertiary qualifications (B.A., Dip. Ed.). She has taught English and History at tertiary and secondary level, and by correspondence.

Leonie Williams was a once only candidate who stood for the Australian Greens in the Bathurst elections of 1999. She had three small children when she ran for election and was a familiar face in Bathurst because of her attendance at a number of rallies against uranium mining.

Clare Wilson, a child welfare campaigner, was a remarkable early candidate who stood for the Progressive Party in the 1922 elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of the Western Suburbs. Known as the “Silent Candidate” because she gave no speeches, Mrs Wilson was inclined towards spectacular stunts, such as entering a cage with five lions and a bear at Wirth’s circus to raise money for poverty in 1921, and distributing Peace Loan pamphlets from an aeroplane. Her name is given as Clara in the Parliamentary scrapbook. She was well known throughout the Western suburbs of Sydney as a hard worker in the interests of mothers and children. Clare Meta Wilson was married to J.A Wilson.

Heather Wilton was a once only candidate for Parliament (Independent candidate, New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Albury, 2003) but a very successful local councillor. She was a member of the Berrigan Shire Council for ten years (1987-1997), President from 1991-2, Mayor in 1993 and Deputy Mayor from 1995-6. Heather Wilton then joined the Holbrook Council as Mayor from 1999-2004.