The Australian Women's Register

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Andrea Coote was elected to the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament in 1999 as the Member for Monash Province. She has held positions which included Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Council), Manager of Opposition Business ( Council), Shadow Minister for Ageing and Carers, Shadow Minister for Victorian Communities and Spokesperson for the Arts. She was elected to the new Legislative Council Province of Southern Metropolitan at the state election, which was held on 25 November 2006. She was re-elected in 2010, but retired at the 2014 election.

Described by her son, Simon Morcom, as a “Lifelong fighter for peace and justice, tempered with an off-key sense of humour. A mentor and an inspiration,” Elfrida Morcom was a Communist Party of Australia candidate for Collaroy in 1956 and 1965 and candidate for the Warringah Shire Council in 1965.

An activist against immigration to Australia, Carolyn O’Callaghan was an Australians Against Further Immigration candidate for Bathurst in 1995 and for the New South Wales Senate in 1996.

A member of the Australian Labor Party, Mary Gillett served as the Member for Werribee in the Legislative Assembly of the Victorian Parliament from 1996-2002 when the seat was abolished. From 2002 until 2006 she served as the Member for Tarneit. Her ministerial appointments have included Parliamentary Secretary for Volunteers, Commonwealth Games and from 2002 Parliamentary Secretary for Women’s Affairs.

A once-only candidate who was an Independent candidate for Canterbury in 1988 and for the Canterbury City Council Mayoral Election in 1987.

A peace, environment and health activist, Margaret Perrott was a Democratic Socialist candidate for Illawarra in 1999 and a Socialist Alliance candidate in the House of Representatives for Cunningham in 1996 and 1998, and for Throsby in 1993, 2001 and 2004.

Elizabeth Robinson was a remarkable woman and an Independent candidate for Newcastle in 1932.

Lucia van Oostveen was part of the Natural Law Party’s attempt to bring the principles of Maharishi Vedic Science into Australian politics. She was a Natural Law Party candidate for Granville in 1995 and a candidate in the House of Representatives for Fowler in 1996.

Haete Weiner is an environmental activist and a once-only candidate. She was the Green’s candidate for Vaucluse in 1999.

A successful Aboriginal bureaucrat and activist, Linda Burney became the first Aboriginal person elected to the New South Wales (NSW) Parliament in 2003, and only the fourth Aboriginal woman elected anywhere in Australia. She was re-elected in 2007, 2011 and 2015. She held a range of Ministerial portfolios from 2007-2011. In 2016 she was serving as Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

Parliamentary and Local Government career

• Elected, Canterbury, 2003, Party: ALP

Actor and activist, Noeline Brown has been involved in social, community and political affairs all her life. She was an ALP candidate for the Southern Highlands in 1999 and 2003.

From working at the meatworks of Qeerah, Queensland, Rose Colless went on to be Queensland Commissioner for Aborigines and manage a centre for the rehabilitation of alcoholics before being presented with an Order of Australia Medal and an Australian human rights award.

A once-only candidate, Emma Ekman was Democratic Labor Party candidate for Hawkesbury in 1973. She was married to Russell Ekman, with whom she had a daughter and a son.

Helen Corbett, of Yinggarda and Bibbulman descent, was educated in Carnarvon, Perth and Sydney. She was Director of Studies at Tranby Aboriginal Cooperative College in Sydney. She also worked as executive officer in the Western Australian Aboriginal Legal Service, the largest of its kind in Australia, operating 13 branches and providing legal services to over 48,000 Aboriginal people in that state.

In 1983 Corbett co-founded the Committee to Defend Black Rights (CDBR), and became its national chairperson. The Committee was at the forefront of a national and international campaign which forced the federal government to establish the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Helen has represented the Committee at national and international meetings, and has travelled widely to advocate indigenous interests. She is also vice-president of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation and has received a number of awards and scholarships in recognition of her work.

The first woman alderman, mayor and among the first women JPs and MPs in New South Wales, Lilian Fowler was a blunt and tenacious politician, who worked on behalf of women and the underprivileged.

Labor candidate for Newtown in 1941 (unsuccessful), 1944 (elected) and 1947 (elected). Lang Labor candidate for Newtown-Annandale in 1950. Alderman Newtown Municipal Council 1928, first woman alderman in NSW, re-elected 1935-37, 1938-40, 1941-44, 1948. Mayor 1938-39.

Annie Coulthard (Yadandhanha), of Adnyamathanha descent, grew up at Wertaloona station where her father worked. There she was employed as a housemaid until about 1924, when she married her cousin Samuel Coulthard.

Annie and Samuel moved to Balcanoona where they worked for Ray Thomas, carting stones and sand for the new ‘Government House’, now headquarters of the Gammon Ranges National Park. After the birth of their first child in 1926, the family moved to the Adnyamathanha camp at Ram Paddock Gate on Patsy Springs, where they struggled to survive in a land ravaged by stock and drought. They moved to the Nepabunna run in 1930, when Thomas gave it to the Adnyamathanha. In the early 1940s, the Coulthards drove sheep between Balcanoona and Copley, and lived and worked on Idninha. In the early 1950s they moved to Wooltana and then to Nepabunna where, in 1973, Sam Coulthard died.

The last five years of her life Annie Coulthard dedicated to passing on traditional knowledge. She died in 1986 and was buried at Nepabunna beside her husband.

An indefatigable worker and a contributor to every community in which she lived, Dorothy Frank stood as an Independent candidate for Temora in 1968 and was elected Alderman of Temora Municipal Council.

Pat Davis-Hurst emerged as a community leader as she informally provided the services of counsellor, community nurse, social welfare worker and corrective services liaison officer to Aboriginal people from around her district.

In 1975 she was appointed as an Aboriginal health worker by the New South Wales Department of Health. In 1980 she founded Taree’s Gillawarra (now the Biripai) Aboriginal Health Service, and in 1983 established the Wonnai Cooperative in Taree. She was also a director of the Aboriginal Legal Service, a member of the Taree Housing Commission Board and a Justice of the Peace. She moved to the Taree Community Health Centre in 1983, where she remained until her retirement in 1990 due to ill health.

In 1985 Pat Davis-Hurst received the Times-Telecom Advance Australia Award for her contribution to the Purfleet-Taree community.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Sue Wilding served as the member for Chelsea Province in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament from 1992-99. She was also a Councillor for the Shire of Hastings from 1981-93, which included two terms as Shire President from 1984-85 and 1989-90. She was defeated at the 1999 state election, which was held on 18 September 1999.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Leonie Burke served as the Member for Prahran in the Legislative Assembly of the Victorian Parliament from 1996-2002. She was a Prahran City Councillor from 1986-93 which included a term as Mayor from 1990-92.

Susan Davies served as the member for Gippsland West as an Independent in the Legislative Assembly in the Victorian Parliament from 1997-2002. She stood for re-election in 2002, but was unsuccessful. She had previously been a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and stood as the ALP candidate for Gippsland West in the 1996 state election, but resigned in January 1997. She rejoined the ALP to contest the federal election in 2004 for the seat of La Trobe, in which she was unsuccessful.

Although no longer involved in parliamentary politics, Susan remains active in the community that she served. In 2006 she was a Director of the Bass Coast Community Foundation, which she established in 2001, and in 2005 she initiated the Wonthaggi Energy Innovation Festival, which is an extension of the Wonthaggi Human Powered Grand Prix (of which she is a Patron and Management Committee Member.)

Susan Davies was National Manager of HIPPY Australia (HIPPY= Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters), with the Brotherhood of St Laurence. HIPPY is an early childhood enrichment program which works with refugee, migrant, aboriginal and other families helping parents improve their children’s “school readiness” skills. She left that position in 2008.

Since that time she has been living full-time and working on her small beef farm in Outtrim (South Gippsland, Victoria), and has continued as a Director on several boards, including West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (Victorian Government appointment), South Gippsland General Practice Alliance (Independent appointment) and since 2009, as Chair of Energy Innovation Co-operative Ltd. Energy Innovation Co-op works within South Gippsland/ Bass Coast and Cardinia Shires, to achieve the vision of “Energy self-reliant and zero carbon emission local communities”.

She also belongs to “Grow Lightly”, a local food-producer’s network focusing on sustainable local food production and sale plus Korumburra Landcare group, participating in indigenous re-vegetation projects along local waterways.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Wendy Smith served as the Member for Silvan Province in the Legislative Council of the Parliament of Victoria from 1996-2002.
Her earlier community service included a period as a Councillor for the City of Kew from 1983-88. She was a candidate in the Legislative Assembly seat of Albert Park at the state election, which was held in 3 October 1992.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Maree Luckins served as the member for Waverley in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament from 1996-2002. Before her election to the State Parliament in 1996, she was an unsuccessful candidate in the Legislative Assembly seat of Dandenong North at the election, which was held on 3 October 1992. She unsuccessfully contested the Legislative Assembly seat of Narre Warren in the Victorian state election, which was held on 30 November 2002.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Andrea McCall served as the Member for Frankston in the Legislative Assembly of the Victorian Parliament from 1996-2002.

A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, Louise Asher held the Ministerial portfolios of Tourism and Small Business from 1996-99 in the Kennett Government, which was in power in Victoria from 1992-99. She served as the Member for Monash Province in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament from 1992-99 and moved to the Legislative Assembly as the Member for Brighton in 1999 and was re-elected in 2002 and 2006. She held the positions of Shadow Minister for Industry and Employment and Major Projects from January 2004 to December 2006 and was Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Minister for Urban Water, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Shadow Minister for Tourism and Major Events from 2006-10. She was re-elected in 2010 and was appointed the Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business as well as Minister for Tourism and Major Events in the new Liberal Government. In addition she retained the position of Deputy leader of the Liberal Party.

On the defeat of the Liberal Government in November 2014, and Asher’s re-election, she resigned as deputy leader of the Liberal Party.

Violet Mary Amor ran as a Democratic Labor Party candidate for Castlereagh in 1962. She was a once-only candidate.

Mollie Barry’s varied career as an activist, ALP member and mentor for young people exemplifies the commitment to social involvement so common among her generation. She was an ALP candidate for Coogee in 1971.