Leadership and community

• Centenary of suffrage
  • Great Queensland women from our past
  • History
    • Key players
    • Support and opposition
    • Timeline of suffrage
    • What the legislation said
  • Indigenous rights
    • The Act
    • Fighting for rights
  • Resources for schools
• National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Gathering (NATSIWG)
• International Women's Day
• Seminars
  • Community leadership seminar series
  • Indigenous Women's Mentoring Workshops
  • Previous seminars
• Women into local government
  • Resources
• Women on Boards
  • For organisations
  • For women
  • Register of nominees

Support and opposition

Women unionists marching towards the north entrance to the Victoria Bridge during the General Strike of 1912. The Treasury building is in the background. John Oxley Collection, State Library of Queensland neg No 59436.

A selection of quotes portray the prevailing attitudes of many of those in power.

Support for Women Voting

“In supporting as you are doing the contention that all women of Queensland should be kept disenfranchised because all are not asking for a privilege of which they know neither the value nor the need, you are aiding in the infliction of a cruel injustice and one of which it seems impossible you can have fully represented to yourself the issues.”

- Leontine Cooper, 1 September 1900

“It appears manifestly unfair that almost one-half of the adult population should have to submit to laws enacted by the other half and that although they bear their share of the taxation they are prohibited from exercising a voice in the selection of the representatives of the people in Parliament.”

- Speaker at meeting forming the Woman's Equal Franchise Association, February 1894

Opposition to women voting

“Suppose she thinks for herself. Over the dinner table wife is to quarrel with husband and sister with brother. Political faction is to divide the home and drive man's helpmeet from his side.We reiterate our conviction that the great body of Queensland women do not want it: we are perfectly sure that in the end it will be for evil.”

- The Brisbane Courier, 1 September 1900

“I believe in short that a large number of women are apathetic.”

- Hon Justin Foxton, Home Secretary, November 1901

“I say there is no man with any sense at all, knowing that his wife or his daughter held different opinions from his own on a certain subject, would make that subject a topic of conversation. He would be more than mad if he did.”

“Women whose instincts are in many instances higher than men's reason. are not going to risk home happiness for the poor satisfaction of having a vote.”

- George Story, Member for Balonne, November 1901

“Women who go about forming women's electoral leagues and so forth should stop at home and mind the children. By and by there will be no more children at all.”

- Donald Mackintosh, Member for Cambooya

“Women wouldn't want to divulge their age - so they wouldn't want to enrol”

- Hon Edward Forrest (Brisbane North)