'Surely it would be a good thing': Women in the Victorian Parliament

In 1923, Victoria was the only Australian state that did not allow women to stand for Parliament. This changed with the passing of the Parliamentary Elections (Women Candidates) Act in 1923. At the 1924 Legislative Assembly election, Alicia Katz took up this opportunity and was the first woman to stand for the Victorian Parliament.  She stood as the Australian Labor Party candidate for Barwon.  

While Alicia Katz did not win her seat, and it took another nine years for a woman to be elected to Victoria’s parliament, the current 60th Parliament has equal numbers of men and women. At the 2022 state election, more women than men were elected to the Legislative Council.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of these events, this paper provides an overview of the debates that led to legislative change and a summary of Alicia Katz’s experience as Victoria’s first female state-election candidate. It also has charts which demonstrate the increase in the number of women standing for Parliament at each election since 1924, and the number of women elected.