We are a pretty amazing bunch, us Aussie women.
We have been workers and leaders, fighters and pioneers – right from our very roots.
Shamefully we have also shared in a history that has allowed babies to be taken from their mothers and a gap of 60 years between when women and indigenous Australians were finally given the vote – and we remain part of a system that still trails behind 21 other countries where same sex marriage is legal.
But despite these shortcomings, we are a nation that produces inspiring women we should be proud of.
And they are worth celebrating. Here are just a few.
1. Edith Cowan.
Edith Cowan was the first woman in Australia to enter parliament, at the age of 60.
Born in 1861, she was a pioneer advocate for women’s and children’s rights.
Two of her most important legacies were giving women financial security after divorce and setting up the Children’s Protection Society, which was the precursor of the Children’s Court.
You might recognise her as she is on our $50 note.
2. Dr Fiona Wood.
Dr Fiona Wood was a pioneer of “spray-on skin” and she created an entirely new way of treating burns.
In 1993, Dr Wood began working on a method for burns treatment at the Royal Perth and Princess Margaret hospitals.
In October 2002, survivors of the Bali bombings were evacuated to Royal Perth, where Dr Wood led a team that was credited with saving the lives of 28 of those patients, some of whom had suffered burns over more than 90 percent of their bodies.
The former Australian of the Year is also a mother to six children.
The hit TV show Love Child is all about celebrating strong Aussie women. Check it out [post continues after video].
3. Julia Gillard.
Our first-ever female Prime Minister fought the system with her famous misogynist speech.
In March 2013, Gillard also stood in the Great Hall in Canberra and said sorry to the victims of forced adoptions.
This particular speech highlighted the tragedy of forced adoption, which is also seen in the successful Australian TV show Love Child.
It is difficult to unimaginable pain suffered by up to 250,000 babies forcibly taken from their mothers. The practice was carried out by governments, hospitals, churches and charities – often illegally.
Ms Gillard’s apology was hailed as one of her finest moments.
4. Merle Thornton and Rosalie Bogner.
On March 31, 1965 at Brisbane’s Regatta Hotel, Merle Thornton (the mother of actress Sigrid Thornton), and Rosalie Bogner chained themselves to the bar to demand women be served drinks.
Eventually, government legislation allowed for women to drink in any watering hole they wished.
Their action became the starting point for women’s liberation in Brisbane. It is now recognised as one of the defining moments of the feminist movement in Australia.
5. Henrietta Dugdale.
Henrietta Dugdale formed the first Australian women’s suffrage society in Melbourne in 1884.
She was one of the first women to fight against male-inflicted violence against women by criticising the Victorian courts in a piece published in the Melbourne Herald.
Historian Audrey Oldfield described her as “A ‘freethinker’ who … placed much of the blame for women’s subjection on the Christian Church and what she called “man’s ignorance”. She exhorted women to throw off their chains, discard their apathy and learn self-respect.”
6. Cate McGregor.
Air Force Group Captain Cate McGregor was born as a man known as Malcolm McGregor and served for 40 years in the military and as a political and sports columnist.
McGregor become a national figure after coming out as a woman in 2012, providing inspiration to transgendered people.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has described her as a friend and “a person of strength, intellect, capacity and truly remarkable courage”.
Who else should make this list?
Want more? How about:
These are “the most powerful women in the country”. Do you agree?
Time has announced its most influential person in 2015… And not everyone agrees.
Top Comments
Megan McGowan. She was a NSW Police Officer that gave crucial evidence to the Wood Royal Commission on paedophiles. She designed and lobbied for the first child protection enforcement agency in NSW and did both while she was still a senior constable. She went on to be the first person to jump five ranks (from senior constable to superintendent, although to be fair she had been relieving at the rank of Inspector for many months), was the chief of staff of crime agencies during the reform of that part of the police force and then became the Commander of the NSW Police Fraud Squad, where she changed the way fraud was investigated, lead massive productivity increases in that squad and not only had it fully staffed for the first time in its history (fraud was daggy before she got there) but had a waiting list to get in.
lots of powerful Aboriginal women,
Lowitja, O'Donoughue, Faith Bandler, Linda Burney, Doreen Kartinyeri, Megan Davis,