Our Centenary of Women’s Suffrage
Women in Politics – The Women’s Organisations
Early in the campaign the UNA column featured three major women’s organisations based in NSW. Miss Rose Scott of the Women’s Political and Educational League (WPEL), Miss Golding of the Women’s Progressive Association (WPA) and Mrs Molyneux Parkes of the Women’s Liberal League (WLL) were questioned about the objectives, activities and policies of their groups.
Rose Scott, for WPEL, stated that they wished to avoid party politics and sectarianism, and to go on the ground of a common womanhood. ‘The main object of our league, founded in October 1892, is to teach women to think for themselves. We don’t want this vote to be a mere adjunct to the men’s vote. We want them to look into political questions, judge for themselves, and vote according to conscience.’ After discussing the implications of the State Children’s Bill, and other issues relating to women and to home life, Miss Scott stated ‘We mean to vote for the man who will assist in making equitable, humane and effective laws to deal with such cases’.
Miss Scott gave her personal opinions relating to free trade – strongly in favour – and opposing the government’s immigration policy, ‘that selfish policy… totally contrary to the essence of the Australian spirit; the hospitality which is regarded as our chief characteristic’.
According to Miss Golding, the WPA was strictly non-sectarian, non-party and non-fiscal. The main plank of their platform was to educate the women how to use the vote for the general good. ‘We hope that women, whatsoever their political opinions, will steadily support all good measures of social and domestic reform, and particularly those that affect the welfare of their own sex.’ One such measure discussed was legislation to prevent sweatshop labour. The WPA had helped some women to form unions, for example covering hotel and restaurants’ employees, the Order Tailoresses and laundry workers, and were hoping to do something for domestic servants in hotels and boarding houses. They also advised ‘the girls to value their work properly, and to claim equal wages for equal results’. The WPA would urge women to vote for the men ‘who will help us to secure our aims’.
The avowed object of the WLL was the establishment of liberal principles in political life. Mrs Molyneux Parkes, the president, believed firmly in party government –‘constitutional history teaches us that party politics constitute the essence - the life blood - of constitutional government’. This meant, she said, she could not work with Miss Scott even though they thought alike on some subjects. Mrs Parkes also saw the need for a strong women’s organisation, who ‘would then be consulted with regard to the selection of Liberal candidates, and, what is better, the knowledge of our position would bring forward more candidates of a higher type. This is the only way in which we can be sure that our influence will bring in better men.’ Mrs Parkes said that the WLL felt that their chief energies must be directed to the purification of our institutions and to economical administration of the public funds. ‘We must get our finances into a sound condition before we talk about social reform, for all this means the expenditure of money.’ The fiscal question was the vital question of the hour; ‘in fact, freetrade means liberty and protection means bonds’. Mrs Parkes discussed League membership and organisation, suggesting however that ‘women who have to earn their livings are afraid to identify themselves with any party, lest they should lose customers, or offend employers, or injure their husbands’ trade or profession.’ She also asserted that ‘women are not yet accustomed to join organisations, and some who have done so are not allowed by their husbands to attend the meetings.’ But they assured her ‘they are with us in spirit.’
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