Charles Kingston, as new South Australian premier, changes mind: brings the women's vote bill to parliament, 1894

Premier Charles Cameron Kingston also enforced Sunday closing of hotels when he realised the advantage of getting women's votes.
Image courtesy State Library of South Australia

Charles Cameron Kingston had initially opposed the concept of votes for women in the 1893 elections when, as leader of the liberals, he defeated conservative John Downer to became South Australian premier. But Kingston had peviously brought in other important laws benefitting women such as the Married Women’s Property Act 1883. 

Kingston was persuaded to change his mind on women's suffrage by ministerial colleagues John Cockburn and Frederick Holder and lobbied by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Seeing the political advantage in the the women's vote, Kingston also proceeded to enforce Sunday closing of hotels. This had been legislated by premier Tom Playford II's ministry but had remained a dead letter

South Australian women's rights groups had redoubled their suffrage campaign, encouraged by New Zealand women getting the vote in 1893. They travelled all over the colony (including the Northern Territory) collecting signatures.

In July 1894, Kingston had his attorney general John Gordron introduce a bill to the Legislative Council for South Australia to become the first Australian state to introduce full adult suffrage.

Ironically, the extra right of women to stand for election to parliament was gained through the machinations in the Legislative Council of those opponents, such as Ebenezer Ward, who wanted to wreck the bill. They thought that adding the right for women to be elected to parliament would automatically be mocked and the bill would collapse in the House of Assembly. It did not.

On August 23, 1894, the adult suffrage bill was introduced to the House of Asssembly after being passed in the Legislative Council. The petition with 11,600 signatures, collected by members of the Women's Suffrage League and the Women's Christian Temperance Union, was delivered to parliament house on that day.

The final House of Assemby vote on a constitution amendment act – clearing the way for full adult suffrage – on December 18 was 31-14, three more than the required majority.

Women had been granted both the right to vote and to stand as candidates for parliament – the first legislation in the world of its kind.