Some of my favourite objects are disobedient ones: objects linked to acts of defiance – past and present – or things that simply challenge one-dimensional interpretations. Among the Centre of Democracy objects is protest badge worn by members of the South Australian branch of CAMP (Campaign Against Moral Persecution). First...
Posted in Blog
October 23, 2019
Imagine campaigning for legislative change without a representative voice in parliament. Can you grasp the challenges? During the campaign for women’s suffrage in South Australia women had no voice in parliament. The political rights afforded to men, and not to women, were what the Women’s Suffrage League and others were...
Posted in Blog
June 1, 2019
Last month we learned about the formation and role of the Women’s Suffrage League, but who were the key players? This month we explore the lives of a few key individuals from the Women’s Suffrage League, specifically those who were part of the first executive committee – that is the...
Posted in Blog
May 1, 2019
When resistance occurs citizens in a democracy organise to effect change. When Dr Edward Stirling advocated the extension of the franchise to women, the House of Assembly passed his motion affirming the desirability of recognising women’s political rights; but when the Bill was introduced to give effect to the motion,...
Posted in Blog
April 1, 2019
It is correct to assume that the achievement of women’s suffrage in South Australia was pragmatically undertaken by women and men. Still today, women’s rights are issues for people of all gender identities, and not only the responsibility of women. One such man, Dr Edward Charles Stirling (1848-1919), a surgeon,...
Posted in Blog
February 1, 2019
2019 marks 125 years since women won the right to vote and stand for parliament in the Colony of South Australia. Aboriginal women were not excluded from the legislation, however were not actively encouraged to exercise their rights. Looking back, what was life in South Australia like for most non-indigenous...
Posted in Blog
January 1, 2019
Workers organised themselves from the early days of the colony. It is alleged that the first industrial dispute occurred as early as October 1836 on one of the first ships to dock. South Australia company manager Charles Hare was strong armed into paying additional wages to seamen threatening to Strike....
Posted in Blog
June 1, 2018
When the South Australian Constitution was drawn up in 1856, it was one of the most radical and democratic in the world. From the establishment of the colony the governor governed the people on behalf of the British Empire. Both colonists and the Aboriginal people had no say. The governor...
Posted in Blog
May 29, 2017
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