There have been 54 women in the Western Australian Legislative Council since its creation in 1832. Women have had the right to vote since 1899 and the right to stand as candidates since 1920.
The first successful female candidate for the Legislative Council was Ruby Hutchison, who was elected as one of the members for Metropolitan-Suburban Province in 1954, representing the Labor Party. Since then, women have been continuously represented in the Legislative Council; when Hutchison retired in 1971, she was succeeded by Lyla Elliott. Margaret McAleer became the first Liberal woman in the Council in 1974, and Winifred Piesse became the first Country Party woman in 1977.
In 1997, the first women representing minor parties were elected to the Council: Helen Hodgson for the Australian Democrats, and Chrissy Sharp and Giz Watson for the Greens WA.
List of women in the Western Australian Legislative Council
Names in bold indicate women who have been appointed as Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries during their time in Parliament. Names in italics indicate entry into Parliament through a by-election or by appointment and * symbolises members that have sat as members in both the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly.
#NamePartyProvince/RegionPeriod of service1Ruby HutchisonLaborSuburban North-East Metropolitan22 May 1954 – 22 May 1965 22 May 1965 – 21 May 1971 (retired)2Lyla ElliottLaborNorth-East Metropolitan22 May 1971 – 21 May 1986 (retired)3Margaret McAleerLiberalUpper West Agricultural22 May 1974 – 22 May 1989 22 May 1989 – 21 May 1993 (retired)Grace VaughanLaborSouth-East Metropolitan22 May 1974 – 21 May 1980 (defeated)5Winifred PiesseNCP/NationalLower Central22 May 1977 – 21 May 1983 (defeated)6Kay Hallahan*LaborSouth-East Metropolitan East Metropolitan22 May 1983 – 22 May 1989 22 May 1989 – 13 January 1993 (resigned to contest LA)7Beryl JonesLaborLower West South West22 May 1986 – 22 May 1989 22 May 1989 – 21 May 1993 (retired)8Cheryl DavenportLaborSouth Metropolitan22 May 1989 – 21 May 2001 (retired)Muriel PattersonLiberalSouth West22 May 1989 – 21 May 2001 (retired)10Diane AireyLiberalSouth Metropolitan2 February 1993 – 21 May 1993 (term expired)Valma FergusonLaborEast Metropolitan2 February 1993 – 21 May 1993 (term expired) 4 April 1995 – 21 May 1997 (retired)12Alannah MacTiernan*LaborEast Metropolitan North Metropolitan22 May 1993 – 21 November 1996 (resigned to contest LA) 22 May 2017 – 10 February 2023 (resigned)Barbara ScottLiberalSouth Metropolitan22 May 1993 – 21 May 2009 (retired)14Helen HodgsonDemocratsNorth Metropolitan22 May 1997 – 21 May 2001 (defeated)Ljiljanna RavlichLaborEast Metropolitan North Metropolitan22 May 1997 – 21 May 2013 22 May 2013 – 10 March 2015 (resigned)Chrissy SharpGreensSouth West22 May 1997 – 21 May 2005 (retired)Giz WatsonGreensNorth Metropolitan22 May 1997 – 21 May 2013 (defeated)18Kate DoustLaborSouth Metropolitan22 May 2001 – Sue ElleryLaborSouth Metropolitan22 May 2001 – Adele FarinaLaborSouth West22 May 2001 – 21 May 2021 (retired)Dee MargettsGreensAgricultural22 May 2001 – 21 May 2005 (defeated)Robyn McSweeneyLiberalSouth West22 May 2001 – 21 May 2017 (defeated)Louise PrattLaborEast Metropolitan22 May 2001 – 29 October 2007 (resigned to contest Senate)24Lynn MacLarenGreensSouth Metropolitan15 February 2005 – 21 May 2005 (defeated) 22 May 2009 – 21 May 2017 (defeated)25Shelley ArcherLabor/IndependentMining and Pastoral22 May 2005 – 21 May 2009 (retired)Donna FaragherLiberalEast Metropolitan22 May 2005 – Sheila MillsLaborSouth Metropolitan22 May 2005 – 21 May 2009 (retired)Helen MortonLiberalEast Metropolitan22 May 2005 – 21 May 2017 (defeated)Margaret RoweLiberalAgricultural22 May 2005 – 22 June 2007 (resigned)Sally TalbotLaborSouth West22 May 2005 – 31Wendy Duncan*NationalAgricultural Mining and Pastoral21 January 2008 – 22 May 2009 22 May 2009 – 12 February 2013 (resigned to contest LA)32Carolyn BurtonLaborNorth Metropolitan12 September 2008 – 21 May 2009 (term expired)33Shelley EatonLaborMining and Pastoral17 September 2008 – 21 May 2009 (term expired)34Liz BehjatLiberalNorth Metropolitan22 May 2009 – 21 May 2017 (retired)Helen BullockLaborMining and Pastoral22 May 2009 – 21 May 2013 (retired)Mia Davies*NationalAgricultural22 May 2009 – 12 February 2013 (resigned to contest LA)Alyssa Hayden*LiberalEast Metropolitan22 May 2009 – 21 May 2017 (defeated)Alison XamonGreensEast Metropolitan North Metropolitan22 May 2009 – 21 May 2013 (defeated) 22 May 2017 – 21 May 2021 (defeated)39Linda SavageLaborEast Metropolitan22 March 2010 – 21 May 2013 (retired)40Jacqui BoydellNationalMining and Pastoral22 May 2013 – 21 May 2021 (retired)Alanna ClohesyLaborEast Metropolitan22 May 2013 –Samantha RoweLaborEast Metropolitan22 May 2013 –Amber-Jade Sanderson*LaborEast Metropolitan22 May 2013 – 5 February 2017 (resigned to contest LA)44Laine McDonaldLaborNorth Metropolitan27 September 2016 – 21 May 2017 (defeated)45Elise IrwinLiberalNorth Metropolitan4 April 2017 – 21 May 2017 (term expired)46Diane EversGreensSouth West22 May 2017 – 21 May 2021 (defeated)47Klara AndricLaborSouth Metropolitan22 May 2021 – Sandra CarrLaborAgricultural22 May 2021 – Ayor Makur ChuotLaborNorth Metropolitan22 May 2021 – Lorna HarperLaborEast Metropolitan22 May 2021 – Jackie JarvisLaborSouth West22 May 2021 – Sophia MoermondLegalise CannabisAgricultural22 May 2021 – Shelley PayneLaborAgricultural22 May 2021 – Rosetta SahannaLaborMining and Pastoral22 May 2021 –
Timeline
Proportion of women in the Assembly Numbers and proportions are as they were directly after the relevant election and do not take into account by-elections, defections or other changes in membership. The Liberal column also includes that party's predecessors, the Liberal and Country League. The National column includes the various National Party splinter groups in the 1980s.
TermLaborLiberalNationalOthersTotalWomenTotal%WomenTotal%WomenTotal%WomenTotal%WomenTotal%1954–19561 13 7.7%0 9 0.0%0 8 0.0%0 0 0.0%1 30 3.3%1956–19581 13 7.7%0 9 0.0%0 8 0.0%0 0 0.0%1 30 3.3%1958–19601 13 7.7%0 9 0.0%0 8 0.0%0 0 0.0%1 30 3.3%1960–19621 13 7.7%0 9 0.0%0 8 0.0%0 0 0.0%1 30 3.3%1962–19651 13 7.7%0 10 0.0%0 7 0.0%0 0 0.0%1 30 3.3%1965–19681 10 10.0%0 12 0.0%0 8 0.0%0 0 0.0%1 30 3.3%1968–19711 10 10.0%0 12 0.0%0 8 0.0%0 0 0.0%1 30 3.3%1971–19741 10 10.0%0 13 0.0%0 7 0.0%0 0 0.0%1 30 3.3%1974–19772 9 22.2%1 18 5.6%0 3 0.0%0 0 0.0%3 30 10.0%1977–19802 10 20.0%1 18 5.6%1 4 25.0%0 0 0.0%4 32 12.5%1980–19831 9 11.1%1 19 5.3%1 4 25.0%0 0 0.0%3 32 9.4%1983–19862 13 15.4%1 19 5.3%0 2 0.0%0 0 0.0%3 34 8.8%1986–19892 16 12.5%1 14 7.1%0 4 0.0%0 0 0.0%3 34 8.8%1989–19933 16 18.8%2 15 13.3%0 3 0.0%0 0 0.0%5 34 14.7%1993–19972 14 14.3%2 15 13.3%0 3 0.0%0 2 0.0%4 34 11.8%1997–20012 12 16.7%2 14 14.3%0 3 0.0%3 5 60.0%7 34 20.6%2001–20055 13 38.5%2 12 16.7%0 1 0.0%3 8 37.5%10 34 29.4%2005–20098 16 50.0%5 15 33.3%0 1 0.0%1 2 50.0%14 34 41.2%2009–20136 11 54.5%5 16 31.3%2 5 40.0%3 4 75.0%16 36 44.4%2013–20178 11 72.7%5 17 29.4%1 5 20.0%1 3 33.3%15 36 41.7%2017–20217 14 50.0%1 9 11.1%1 4 25.0%2 9 22.2%11 36 30.6%2021–202513 22 59.1%1 7 14.3%0 3 0.0%1 4 25.0%15 36 41.7%2025–11 16 68.8%2 10 20.0%1 2 50.0%4 9 44.4%18 37 48.6%
See also