Dorothy Tangney
Encyclopedia
Dame Dorothy Margaret Tangney DBE (13 March 19111 June 1985) was an Australia
n politician and the first woman member of the Australian Senate
.
Dorothy Tangney started her career as a school teacher in Western Australia
. In 1940
she stood as a federal Senate candidate for the Australian Labor Party
in Western Australia, and again in 1943
, when she was the first woman elected to the Senate. She served in the Senate from 21 August 1943 to 30 June 1968. Her 25 years of service made her the longest-serving woman parliamentarian. Her record has since been surpassed by Kathy Sullivan
.
Senator Tangney was committed to an agenda of social reform, which included extending federal powers over social services and instituting Commonwealth assistance in education. Senate committees on which Senator Tangney served included the Standing Committee on Regulations and Ordinances and the Select Committee on the Development of Canberra, supporting the development of the Australian National University
, and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Social Security.
In 1968 Tangney was the first woman born in Western Australia to be appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
. Her award was for her services to the Australian Parliament.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician and the first woman member of the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
.
Dorothy Tangney started her career as a school teacher in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. In 1940
Australian federal election, 1940
Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 September 1940. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
she stood as a federal Senate candidate for the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
in Western Australia, and again in 1943
Australian federal election, 1943
Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 August 1943. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia John Curtin easily defeated the opposition Country Party led...
, when she was the first woman elected to the Senate. She served in the Senate from 21 August 1943 to 30 June 1968. Her 25 years of service made her the longest-serving woman parliamentarian. Her record has since been surpassed by Kathy Sullivan
Kathy Sullivan (Australian politician)
Kathy Sullivan , Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian Senate from 1974 to 1984, representing Queensland, and a member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Moncrieff, Queensland, from 1984 to 2001. She served longer in the Australian Parliament than any other...
.
Senator Tangney was committed to an agenda of social reform, which included extending federal powers over social services and instituting Commonwealth assistance in education. Senate committees on which Senator Tangney served included the Standing Committee on Regulations and Ordinances and the Select Committee on the Development of Canberra, supporting the development of the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Social Security.
In 1968 Tangney was the first woman born in Western Australia to be appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. Her award was for her services to the Australian Parliament.
Legacies
- In 1974 the federal electoral division of TangneyDivision of TangneyThe Division of Tangney is an Australian electoral division in the state of Western Australia. Eligible voters within the Division elect a single representative, known as the member for Tangney, to the Australian House of Representatives...
in Western Australia was named in her honour.
- In 1999 a street in CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, formerly known as Administration Place, was changed to Dorothy Tangney Place.
- In 1993 she and Dame Enid LyonsEnid LyonsDame Enid Muriel Lyons, AD, GBE was an Australian politician and the first woman to be elected to the Australian House of Representatives as well as the first woman appointed to the federal Cabinet...
, the first female member of the Australian House of RepresentativesAustralian House of RepresentativesThe House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
, appeared on a 45c stamp.
Sources
- Senate Brief No 3, Women in the Senate, Parliament of Australia, Department of the Senate. 1999
External links
- Listen to a recorded version of Dorothy Tangney's maiden speech in Parliament and read more about it on australianscreen online. This recording was added to the National Film and Sound ArchiveNational Film and Sound ArchiveThe National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...
's Sounds of Australia registry in 2011.