Great Australian Speeches: Dame Dorothy Tangney's Maiden Speech

In the landmark 1943 election, Dorothy Tangney was the first woman to be elected to the Senate. A member of the Australian Labor Party, she served as a Senator for Western Australia from 1943 to 1968. Tangney was the first woman elected to the Senate and one of the first two women elected to federal parliament, along with Dame Enid Lyons. She served nearly 25 years in the Senate, being re-elected on four more occasions before her defeat in 1967. This is Dorothy Tangney’s Maiden Speech to Parliament 24th September 1943, read by Izabella Yena.