Women in the Western Australian Legislative Council
Introduction 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)6'''Kay 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)10''Diane Airey''LiberalSouth Metropolitan2 February 1993 – 21 May 1993 (term expired)''Valma Ferguson''LaborEast Metropolitan2 February 1993 – 21 May 1993 (term expired)  4 April 1995 – 21 May 1997 (retired)12'''Alannah MacTiernan'''*LaborEast Metropolitan  North Metropolitan22 May 1993 – 21 November 1996 (resigned to contest LA)  22 May 2017 –Barbara ScottLiberalSouth Metropolitan22 May 1993 – 21 May 2009 (retired)14Helen HodgsonDemocratsNorth Metropolitan22 May 1997 – 21 May 2001 (defeated)'''Ljiljanna Ravlich'''LaborEast 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)18'''Kate Doust'''LaborSouth Metropolitan22 May 2001 – '''Sue Ellery'''LaborSouth Metropolitan22 May 2001 – '''Adele Farina'''LaborSouth West22 May 2001 – 21 May 2021 (retired)Dee MargettsGreensAgricultural22 May 2001 – 21 May 2005 (defeated)'''Robyn McSweeney'''LiberalSouth West22 May 2001 – 21 May 2017 (defeated)Louise PrattLaborEast Metropolitan22 May 2001 – 29 October 2007 (resigned to contest Senate)24''Lynn MacLaren''GreensSouth 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 Faragher'''LiberalEast Metropolitan22 May 2005 – Sheila MillsLaborSouth Metropolitan22 May 2005 – 21 May 2009 (retired)'''Helen Morton'''LiberalEast Metropolitan22 May 2005 – 21 May 2017 (defeated)Margaret RoweLiberalAgricultural22 May 2005 – 22 June 2007 (resigned)Sally TalbotLaborSouth West22 May 2005 – 31'''''Wendy Duncan'''''*NationalAgricultural  Mining and Pastoral21 January 2008 – 22 May 2009  22 May 2009 – 12 February 2013 (resigned to contest LA)32''Carolyn Burton''LaborNorth Metropolitan12 September 2008 – 21 May 2009 (term expired)33''Shelley Eaton''LaborMining 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)39''Linda Savage''LaborEast 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)44''Laine McDonald''LaborNorth Metropolitan27 September 2016 – 21 May 2017 (defeated)45''Elise Irwin''LiberalNorth 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 Jarvis'''LaborSouth West22 May 2021 – Sophia MoermondLegalise CannabisAgricultural22 May 2021 – Shelley PayneLaborAgricultural22 May 2021 – Rosetta SahannaLaborMining and Pastoral22 May 2021 –
Timeline ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:12PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:250 left:20AlignBars = earlyDateFormat = yyyyPeriod   = from:1950 till:2025TimeAxis  = orientation:horizontalScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1950Colors   =  id:AL  value:red           legend: Australian Labor Party  id:LP  value:blue          legend: Liberal Party of Australia  id:NP  value:teal          legend: National Party of Australia  id:AD  value:orange        legend: Australian Democrats  id:AG  value:brightgreen   legend: Australian Greens  id:LC  value:yellowgreen   legend: Legalise Cannabis WA Party  id:ID  value:gray(0.6)     legend: IndependentLegend     = columns:3 left:150 top:50 columnwidth:200BarData =  barset:MLCs  bar:Ferguson  bar:MacTiernan  barset:MLCs2  bar:MacLaren  bar:Archer  barset:MLCs3  bar:Xamon  barset:MLCs4PlotData=  width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till barset:MLCs  from:1954 till:1971 color:AL text:"Ruby Hutchison (1954–1971)"  from:1971 till:1986 color:AL text:"Lyla Elliott (1971–1986)"  from:1974 till:1993 color:LP text:"Margaret McAleer (1974–1993)"  from:1974 till:1980 color:AL text:"Grace Vaughan (1974–1980)"  from:1977 till:1983 color:NP text:"Winifred Piesse (1977–1983)"  from:1983 till:1993 color:AL text:"Kay Hallahan (1983–1993)"  from:1986 till:1993 color:AL text:"Beryl Jones (1986–1993)"  from:1989 till:2001 color:AL text:"Cheryl Davenport (1989–2001)"  from:1989 till:2001 color:LP text:"Muriel Patterson (1989–2001)"  from:1993 till:1993 color:LP text:"Diane Airey (1993)" bar:Ferguson  from:1993 till:1993 color:AL text:"  from:1995 till:1997 color:AL text:"Valma Ferguson (1993, 1995–1997)" bar:MacTiernan  from:1993 till:1996 color:AL text:"  from:2017 till:2022 color:AL text:"Alannah MacTiernan (1993–1996, 2017–present)" barset:MLCs2  from:1993 till:2009 color:LP text:"Barbara Scott (1993–2009)"  from:1997 till:2001 color:AD text:"Helen Hodgson (1997–2001)"  from:1997 till:2015 color:AL text:"Ljiljanna Ravlich (1997–2015)"  from:1997 till:2005 color:AG text:"Chrissy Sharp (1997–2005)"  from:1997 till:2013 color:AG text:"Giz Watson (1997–2013)"  from:2001 till:2022 color:AL text:"Kate Doust (2001–present)"  from:2001 till:2022 color:AL text:"Sue Ellery (2001–present)"  from:2001 till:2021 color:AL text:"Adele Farina (2001–2021)"  from:2001 till:2005 color:AG text:"Dee Margetts (2001–2005)"  from:2001 till:2017 color:LP text:"Robyn McSweeney (2001–2017)"  from:2001 till:2007 color:AL text:"Louise Pratt (2001–2007)" bar:MacLaren  from:2005 till:2005 color:AG text:"  from:2009 till:2017 color:AG text:"Lynn MacLaren (2005, 2009–2017)" bar:Archer  from:2005 till:2007 color:AL text:"  from:2007 till:2009 color:ID text:"Shelley Archer (2005–2009)" barset:MLCs3  from:2005 till:2022 color:LP text:"Donna Faragher (2005–present)"  from:2005 till:2009 color:AL text:"Sheila Mills (2005–2009)"  from:2005 till:2017 color:LP text:"Helen Morton (2005–2017)"  from:2005 till:2007 color:LP text:"Margaret Rowe (2005–2007)"  from:2005 till:2022 color:AL text:"Sally Talbot (2005–present)"  from:2008 till:2013 color:NP text:"Wendy Duncan (2008–2013)"  from:2008 till:2009 color:AL text:"Carolyn Burton (2008–2009)"  from:2008 till:2009 color:AL text:"Shelley Eaton (2008–2009)"  from:2009 till:2017 color:LP text:"Liz Behjat (2009–2017)"  from:2009 till:2013 color:AL text:"Helen Bullock (2009–2013)"  from:2009 till:2013 color:NP text:"Mia Davies (2009–2013)"  from:2009 till:2017 color:LP text:"Alyssa Hayden (2009–2017)" bar:Xamon  from:2009 till:2013 color:AG text:"  from:2017 till:2021 color:AG text:"Alison Xamon (2009–2013, 2017–2021)" barset:MLCs4  from:2010 till:2013 color:AL text:"Linda Savage (2010–2013)"  from:2013 till:2021 color:NP text:"Jacqui Boydell (2013–2021)"  from:2013 till:2022 color:AL text:"Alanna Clohesy (2013–present)"  from:2013 till:2022 color:AL text:"Samantha Rowe (2013–present)"  from:2013 till:2017 color:AL text:"Amber-Jade Sanderson (2013–2017)"  from:2016 till:2017 color:AL text:"Laine McDonald (2016–2017)"  from:2017 till:2017 color:LP text:"Elise Irwin (2017)"  from:2017 till:2021 color:AG text:"Diane Evers (2017–2021)"  from:2021 till:2022 color:AL text:"Klara Andric (2021–present)"  from:2021 till:2022 color:AL text:"Sandra Carr (2021–present)"  from:2021 till:2022 color:AL text:"Ayor Makur Chuot (2021–present)"  from:2021 till:2022 color:AL text:"Lorna Harper (2021–present)"  from:2021 till:2022 color:AL text:"Jackie Jarvis (2021–present)"  from:2021 till:2022 color:LC text:"Sophia Moermond (2021–present)"  from:2021 till:2022 color:AL text:"Shelley Payne (2021–present)"  from:2021 till:2022 color:AL text:"Rosetta Sahanna (2021–present)"  barset:skip
See also