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WOMAN MEMBERS.
Electoral Amendment Sought.
A conference of all -women's organisa
tions in Victoria, has been suggested as the
best practicable means of advancing the
movement recently initiated -to secure an
amendment of the Electoral Act that
would abolish tire. present disqualification
of women to sit as members of the State
Parliament. Alone among the Australian
electoral systems— including the Federal—
tho Victorian law witholds this eligibility
from women. The idea of a woman member
apparently never occurred to the trainers
and draftsmen. Every reference and con
dition is masculine: "He" shall do this, and
ho" shall do that. Victorian delegates to
women's inter-State conferences declare
that they are mode to feel this relative in
feriority of status among the delegates.
Some European countries have woirora
members of Parliament, and a woman has
lxssn elected in Canada, whQo the election
of Mrs. Cowan, in Western Australia has
been widely acclaimed. Women in Great
Britain are taking an increasingly active
part in the administration of hospitals,
public charities, housing and municipal re
forms, and education. Actual participation
in tho work of legislation and administra
tion by women with a gift for public bus--
nesg has, it is claimed, effected much more
than "beating the air" at outside conven
tions and conferences.
The exeentivo of the National Council of
Women will meet this evening to in
augurate plans for bringing pressure to
bear on the State Government, and or
ganisers consider that if a general con
ference were followed by a public meeting,
substantial support of the claim would be
revealed.
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