Universal suffrage in Australia
Australia is a federal state. On joining federation the states ceded certain powers to the federal government but retained other powers for themselves. As a result, suffrage was granted at different times by Australian states and the federal government.
The following definitions are used in the table below:
Universal Male Suffrage: Men of the majority ethnic group are permitted one secret vote in free elections irrespective of possession of land, wealth, education levels or literacy levels where the minimum age is no higher than 21.
This differs from the definition used in the English Wikipedia as it considers universal male suffrage to begin when men of the majority ethnic group of any age received the franchise without further qualification. The English Wikipedia definition would mean that in reality only a minority of men would have the franchise and makes it appear that universal male suffrage was enacted earlier than it really was.
Universal Female Suffrage: Women of the majority ethnic group are permitted one secret vote in free elections irrespective of possession of land, wealth, education levels or literacy levels where the minimum age is no higher than 21.
It is universally accepted within psephology that some citizens may be deprived of suffrage while a jurisdiction can still be considered to have Universal Suffrage. Examples of citizens so deprived include military officers, citizens who are non-resident, citizens serving a term of imprisonment and citizens with serious criminal records.
If minority ethnic suffrage was counted as a requirement for universal male and female suffrage then the dates of universal suffrage would be much later for many nations. This would unfortunately obscure important information pertaining to universal suffrage and gender - that in general there was little or no delay between universal male and universal female suffrage of the majority ethnic group in most nations. The exclusion of minority ethnic suffrage in this manner is also consistent with the norms of psephology when considering universal male and universal female suffrage.
| Jurisdiction | Universal Male Suffrage | Universal Female Suffrage | Difference (years) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1901 | 1902 | 1 | During the 1901 (inaugural) federal election state electoral laws applied as no federal electoral laws had yet been enacted. Women were eligible to vote federally if they were eligible to vote in their home state elections. As a result women in South Australia and Western Australia voted in the 1901 election while women in other states did not. |
| New South Wales | 1858 | 1902 | 44 | |
| Queensland | 1872 | 1905 | 33 | |
| South Australia | 1855 | 1895 | 40 | |
| Tasmania | 1896 | 1903 | 7 | |
| Victoria | 1857 | 1908 | 51 | |
| Western Australia | 1893 | 1899 | 6 |