The vote that shocked the world
5/17/20260 min
In the week before Christmas 1894, a man in the South Australian parliament rolls the dice.
He makes a gamble that he thinks will pay off. It’s incredibly risky because if his gamble goes wrong, he gives half the population something he really doesn’t want to give them.
Professor Clare Wright OAM (Historian and author of the best-selling Democracy Trilogy) tells Marc Fennell (Stuff The British Stole) the remarkable story of how a double bluff by a conservative politician ended up empowering South Australian women and making world history.
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Clips
Transcript
20 sentencesSpeaker 10:00
[electronic sound] ABC Listen, podcasts, radio, news, music, and more.
Annabel Crabb0:05
[upbeat music] Hello, I'm Annabel Crabb. Now, I wouldn't say I'm a hoarder exactly, but I do hang on to things. It's not just you and me. Australia's oldest library is crammed with stuff that isn't books. Terrible paintings, old menus, human hair. Is this history or hoarding? Come and have a rummage through the story of us, told by our stuff. Search for The History or Hoarding podcast on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.
Marc Fennell· Host0:36
[gentle music] It is the week before Christmas in December 1894. We're in South Australia. It's the height of summer, and it is stinking hot. But the parliament is abuzz with energy and anticipation. Women are cramming in to witness a historic moment about to unfold in front of them.
Clare Wright· Guest0:57
There are women sitting up on the steps next to the speaker. There are women who have lifted their skirts and are climbing up behind the parliamentary clock. They want to be there to see what's going to happen next.
Marc Fennell· Host1:10
Because what's about to happen is a debate, a debate about whether a certain bill should be passed that could potentially change their lives.
Clare Wright· Guest1:18
This is the Pandora's box moment, really. Women wanted to clean up politics, but they saw that their role as being the housekeepers of the