There have been 108 women in the Victorian Legislative Assembly since its establishment in 1856. Women have had the right to vote in Victoria, Australia since 1908 and the right to stand as a candidate for the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 1923.
The first successful female candidate for the Legislative Assembly was Millie Peacock, who was elected as a United Australia Party member for Allandale in a by-election in 1933, but she retired in 1935, stating that Parliament was "no place for a woman". Ivy Weber was the first woman to win a seat at a general election, winning Nunawading as an independent in 1937 (she was also the first female independent elected in Australia). She was joined in 1938 by Fanny Brownbill, Labor's first female member, elected at a by-election for the seat of Geelong. Weber resigned in 1943 and Brownbill died in 1948, after which there were no women in the Assembly until 1967, when Dorothy Goble was elected as the Liberal member for Mitcham. Since then there have continuously been female members in the Assembly.
The first female minister was Labor's Pauline Toner, who became a minister in 1982. Since then, the number of female members has continued to rise. Jeanette Powell was the first National Party member, elected to the Assembly in 2002. That election also brought 11 new Labor women into the Assembly. Since Ivy Weber, three other women, Susan Davies Suzanna Sheed and Ali Cupper have been elected to the Assembly as independents. Ellen Sandell was one of the two Greens candidates first elected to the Assembly at the 2014 state election.
Judy Maddigan became the first female Speaker in 2003. Since then, three other women, Jenny Lindell Christine Fyffe and Maree Edwards have served as Speaker. Maree Edwards has been the Speaker since 2022 and is the first female Speaker from a regional city electorate.
List of women in the Victorian Legislative Assembly Names in bold indicate women who have been appointed as Ministers or Parliamentary Secretaries during their time in Parliament. Names in italics indicate women who were first elected at a by-election, and * symbolises members that have sat as members in both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council.
#NamePartyElectoral DivisionPeriod of service1Millie, Lady PeacockUAPAllandale1 November 1933 – 1 February 1935 (retired)2Ivy WeberIndependentNunawading2 October 1937 – 18 July 1943 (resigned)3Fanny BrownbillLaborGeelong11 June 1938 – 10 October 1948 (died)4Dorothy GobleLiberalMitcham29 April 1967 – 19 March 1976 (retired)5Jeannette PatrickLiberalBrighton20 March 1976 – 24 January 1985 (retired)6Pauline TonerLaborGreensborough5 November 1977 – 28 February 1989 (resigned)7Joan ChambersLiberalBallarat South5 May 1979 – 1 February 1982 (defeated)8Valerie CallisterLaborMorwell27 June 1981 – 30 September 1988 (retired)9Prue SibreeLiberalKew15 August 1981 – 1 February 1988 (resigned)10Jane HillLaborFrankston Frankston North3 April 1982 – 1 March 1985 2 March 1985 – 3 October 1992 (retired)Margaret RayLaborBox Hill3 April 1982 – 3 October 1992 (defeated)Kay SetchesLaborRingwood3 April 1982 – 3 October 1992 (retired)13Beth GleesonLaborThomastown2 March 1985 – 16 December 1989 (died)Carolyn Hirsh*LaborWantirna2 March 1985 – 3 October 1992 (defeated)Jan WilsonLaborDandenong North2 March 1985 – 18 September 1999 (retired)16Jan WadeLiberalKew19 March 1988 – 17 September 1999 (retired)17Ann BarkerLaborBentleigh Oakleigh1 October 1988 – 3 October 1992 (defeated) 18 September 1999 – 29 November 2014 (retired)Joan Kirner*LaborWilliamstown1 October 1988 – 27 May 1994 (resigned)19Sherryl GarbuttLaborGreensborough Bundoora15 April 1989 – 2 October 1992 3 October 1992 – 24 November 2006 (retired)20Lorraine ElliottLiberalMooroolbark3 October 1992 – 30 November 2002 (retired)Ann HendersonLiberalGeelong3 October 1992 – 18 September 1999 (defeated)Carole MarpleLaborAltona3 October 1992 – 30 March 1996 (retired)Denise McGillLiberalOakleigh3 October 1992 – 18 September 1999 (defeated)Inga Peulich*LiberalBentleigh3 October 1992 – 30 November 2002 (defeated)Marie Tehan*LiberalSeymour3 October 1992 – 18 September 1999 (retired)26Leonie BurkeLiberalPrahran30 March 1996 – 30 November 2002 (retired)Christine CampbellLaborPascoe Vale30 March 1996 – 29 November 2014 (retired)Mary GillettLaborWerribee Tarneit30 March 1996 – 29 November 2002 30 November 2002 – 25 November 2006 (retired)Lynne KoskyLaborAltona30 March 1996 – 18 January 2010 (resigned)Andrea McCallLiberalFrankston30 March 1996 – 30 November 2002 (defeated)Judy MaddiganLaborEssendon30 March 1996 – 27 November 2010 (retired)Helen ShardeyLiberalCaulfield30 March 1996 – 27 November 2010 (retired)33Susan DaviesIndependentGippsland West1 February 1997 – 29 November 2002 (defeated)34Mary DelahuntyLaborNorthcote15 September 1998 – 24 November 2006 (retired)35Jacinta AllanLaborBendigo East18 September 1999 –Louise Asher*LiberalBrighton18 September 1999 – 24 November 2018 (retired)Liz BeattieLaborTullamarine Yuroke18 September 1999 – 30 November 2002 30 November 2002 – 29 November 2014 (retired)Joanne DuncanLaborGisborne Macedon18 September 1999 – 30 November 2002 30 November 2002 – 29 November 2014 (retired)Christine FyffeLiberalEvelyn18 September 1999 – 30 November 2002 (defeated) 25 November 2006 – 24 November 2018 (retired)Jenny LindellLaborCarrum18 September 1999 – 27 November 2010 (defeated)Karen OveringtonLaborBallarat West18 September 1999 – 27 November 2010 (retired)Bronwyn PikeLaborMelbourne18 September 1999 – 7 May 2012 (resigned)43Denise AllenLaborBenalla13 May 2000 – 29 November 2002 (defeated)44Dympna BeardLaborKilsyth30 November 2002 – 25 November 2006 (defeated)Rosy BuchananLaborHastings30 November 2002 – 25 November 2006 (defeated)Lily D'AmbrosioLaborMill Park30 November 2002 –Anne EcksteinLaborFerntree Gully30 November 2002 – 25 November 2006 (defeated)Danielle GreenLaborYan Yean30 November 2002 – 26 November 2022 (retired)Tammy LobatoLaborGembrook30 November 2002 – 27 November 2010 (defeated)Kirstie MarshallLaborForest Hill30 November 2002 – 27 November 2010 (defeated)Heather McTaggartLaborEvelyn30 November 2002 – 25 November 2006 (defeated)Maxine MorandLaborMount Waverley30 November 2002 – 27 November 2010 (defeated)Janice MuntLaborMordialloc30 November 2002 – 27 November 2010 (defeated)Lisa NevilleLaborBellarine30 November 2002 – 26 November 2022 (retired)Jeanette Powell*NationalShepparton30 November 2002 – 29 November 2014 (retired)56Judith GraleyLaborNarre Warren South25 November 2006 – 24 November 2018 (retired)Fiona RichardsonLaborNorthcote25 November 2006 – 23 August 2017 (died)Marsha Thomson*LaborFootscray25 November 2006 – 24 November 2018 (retired)Heidi VictoriaLiberalBayswater25 November 2006 – 24 November 2018 (defeated)Mary Wooldridge*LiberalDoncaster25 November 2006 – 29 November 2014 (transferred to LC)61Marlene KairouzLaborKororoit28 June 2008 – 26 November 2022 (retired)62Jill HennessyLaborAltona13 February 2010 – 26 November 2022 (retired)63Donna BauerLiberalCarrum27 November 2010 – 29 November 2014 (defeated)Maree EdwardsLaborBendigo West27 November 2010 –Jane Garrett*LaborBrunswick27 November 2010 – 24 November 2018 (transferred to LC)Bronwyn HalfpennyLaborThomastown27 November 2010 –Natalie HutchinsLaborKeilor Sydenham27 November 2010 – 29 November 2014 29 November 2014 –Sharon KnightLaborBallarat West Wendouree27 November 2010 – 29 November 2014 29 November 2014 – 24 November 2018 (retired)Cindy McLeishLiberalSeymour Eildon27 November 2010 – 29 November 2014 29 November 2014 –Elizabeth MillerLiberalBentleigh27 November 2010 – 29 November 2014 (defeated)Dee RyallLiberalMitcham Ringwood27 November 2010 – 29 November 2014 29 November 2014 – 24 November 2018 (defeated)Lorraine WrefordLiberalMordialloc27 November 2010 – 29 November 2014 (defeated)73Jennifer KanisLaborMelbourne21 July 2012 – 29 November 2014 (defeated)74Lizzie BlandthornLaborPascoe Vale29 November 2014 – 26 November 2022 (transferred to LC)Christine CouzensLaborGeelong29 November 2014 –Emma KealyNationalLowan29 November 2014 –Sonya KilkennyLaborCarrum29 November 2014 –Steph RyanNationalEuroa29 November 2014 – 26 November 2022 (retired)Ellen SandellGreensMelbourne29 November 2014 –Suzanna SheedIndependentShepparton29 November 2014 – 26 November 2022 (defeated)Ros SpenceLaborYuroke29 November 2014 –Louise StaleyLiberalRipon29 November 2014 – 26 November 2022 (defeated)Natalie SuleymanLaborSt Albans29 November 2014 –Mary-Anne ThomasLaborMacedon29 November 2014 –Vicki WardLaborEltham29 November 2014 –Gabrielle WilliamsLaborDandenong29 November 2014 –87Roma BritnellLiberalSouth-West Coast31 October 2015 –88Lidia ThorpeGreensNorthcote18 November 2017 – 24 November 2018 (defeated)89Juliana AddisonLaborWendouree24 November 2018 –Sarah ConnollyLaborTarneit24 November 2018 –Jordan CrugnaleLaborBass24 November 2018 –Ali CupperIndependentMildura24 November 2018 – 26 November 2022 (defeated)Katie HallLaborFootscray24 November 2018 –Melissa HorneLaborWilliamstown24 November 2018 –Pauline RichardsLaborCranbourne24 November 2018 –Michaela SettleLaborBuninyong24 November 2018 –Kat TheophanousLaborNorthcote24 November 2018 –Bridget VallenceLiberalEvelyn24 November 2018 –99Nina Taylor*LaborAlbert Park26 November 2022 –Alison MarchantLaborBellarine26 November 2022 –Kathleen Matthews-WardLaborBroadmeadows26 November 2022 –Annabelle CleelandNationalEuroa26 November 2022 –Jess WilsonLiberalKew26 November 2022 –Luba GrigorovitchLaborKororoit26 November 2022 –Ella GeorgeLaborLara26 November 2022 –Jade BenhamNationalMildura26 November 2022 –Daniela De MartinoLaborMonbulk26 November 2022 –Belinda WilsonLaborNarre Warren North26 November 2022 –Emma VulinLaborPakenham26 November 2022 –Gabrielle de VietriGreensRichmond26 November 2022 –Martha HaylettLaborRipon26 November 2022 –Kim O'KeeffeNationalShepparton26 November 2022 –Lauren KathageLaborYan Yean26 November 2022 –114Nicole WernerLiberalWarrandyte26 August 2023 - 115Eden FosterLaborMulgrave18 November 2023 - 116Rachel WestawayLiberalPrahran8 February 2025 -
Timeline
Proportion of women in the Assembly Numbers and proportions are as they were directly after the relevant election and do not take into account by-elections, defections or other changes in membership. The Liberal column also includes that party's predecessor, the United Australia and Liberal & Country parties.