Annabelle Rankin
Encyclopedia
Dame Annabelle Jane Mary Rankin DBE (28 July 190830 August 1986) was the second woman member of the Australian Senate
, the first woman from Queensland
to sit in the Parliament of Australia
, the first woman to have a federal portfolio and the first woman to be appointed head of a foreign mission.
in 1908, and came from a Queensland
political family; her father Colin Dunlop Wilson Rankin
was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
. She was well known in the community for her public service though the CWA
, Guides Australia
, Red Cross and YWCA
.
Rankin was elected to the Senate in the 1946 election
, as a representative of the Liberal Party
. Her term began on 1 July 1947. She was the first woman appointed as Opposition Whip
in the Senate and, following the election of the Menzies
government in 1949, also served as Government Whip in the Senate.
On 26 January 1966, Prime Minister Harold Holt
appointed her Minister for Housing
in his first ministry.
From 1968 to 1971 she was a joint "Father" of the Senate. She resigned from the Senate in 1971 and was made High Commissioner
to New Zealand
, a post she held to 1974. Following her retirement she returned to Brisbane where she continued to be involved in voluntary organisations.
She died, unmarried, in Queensland, aged 78, in 1986.
(DBE) on 13 June 1957 for political and public services.
The Electoral Division of Rankin
, which came into effect at the 1984 election, is named in her honour.
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
, the first woman from Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
to sit in the Parliament of Australia
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
, the first woman to have a federal portfolio and the first woman to be appointed head of a foreign mission.
Biography
Rankin was born in BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in 1908, and came from a Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
political family; her father Colin Dunlop Wilson Rankin
Colin Rankin
Colin Dunlop Wilson Rankin was a soldier, politician, cane farmer and company director....
was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
. She was well known in the community for her public service though the CWA
Country Women's Association
The Country Women’s Association of Australia is the largest women's organisation in Australia. It has 44,000 members across 1855 branches. Its aims are to improve the conditions for country women and children and to try to make life better for women and their families, especially those women...
, Guides Australia
Guides Australia
Girl Guides Australia is the national Guiding organisation in Australia. It provides a girls only space and its mission is to enable girls and young women to grow into confident, self respecting members of the community. Membership is open to all girls and young women from all cultures, faiths and...
, Red Cross and YWCA
YWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
.
Rankin was elected to the Senate in the 1946 election
Australian federal election, 1946
Federal elections were held in Australia on 28 September 1946. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
, as a representative of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
. Her term began on 1 July 1947. She was the first woman appointed as Opposition Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
in the Senate and, following the election of the Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
government in 1949, also served as Government Whip in the Senate.
On 26 January 1966, Prime Minister Harold Holt
Harold Holt
Harold Edward Holt, CH was an Australian politician and the 17th Prime Minister of Australia.His term as Prime Minister was brought to an early and dramatic end in December 1967 when he disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria, and was presumed drowned.Holt spent 32 years...
appointed her Minister for Housing
Minister for Housing (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness is Mark Arbib, who was appointed on 14 September 2010, following the Labor Party's win at the 2010 election...
in his first ministry.
From 1968 to 1971 she was a joint "Father" of the Senate. She resigned from the Senate in 1971 and was made High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, a post she held to 1974. Following her retirement she returned to Brisbane where she continued to be involved in voluntary organisations.
She died, unmarried, in Queensland, aged 78, in 1986.
Honours
Annabelle Rankin was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(DBE) on 13 June 1957 for political and public services.
The Electoral Division of Rankin
Division of Rankin
The Division of Rankin is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created in 1984 and is named for Annabelle Rankin, the first Queensland woman elected to the Senate....
, which came into effect at the 1984 election, is named in her honour.