There have been 16 women in the Tasmanian Legislative Council

Tasmanian Legislative Council

The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the House of Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart...

since its establishment in 1825. Women have had the right to vote since 1903 and the right to stand as candidates since 1921.

The first successful female candidate for the Legislative Council was Margaret McIntyre

Margaret McIntyre

Margaret Edgeworth David McIntyre OBE was the first woman elected to the Parliament of Tasmania , representing the seat of Cornwall in the Legislative Council....

, who was elected as the member for Cornwall in 1948. Like most MLCs, McIntyre was an independent

Independent (politician)

In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

. She died later in 1948 in an air accident, and the next woman elected to the Council was Labor's Lucy Grounds in 1951. Another Labor woman, Phyllis Benjamin

Phyllis Benjamin

Phyllis Jean Benjamin AO MBE , Australian Labor Party politician, was a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council in the electorate of Hobart from 10 May 1952 until retirement in 1976....

, joined Grounds in 1952; Grounds retired in 1958 and Benjamin in 1976, in which year Kath Venn

Kath Venn

Kathleen Joan "Kath" Venn is a former Australian politician. Born in Tasmania, she was a Labor member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council from 1976 to 1982, representing the seat of Hobart. In 1982, she was defeated...

 was elected to the Council. After Venn's departure in 1982 there were no women in the Council until 1992, when Jean Moore was elected. She departed in 1994, and since the election of Silvia Smith

Silvia Smith

Silvia Joy Smith is an Australian politician. She was a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1993 to 1996 and a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council from 1997 to 2003....

 and Sue Smith to the Council in 1997 women have been represented continuously. In 2009, Vanessa Goodwin

Vanessa Goodwin

Vanessa Goodwin is an Australian politician. She has been the Liberal Party member for the seat of Pembroke in the Tasmanian Legislative Council since the Pembroke by-election on 1 August 2009....

 became the first Liberal

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...

 woman elected to the Council.

List of women in the Tasmanian Legislative Council

Names in bold indicate women who have been appointed as Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries during their time in Parliament. Names in italics indicate entry into Parliament through a by-election or by appointment.

Name	Party	Electoral Division	Period of service
Margaret McIntyre Margaret McIntyre Margaret Edgeworth David McIntyre OBE was the first woman elected to the Parliament of Tasmania , representing the seat of Cornwall in the Legislative Council....	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Cornwall	8 May 1948 – 2 September 1948 (died)
Lucy Grounds	Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...	Launceston	29 September 1951 – 10 May 1958 (defeated)
Phyllis Benjamin Phyllis Benjamin Phyllis Jean Benjamin AO MBE , Australian Labor Party politician, was a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council in the electorate of Hobart from 10 May 1952 until retirement in 1976....	Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...	Hobart Electoral division of Hobart The electoral division of Hobart is one of the fifteen electorates or seats in the Tasmanian Legislative Council. The seat was created in 2008 after a redistribution saw the former Wellington returned to its former name....	10 May 1952 – 22 May 1976 (retired)
Kath Venn Kath Venn Kathleen Joan "Kath" Venn is a former Australian politician. Born in Tasmania, she was a Labor member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council from 1976 to 1982, representing the seat of Hobart. In 1982, she was defeated...	Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...	Hobart Electoral division of Hobart The electoral division of Hobart is one of the fifteen electorates or seats in the Tasmanian Legislative Council. The seat was created in 2008 after a redistribution saw the former Wellington returned to its former name....	22 May 1976 – 27 May 1982 (defeated)
Jean Moore	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Hobart Electoral division of Hobart The electoral division of Hobart is one of the fifteen electorates or seats in the Tasmanian Legislative Council. The seat was created in 2008 after a redistribution saw the former Wellington returned to its former name....	11 April 1992 – 28 May 1994 (defeated)
Silvia Smith Silvia Smith Silvia Joy Smith is an Australian politician. She was a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1993 to 1996 and a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council from 1997 to 2003....	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Westmorland  Windermere Electoral division of Windermere The electoral division of Windermere is one of the 15 electorates or 'seats' in the Tasmanian Legislative Council. The division is located on the East side of the Tamar River...	31 May 1997 – 3 May 2003 (defeated)
Sue Smith	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Leven  Montgomery Electoral division of Montgomery The Electoral division of Montgomery is one of the fifteen electorates in the Tasmanian Legislative Council.It is centred around the Central Coast area and includes the localities of; Ulverstone, Penguin, Heybridge, Hampshire and West Pine....	31 May 1997 –
Lin Thorp Lin Thorp Lin Estelle Thorp was an Australian Labor Party politician and member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council in the Hobart based division of Rumney from 1999 until 2011. She was defeated by Tony Mulder at the elections held on 7 May 2011.Thorp was born in Hobart, Tasmania...	Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...	Rumney Electoral division of Rumney The Electoral division of Rumney is one of the 15 electorates or 'seats' in the Tasmanian Legislative Council . The division is located in Southern Tasmania to the east of the division of Pembroke....	28 August 1999 – 7 May 2011 (defeated)
Cathy Edwards Cathy Edwards Catherine Mary "Cathy" Edwards is a former Australian politician. She was an Independent member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council from 1999 to 2001, representing Pembroke....	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Pembroke Electoral division of Pembroke The Electoral Division of Pembroke is one of the 15 electorates or 'seats' in the Tasmanian Legislative Council or upper house. It is located on Hobart's Eastern Shore and includes a number of suburbs; Risdon Vale, Geilston Bay, Rose Bay, Lindisfarne, Warrane, Mornington, Bellerive, Howrah and...	28 August 1999 – 5 May 2001 (defeated)
Allison Ritchie Allison Ritchie Allison Maree Ritchie was an Australian Labor Party politician in the Tasmanian Legislative Council from 2001 to 2009. She was a member of the Hobart based seat of Pembroke. She was elected on 5 May 2001 at age 26; she was the youngest person ever to be elected to the Tasmanian Legislative Council...	Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...	Pembroke Electoral division of Pembroke The Electoral Division of Pembroke is one of the 15 electorates or 'seats' in the Tasmanian Legislative Council or upper house. It is located on Hobart's Eastern Shore and includes a number of suburbs; Risdon Vale, Geilston Bay, Rose Bay, Lindisfarne, Warrane, Mornington, Bellerive, Howrah and...	5 May 2001 – 20 June 2009 (resigned)
Norma Jamieson Norma Jamieson Norma Mary Jamieson was an independent member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council in the electoral division of Mersey from 2003 until 2009. Norma worked as a nurse. Norma is a widow with two children. Her interests include: bushwalking, gardening, farming, tree farming, light aircraft flying,...	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Mersey Electoral division of Mersey The Electoral division of Mersey is one of the fifteen constituencies in the Tasmanian Legislative Council. The division covers only a small area of 237 km².At the 2009 election, the division had 23,568 enrolled voters....	3 May 2003 – 2 May 2009 (retired)
Tania Rattray-Wagner Tania Rattray-Wagner Tania Verene Rattray-Wagner is an independent member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council in the electoral division of Apsley....	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Apsley Electoral division of Apsley The Electoral division of Apsley is one of the 15 electorates or seats in the Tasmanian Legislative Council. It is the second-largest upper house electorate in the state by area after Murchison....	1 May 2004 –
Ruth Forrest Ruth Forrest Ruth Jane Forrest is an independent member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council in the electoral division of Murchison.Forrest was first elected in May 2005...	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Murchison Electoral division of Murchison The Electoral division of Murchison is one of the fifteen electorates in the Tasmanian Legislative Council. It is the largest electorate in size, covering an area of 19,421 km²....	7 May 2005 –
Vanessa Goodwin Vanessa Goodwin Vanessa Goodwin is an Australian politician. She has been the Liberal Party member for the seat of Pembroke in the Tasmanian Legislative Council since the Pembroke by-election on 1 August 2009....	Liberal 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...	Pembroke Electoral division of Pembroke The Electoral Division of Pembroke is one of the 15 electorates or 'seats' in the Tasmanian Legislative Council or upper house. It is located on Hobart's Eastern Shore and includes a number of suburbs; Risdon Vale, Geilston Bay, Rose Bay, Lindisfarne, Warrane, Mornington, Bellerive, Howrah and...	12 August 2009 –
Adriana Taylor Adriana Taylor Adriana Johanna Taylor is an Australian politician. She has been an Independent member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council for Elwick since 2010....	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Elwick Electoral division of Elwick The Electoral division of Elwick is one of the 15 Tasmanian Legislative Council electorates or seats. It covers the Glenorchy municipality with an area of 103 km², with 24,994 enrolled voters as of October 2010.....	1 May 2010 –
Rosemary Armitage Rosemary Armitage Rosemary Lois Armitage is an Australian politician, an independent member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council, representing the electoral division of Launceston since her election on 7 May 2011....	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Launceston	7 May 2011 –