ALGWA Tasmania is establishing a permanent register of women elected to local government in Tasmania.
In March 2024 we began our research to honour and promote the service of all women in Tasmania elected to local government.
We quickly found that while Tasmanian Electoral Commission records begin from 1994, TCE procedures do not identify elected members by gender, so we started a manual process to collate them.
Fortunately, the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women includes quite a number of inductees recognised for contributions to public life through local government and other endeavours, including our current president, Waratah-Wynyard Mayor Dr Mary Duniam and past secretary, Kingborough Mayor Paula Wriedt.
In 1949 Dorothy Edwards CBE became the first woman elected to Launceston Council and the first women elected to local government in Tasmania. Dorothy served as Mayor of Launceston 1955-1957, the first female mayor in Australia. [image: Archives Tasmania]
In 1953 Iris Graham OAM (Mary Duniam’s mother) was the first female councillor elected to the Burnie Council, serving until 1957. [image: Women in Tasmania]
At Sorell Council, the first woman elected was Sheila Clark in 1960, another trailblazer who was re-elected in 1962, and in Sheila’s home town the following year, Dr Margaret Mitchell became the first woman elected to the former Richmond Council. [image: Clark family]
Knowing who came before, provides a starting point for inspiration and further research about these leading women and the roles they have and are playing in our communities.
As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Australian Local Government Women’s Association in 2026, we hope the register will become a fitting milestone in the journey of women’s participation in local government.
We welcome your contributions to the register, including photographs. Please contact us for further details.