Doris Blackburn
Encyclopedia
Doris Amelia Blackburn was an Australia
n activist and Member of Parliament.
She was born Doris Amelia Hordern in Melbourne
, Victoria
, and became involved in women's rights and peace issues from a young age and served as the campaign secretary of Vida Goldstein
, the first woman to stand for election to federal parliament in Australia. She married Maurice Blackburn, a fellow firebrand socialist, in 1914 and spent their honeymoon organising anti-war and anti-conscription
campaigns.
While her husband served at different times as a Labor
member of the Victorian
and Federal
parliaments, Blackburn continued to work on social issues, some of which brought her into conflict with the Labor Party (of which she too was a member) and following Maurice's expulsion from the party in 1937, Doris resigned from the ALP. Maurice continued to sit in parliament as an independent but lost his seat at the 1943 federal election
to the official Labor candidate, and died the following year.
Upset at Labor's treatment of her husband, Doris stood as an Independent Labour candidate for Maurice's old seat of Bourke
at the 1946 election
, winning it and in doing so became only the second woman to be elected to the Australian House of Representatives
. In parliament Blackburn, who shared the cross benches with fellow former Labor member Jack Lang
, championed similar issues to her late husband, gaining nationwide notoriety in 1947 as the only MP to vote against the Atomic Energy Bill, and served as the national President of the Council for Civil Liberties. Following an electoral redistribution, her seat of Bourke
was abolished, leaving Blackburn to run for the newly established seat of Wills
. Against the Labor and Liberal parties she received 20 percent in 1949 and 17 percent in 1951 but came third each time, both convincingly won by Labor.
Blackburn continued to be active in social issues, serving as president of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
and co-founding, with Douglas Nicholls
, the Aborigines Advancement League
and the Federal Council for Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.
Blackburn died in Coburg, Victoria
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n activist and Member of Parliament.
She was born Doris Amelia Hordern in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, and became involved in women's rights and peace issues from a young age and served as the campaign secretary of Vida Goldstein
Vida Goldstein
Vida Jane Mary Goldstein was an early Australian feminist politician who campaigned for women's suffrage and social reform.-Early years:...
, the first woman to stand for election to federal parliament in Australia. She married Maurice Blackburn, a fellow firebrand socialist, in 1914 and spent their honeymoon organising anti-war and anti-conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
campaigns.
While her husband served at different times as a 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...
member of the Victorian
Parliament of Victoria
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and consists of The Queen, represented by the Governor of Victoria; the Legislative Council ; and the Legislative Assembly...
and Federal
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...
parliaments, Blackburn continued to work on social issues, some of which brought her into conflict with the Labor Party (of which she too was a member) and following Maurice's expulsion from the party in 1937, Doris resigned from the ALP. Maurice continued to sit in parliament as an independent but lost his seat at the 1943 federal election
Australian federal election, 1943
Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 August 1943. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia John Curtin easily defeated the opposition Country Party led...
to the official Labor candidate, and died the following year.
Upset at Labor's treatment of her husband, Doris stood as an Independent Labour candidate for Maurice's old seat of Bourke
Division of Bourke
The Division of Bourke was an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It was abolished in 1949. It was named for Sir Richard Bourke, who was Governor of New South Wales at the time...
at 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...
, winning it and in doing so became only the second woman to be elected to the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
. In parliament Blackburn, who shared the cross benches with fellow former Labor member Jack Lang
Jack Lang (Australian politician)
John Thomas Lang , usually referred to as J.T. Lang during his career, and familiarly known as "Jack" and nicknamed "The Big Fella" was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales for two terms...
, championed similar issues to her late husband, gaining nationwide notoriety in 1947 as the only MP to vote against the Atomic Energy Bill, and served as the national President of the Council for Civil Liberties. Following an electoral redistribution, her seat of Bourke
Division of Bourke
The Division of Bourke was an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It was abolished in 1949. It was named for Sir Richard Bourke, who was Governor of New South Wales at the time...
was abolished, leaving Blackburn to run for the newly established seat of Wills
Division of Wills
The Division of Wills is an Australian electoral division of Victoria. It is currently held by the Australian Labor Party's Kelvin Thomson.The electorate encompasses many of the suburbs in the City of Moreland in Melbourne's north, including Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner, Glenroy, and Essendon Airport...
. Against the Labor and Liberal parties she received 20 percent in 1949 and 17 percent in 1951 but came third each time, both convincingly won by Labor.
Blackburn continued to be active in social issues, serving as president of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom was established in the United States in January 1915 as the Woman's Peace Party...
and co-founding, with Douglas Nicholls
Douglas Nicholls
Sir Douglas Ralph "Doug" Nicholls KCVO, OBE, was a prominent Aboriginal Australian from the Yorta Yorta people. He was a professional athlete, Churches of Christ pastor and church planter, ceremonial officer and a pioneering campaigner for reconciliation.Nicholls was the first Aboriginal person to...
, the Aborigines Advancement League
Aborigines Advancement League
The Aborigines Advancement League claims to be the oldest Aboriginal organisation in Australia...
and the Federal Council for Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.
Blackburn died in Coburg, Victoria
Coburg, Victoria
Coburg is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland, although a handful of properties on Coburg's Eastern boundary are located in the City of Darebin...
.