Women’s rights pioneer honoured for life of advocacy
A feminist trailblazer, whose work protects millions of Australians from discrimination, has been honoured on the anniversary of her magnum opus.
Susan Ryan has been commemorated with a statue in the Old Parliament House Senate Rose Gardens unveiled on Thursday morning.
After being elected the first female senator for the ACT in 1975, she was soon appointed to the shadow cabinet and upon Labor’s 1983 electoral victory, she became the first woman in a federal Labor cabinet.
Using this position, she helped turn Australia into a world-leader on human rights.
Ms Ryan introduced the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 and the accompanying Affirmative Action Act that would protect Australians from unfair treatment on the basis of sex, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity.
“Susan Ryan was a remarkable woman and feminist who persevered in her advocacy for women’s rights and the rights of other minority groups,” ACT Arts Minister Tara Cheyne said.
“Her contributions in advancing equality are unmatched – but they weren’t without difficulty nor, sometimes, extraordinary opposition.”
On the 40th anniversary of the act’s commencement, sculptor Lis Johnson said the statue honours a woman who was “unafraid to be herself”.
The statue invokes a 1977 image of Ms Ryan addressing a women’s work right’s rally.
With one hand on her hip, and the other open to viewers, she demands respect while inviting them to consider her stance.
Ms Ryan’s daughter Justine Butler remembers when she and her brother would run around the gardens while their mother worked in the offices above.
“I know children on excursions to Canberra regularly flock to the Rose Gardens,” she said.
“I hope that when they walk past the statue of our mother, it will evoke many questions about Susan Ryan.”
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