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Key points
- The City of Melbourne is going to erect a statue of Vida Goldstein, the first woman to run for parliament in Australia.
- The statue is the first in a series of three statues to be commissioned by the council to increase the number of statues of women in the city.
- Only nine of the 580 statues of women in the city are of real women with the city’s statue population dominated by statues of dead, white men.
The first woman to run for parliament in Australia, Vida Goldstein, will be commemorated in a statue to be erected in Melbourne as part of a push to redress the city’s statue gender imbalance.
Goldstein was the driving force behind gaining the right for women to vote in Australia in 1902 and was the first woman to run for Australian parliament in 1903.
The statue is the first in a series of three statues to be commissioned by the City of Melbourne to increase the number of statues of women in the city.
Historian Clare Wright with yet another statue of a dead, white male. ‘Landmark’ commemorates Lieutenant Governor Charles Joseph La Trobe by Charles Robb at La Trobe University’s Bundoora Campus. Credit: Paul Jeffers
Only ten of the 580 statues of women in the city are of real women with the city’s statue population dominated by statues of dead, white men.
There are more statues of fairies and nymphs in Melbourne than actual women.
The council said the statue of Goldstein would be erected on International Women’s Day in 2025, with a location to be determined in the coming months.
The statue follows the unveiling of a statue of equal wage campaigner Zelda D’Aprano by former prime minister Julia Gillard outside Trades Hall earlier this year.
Goldstein was born on 13 April 1869 in Portland and in 1890 she helped her mother collect signatures for the ‘Great Petition’ for women’s suffrage.
Victorian suffragette Vida Goldstein will be commemorated in a statue.
She started a monthly magazine called the Woman’s Sphere and nominated for election in the national parliament, running as an independent candidate for the Senate in 1903.
Although unsuccessful, she made four more attempts to enter parliament in 1910 and 1917 for the Senate and in 1913 and 1914 for the House of Representatives.
She died of cancer at her home in South Yarra on 15 August 1949.
Goldstein was selected to be commemorated with a statue by a process in which over 1,000 people nominated inspiring Victorian women, with 185 women put forward.
Historian Clare Wright chaired an independent panel to assess the nominees based on their contribution to political, economic, social or cultural life in Victoria, their work as leaders in their community, representation of the diversity of Melbourne and reflection of the values of contemporary Melbourne.
Wright said Goldstein was a remarkable Australian, internationally renowned in her day as an influential political campaigner and strategist.
“Vida never managed to win a seat in parliament, but it is fitting that she will stand strong and upright in the civic landscape, her historical legacy permanently honoured by this statue,” Wright said. “If it’s true that you can’t be what you can’t see, this statue will be a concrete reminder to Victoria’s girls and boys that active participation in democracy can change the world.”
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said Goldstein had forged a path to politics for many women, including her.
“Vida’s courage and determination is evident in every barrier she broke down and milestone she reached for Australian women,” Capp said. “Women and girls should be able to see themselves represented in the community. We look forward to seeing Vida’s statue unveiled in an iconic Melbourne place, as we work to reduce the gender disparity in statues adorning our city.”
The federal seat of Goldstein, which takes in Beaumaris, Bentleigh, Brighton, Caulfield South, Cheltenham, Glen Huntly, Elsternwick, Ormond, Gardenvale and Sandringham, is named after Vida Goldstein but there is no statue of her.
Zoe Daniel, member for Goldstein, said she had advocated for a statue of Goldstein since she was elected.
“Vida Goldstein’s story should be celebrated and passed down, but like so many other women who helped shape history, her achievements are relatively unknown,” she said. “This statue will help address the gaps in our history.”
Melbourne’s ten permanent statues of real women
- Betty Cuthbert, Brunton Ave MCG, 2003 (Athlete)
- Joan of Arc, State Library forecourt, 1906 (Saint)
- Joyce Oldmeadow, State Library forecourt, 2003 (She and husband Courtney donated a collection of children’s literature)
- Queen Victoria, Queen Victoria Gardens, 1925 (Queen)
- Shirley Strickland, Brunton Ave MCG, 2004 (Athlete)
- Saint Brigid, St Patrick’s cathedral
- Saint Catherine of Siena, St Patrick’s cathedral
- Saint Mary McKillop, St Patrick’s cathedral
- Lady Gladys Nicholls, Parliament Reserve, Spring Street, Melbourne, 2017 (Indigenous Rights campaigner, depicted looking at her husband)
- Zelda D’Aprano, Trades Hall, Melbourne, 2023 (Equal pay campaigner)
Source: A Monument of One’s Own
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