Vida Goldstein
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Vida Goldstein
Vida Goldstein (1869–1949)
Vida Goldstein was born in Portland, Victoria. She believed that men and women should have equal rights. She worked for the right of women to vote, called 'suffrage', and her parents encouraged her to be strong and free.
She started a magazine for women and spoke at a women's rights meeting in America. In 1902 women were given the right to vote in federal elections in Australia.
In 1903 Goldstein was the first woman in the British Empire to try to become a member of a national parliament. She stood for election to the Australian Commonwealth Parliament but did not win. She did not give up but worked towards women's suffrage in Victorian state elections. Women in Victoria got the vote in 1908.
During the First World War, Goldstein formed a group of people who worked for peace.
A special tree was planted in the grounds of the Victorian Parliament to honour her achievements and an electorate (voting area) in Melbourne is named after her.
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