ef_suffrage_petition

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 *  S **uffrage  **P** etition



The Great Petiton artwork was created by Susan Hewitt and Penelope Lee. It provide an impressive and enduring focus on the issue of women's contribution to public life and was commissioned by the State Government of Victoria in collaboration with the City in Melbourne. The winning design was selected following a public call for entries and was announced in October 2006**.**

The continuing opposition of Parliament which rejected 19 bills meant that women had to wait another 17 years before the Adult Suffrage Bill was passed in 1908, finally granting them the right to vote. Unfortunately universal suffrage for Indigenous men and women in Australia was not achieved until 1965. 100 years later Victorians celebrate the achievements of the tenacious and incredible women who forged a path through history. In the centenary year, an array of commemorative activities was made possible by over 50 grants to Victorian community groups and women. From the monumental Great Petition Sculpture, to community banners, oral histories, digital storytelling and an online searchable database of signatories to the original ‘Monster Petition’. These activities have provided a focus to reflect on the achievements of all the women and men - recognized and unrecognized - who have petitioned, protested and agitated for change over the last hundred years. **
 * **Launched in December 2008, the Great Petition public art sculpture by artists Susan Hewitt and Penelope Lee, celebrates the 100th year anniversary of women’s right to vote in Victoria.**
 * **Inspired by the Monster Petition of 1891, this major public artwork is a tribute to the 30,000 signatories who helped win women the rights they have today.**
 * **This co-commission signals a significant development in collaborative projects between City of Melbourne and State Government. **
 * In 1891 Victorian women took to the streets, knocking door to door, in the cities, towns and countryside, gathering signatures in the fight for the vote. They collected 30,000 signatures. Their petition, consisting of pages glued to sewn swathes of calico, measured 260m long, and came to be known as the Monster Petition.