Agnes Robertson Robertson (née Keay; 31 July 1882 – 29 January 1968) was an Australian schoolteacher, community worker and politician who served as a
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
for
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
from 1950 to 1962. She was originally elected to parliament as a member of the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
at the
1949 federal election. In 1955, she was dropped from her party's ticket due to her age, but instead won the endorsement of the
Country Party and was re-elected to a second term at the
1955 election; her final term ended a month before her 80th birthday. She was the first woman to represent the Country Party in federal parliament.
Early life
Agnes Robertson Keay was born in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, the only daughter among eight children born to Mary Ann (née Thomson) and David Kelly Keay. Her father – born in
Perthshire
Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...
, Scotland – was a stonemason by trade, and after arriving in Australia became a successful building contractor. During her childhood the family moved around the country as her father pursued various contracts, living for periods in Adelaide,
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
, and
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
.
Keay completed her secondary education in Sydney, obtaining a leaving certificate from the Forest Lodge Public School in
Glebe
Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...
just before her 14th birthday. A short time later, her family moved to
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, where she qualified as a schoolteacher via the
monitorial system The Monitorial System, also known as Madras System or Lancasterian System, was an education method that took hold during the early 19th century, because of Spanish, French, and English colonial education that was imposed into the areas of expansion. ...
. On 1 July 1903, she married journalist Robert Robertson, the editor of the ''
Western Mail''; the
marriage bar
A marriage bar is the practice of restricting the employment of married women. Common in Western countries from the late 19th century to the 1970s, the practice often called for the termination of the employment of a woman on her marriage, especi ...
in place at the time required her to give up teaching.
Community work
Robertson returned to teaching after her husband's death in 1912, working at the Thomas Street State School in
Subiaco until 1943. She served on the executive of the
Western Australian Teachers' Union (including as vice-president for a period), and was a member of an appeals tribunal for pay disputes.
[ Robertson was a devout ]Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
, teaching Bible studies at the Ross Memorial Church
The Ross Memorial Church is a Uniting Church building on Hay Street in West Perth, Western Australia.
History
Five years prior to the construction of the church a brick hall (designed by Andrew Oswald Wilson) was built adjacent to the chur ...
and becoming one of the first women to serve as a lay preacher
Lay preacher is a preacher or a religious proclaimer who is not a formally ordained cleric
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presidi ...
. She co-founded the Presbyterian Women's Missionary Union, and in 1937 represented Western Australia at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body.''An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland'' by A. Gordon McGillivray ...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
.[ Robertson served on the councils of Presbyterian Ladies' College and the Presbyterian Home for the Aged, and supported a number of other community organisations. As secretary of the Free Milk and Nutritional Council, she successfully lobbied for the introduction of a free milk scheme for schoolchildren.][
]
Politics
Early involvement
Through her volunteer work, Robertson became acquainted with social campaigner Bessie Rischbieth
Bessie Mabel Rischbieth, (née Earle; 16 October 187413 March 1967) was an influential and early Australian feminist and social activist. A leading or founding member of many social reform groups, such as the Women's Service Guilds, The Aus ...
and state MP Florence Cardell-Oliver
Dame Annie Florence Gillies Cardell-Oliver, DBE (née Wilson; 11 May 1876 — 12 January 1965) was a Western Australian politician and political activist, often known publicly as simply Florence Cardell-Oliver.
She was the longest-serving fem ...
, who encouraged her to seek public office.[ She stood for the Nationalist Party in North Perth at the 1943 state election, but polled only 17% of the vote. In 1945, Robertson became a foundation member of the new ]Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
. She served on the party's federal women's committee, as well as heading the local women's section and sitting on the state executive.[
]
Senator for Western Australia
At the age of 67, Robertson became the Liberal Party's lead Senate candidate in Western Australia at the 1949 federal election, the first woman to head a major party's ticket. She was one of ten female candidates, but only she and Ivy Wedgwood
Dame Ivy Evelyn Annie Wedgwood, (née Drury; 18 October 1896 – 24 July 1975) was an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Victoria from 1950 to 1971, representing the Liberal Party. She was the first woman to represent Victoria ...
of Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
were successful. Their election brought the total number of women in the Senate to four (out of 60), the others being Dorothy Tangney
Dame Dorothy Margaret Tangney DBE (13 March 19073 June 1985) was an Australian politician. She was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and served as a Senator for Western Australia from 1943 to 1968. She was the first woman elected to ...
and Annabelle Rankin
Dame Annabelle Jane Mary Rankin DBE (28 July 190830 August 1986) was an Australian politician and diplomat. She was the first woman from Queensland elected to parliament, the first woman federal departmental minister, and the first Australian ...
. Tangney – 25 years Robertson's junior – was also from Western Australia, which became the first state to have multiple female senators. Robertson's first term began on 22 February 1950. She was re-elected to a second term at the 1951 election (a double dissolution
A double dissolution is a procedure permitted under the Australian Constitution to resolve deadlocks in the bicameral Parliament of Australia between the House of Representatives (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). A double dissolution ...
), again running as the Liberal Party's lead candidate.[
While attending a conference in ]Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
in early 1955, Robertson was informed via telegram that she had been dropped from her party's ticket for the next election. Her replacement was George Branson, a 37-year-old farmer.[ When pressed on the issue, Prime Minister ]Robert Menzies
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...
confirmed that Robertson's age was the primary factor in her exclusion – she would be 73 at the time of the election, which was thought to be too old. After unsuccessfully attempting to have her non-selection overturned on procedural grounds, Robertson resigned from the Liberal Party on 7 September 1955. She initially sat as an independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
, promising to continue supporting the government in the Senate to maintain its narrow majority, but on 28 September joined the Country Party – the first woman to represent the party in federal parliament. She was subsequently chosen to head its two-member Senate ticket. Robertson mounted a vigorous 40-day campaign targeted at women voters, making a tour of rural areas and giving a series of radio broadcasts. She ultimately defeated Branson for the final Senate seat by about 17,000 votes, aided by Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
and DLP preferences.[ '']The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' described her re-election as "the most piquant situation produced by the election".[
In the Senate, Robertson almost always supported the ]Menzies Government
Menzies is a Scottish surname, with Gaelic forms being Méinnearach and Méinn, and other variant forms being Menigees, Mennes, Mengzes, Menzeys, Mengies, and Minges.
Derivation and history
The name and its Gaelic form are probably derived f ...
, and remained a personal admirer of Menzies even after his public lack of support for her candidacy. She did cross the floor
In parliamentary systems, politicians are said to cross the floor if they formally change their political affiliation to a different political party than which they were initially elected under (as is the case in Canada and the United Kingdom). ...
on at least one occasion, in 1954 opposing a bill that required public servants to retire at the age of 65.[ Robertson took a keen interest in foreign affairs, and in 1956 became the first woman to serve on the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. She was firmly ]anti-communist
Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
, speaking in favour of the Communist Party Dissolution Bill in 1950, and advocated closer relations with Southeast Asia as a defence against the domino effect
A domino effect or chain reaction is the cumulative effect generated when a particular event triggers a chain of similar events. This term is best known as a mechanical effect and is used as an analogy to a falling row of dominoes. It typically ...
. She led several Australian delegations to international women's conferences, and spoke frequently on women's and children's issues.[ With several of her Liberal colleagues, Robertson lobbied for the removal of the ]marriage bar
A marriage bar is the practice of restricting the employment of married women. Common in Western countries from the late 19th century to the 1970s, the practice often called for the termination of the employment of a woman on her marriage, especi ...
in the Commonwealth Public Service
The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia responsible for the public administration, public policy, and public services of the departments and executive and statutory agencies of the G ...
; this was not achieved until 1966 Another pet topic was the conservation of historic buildings. Robertson did not re-contest her seat at the 1961 election,[ and her final term expired on 30 June 1962, a month before her 80th birthday.
]
Personal life
Robertson kept a low profile in retirement. She died on 29 January 1968 while visiting family in Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, and was cremated at Springvale Botanical Cemetery
The Springvale Botanical Cemetery is the largest crematorium and memorial park in Victoria, Australia. It is located in Springvale, in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
History
Originally known as The Necropolis Springvale, the cemetery co ...
. She and her husband had three children together – John, Jessie, and Christie. Her father built them a house in West Perth when they married, which she would occupy for the rest of her life. Robertson became a widow at the age of 29; after several months of ill health, her husband died of tuberculosis on 24 May 1912. She raised her three young children with the help of her parents, and in 1935 adopted a fourth child, her 14-year-old god-daughter Beryl Grant
Beryl Grant (11 September 1921 – 4 November 2017) was an Australian nurse, community worker, and public servant.
Life
Grant was the daughter of Norman William Grant (1888–1927) and Annie (née Laurie; 1889–1935), born on 11 September 192 ...
(recently orphaned).[ Jessie followed her mother into politics, becoming head of the Country Party's federal women's committee, while Beryl became a prominent social worker.]
Notes
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Agnes
1882 births
1968 deaths
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia
National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia
Members of the Australian Senate for Western Australia
Members of the Australian Senate
Women members of the Australian Senate
20th-century Australian politicians
20th-century Australian women politicians
Independent members of the Parliament of Australia
Politicians from Perth, Western Australia
Australian schoolteachers
Australian Presbyterians
Australian people of Scottish descent