Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visitors are advised that the following contains the names and images of people who have died.

I AM A NEW WOMAN is a series of screen prints by Parliament House artist-in-residence Alison Alder, celebrating 12 women who campaigned for a more inclusive democracy. They were part of a movement of thousands of women and men who mobilised across Australia over decades for the cause of political citizenship.

In 1902, Australia became the first country in the world to grant women the same rights as men to vote and to stand as candidates in federal elections. However, these rights were not universal, with some groups excluded from the franchise. It would be another 60 years before all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women were able to enrol and vote at federal elections.

 The rights to vote and to stand for public office underpin Australia’s system of democracy.

Alder is a visual artist based in the Canberra region whose work is held in major public collections nationally and internationally. In I AM A NEW WOMAN, Alder combines contemporary photographs, quotations, and organisational affiliations. This enables ‘the actions and personalities of these women, who were so resolute and radical in their challenges to accepted societal norms, to shine through in the screen prints.’

An edition of the series was acquired for the Parliament House Art Collections in 2024.

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Images: Alison Alder (born 1958) I AM A NEW WOMAN: Catherine Spence; I AM A NEW WOMAN: CE Clark; I AM A NEW WOMAN: Harriet Dugdale; I AM A NEW WOMAN: Emma Miller; I AM A NEW WOMAN: Jessie Rooke; I AM A NEW WOMAN: Rose Scott; I AM A NEW WOMAN: Louisa Lawson; I AM A NEW WOMAN: Vida Goldstein; I AM A NEW WOMAN: Laura Harris; I AM A NEW WOMAN: Pearl Gibbs; I AM A NEW WOMAN: Faith Bandler; I AM A NEW WOMAN: Pat Eatock, 2024, Parliament House Art Collections.