Blaze e-catalogue - Catalog - Page 121
‘Having tried deputations, agitations,
intimidations, organisations, having pushed the bill
in Parliament and out of Parliament, and become
thoroughly disgusted with the whole affair’,
Preston Stanley changed tactics. She authored,
produced and performed a play, Whose Child,
based on the Polini case and her own experiences
trying to achieve legislative change. The Minister
for Justice attended the play’s performance
and this compelled him to introduce a Bill into
Parliament in September 1933 which came
into force on 1 November 1934.
While Preston Stanley’s time as a Member
of the Parliament of NSW was short, she opened
the doors for other women to follow. Her efforts
within and beyond the Parliament made
a significant change to the rights of women
in NSW.
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