100 Years On In 1921 Edith Cowan was told by a friend that getting elected to the WA Parliament would be “a tough nut to crack”. It is a matter of history that she did indeed become our “First Australian Lady Parliamentarian” as the Daily News proclaimed back then.

One hundred years on from her vision of the house perhaps one day boasting a “sprinkling” of women, which she envisioned would “be a step in the direction of better legislation”, in 2021 we celebrated our 100th female-identifying politician serving in the WA Parliament. Among the many firsts to occur since that time includes the first female Australian Premier, Dr Carmen Lawrence (from 1990), and first Indigenous Member of the Western Australian Parliament and any Australian Parliament, Carol Martin, elected in 2001.

Brooching the Subject Cowan commissioned the original Tough Nut brooch after her win, which she handed out to the members of her Election Committee. This brooch has been reproduced many times over the years, and now an image of the original as sourced from the WA library, graces the Australian David Uniapon/Edith Cowan $50 note. The image of the Tough Nut is to the right of the etching of Cowan, just above the number 50.

E.C. 100 Year Pin To commemorate 100 years of Edith Cowan’s achievement, recently elected Member of the Legislative Assembly Christine Tonkin approached local artist and jeweller Melissa Cameron to design a commemorative pin that would hark back to Cowan’s original Tough Nut brooch. Consulting the State Library image, the $50 note, the reproduction that lives in the State Parliament building and another recent reproduction photographed by Edith Cowan University, they decided it was time for a refresh.

Designed to frame the gum nut in a more naturalistic setting, the new pin suggests that female-identifying MP’s, MLA’s and Parliamentary staff are well and truly at home in the WA Parliament buildings. Thanks to Cowan cracking that first tough nut, together we have been stepping towards better legislation since 1921.