A petition in favour of women's right to vote was organised by the Victorian Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Victorian Women's Suffrage Society in 1891. It gathered 30,000 signatures and was known as the Monster Petition because of its size.2 p. text and one colour photographwomens suffrage petition, victorian women's christian temperance union, victorian women's suffrage society, women's suffrage

It took just six weeks in the spring of 1891 to collect nearly 30,000 signatures on the ‘Monster Petition’ for women’s suffrage. Dedicated suffragists collected an average of 5,000 signatures a week (over 700 per day) before the petition was presented to the Victorian Parliament in September 1891. The six-week drive proved the determination of the suffragists, and was one of first major steps along the road to 1908 and the achievement of women’s franchise. Now a prized possession of the State of Victoria, the petition itself was truly a ‘monster’, running 20 centimetres across and 260 metres in length. Several men were required to carry it into Parliament. Its sheer size and unique shape make it a marvel; a stack of paper with an equal number of signatures would not be nearly as impressive as the huge, winding roll presented to Premier James Munro. Quoted from the article ‘The “Monster Petition” and the Women of Davis Street’ by Brienne Callahan, in Provenance: The Journal of Public Record Office Victoria, issue no. 7.

These articles were prepared by GHS Committee member Anne Paul to commemorate the centenary of International Women's Day held on 8th March 2011.International Women's Day celebrates the struggle to participate in society on an equal footing.A collection of 3 documents totalling 8 pages by Anne Paul.Nilwomens suffrage petition, anne paul, international womens day, the monster petition, womens votes, 1908, 1909, 1910, vida goldstein, muriel matters

In 1891, Premier James Munro said he would introduce a bill into parliament for women's suffrage if it were demonstrated that ordinary women wanted this right. The Victorian Woman's Temperance Union and the Victorian Women's Suffrage Society took up the challenge, joining forces to organise a petition. Embarking on a door knocking campaign across Victoria they collected about 30,000 signatures in six weeks. The 'Monster Petition' is housed at the Public Records Office Victoria where a purpose-built perspex case protects the 260 metres of signed pages glued to sewn swathes of calico. (ref. Creative Victoria). In 2008 the petition was a centrepiece of the centenary celebrations of women's suffrage. This document was prepared for that centenary celebration.The Women's Suffrage Petition (1891) reflects the dedicated work of those women, who went from door to door across Victoria to collect the signatures. Its tremendous length earned it the name of the ‘Monster Petition'. This document is a useful research item.A stapled 9 pp document containing names, photographs, signatures of the Orbost women who signed the petition for Women's Suffrage in 1891.women's-suffrage-orbost

The discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851 initially overwhelmed the Colonial administration. Towns appeared almost overnight and it was challenging to keep law and order. To keep some control over the gold seekers and help pay for the administration of the goldfields, Lieutenant-Governor La Trobe introduced gold licences in September 1851. Miners paid 30 shillings per month (later reduced to £1 per month or £8 per year) for the right to dig a small ‘claim’, usually about eight feet square (2.4m²). Not surprisingly the licence system was unpopular. The licence was expensive – 30 shillings was a substantial sum for most diggers, who might spend months digging for gold without success. Resistance to the licence fee spread throughout the fields. A Miner’s Association was formed at Mount Alexander (Castlemaine) in December 1851 and at Bendigo in 1853 the Red Ribbon Rebellion was led by the Anti-Gold Licence Association. Diggers wore red ribbons in their hats as a sign of protest, refused to pay their licences and collected a ‘monster’ petition which was presented to Lieutenant-Governor La Trobe. The petition demanded immediate reform of government administration, a reduction in the licence fee, the right to vote and land reform (with poor returns from diggings, miners wanted affordable land on or near the goldfields). This proposal to commemorate a significant event in the history of Bendigo, is for the creation of a permanent installation in Bendigo that will commemorate the valour and integrity of the Bendigo diggers, who stood fast against the Government in the early days of protest on the Victorian diggings. Nine page photocopy of document titled: ' The Red Ribbon Rebellion & the Bendigo Petition. A proposal to commemorate a significant event in the history of Bendigo'. Contents includes a brief history of the Red Ribbon movement; description of the Digger's Banner; information on Governor LaTrobe; William Dixon Campbell Denovan and an outline of the proposed project to commemorate the event. The imposition of a license fee imposed upon the miners, by the Government of Victoria, cause a major agitation on the Bendigo diggings and the Anti-License League was born in Bendigo. Signatures were gathered for a petition: 'It is widely believed that more than 23,000 signatures had been gathered from diggers across all the nearby goldfields; most of those were said to have been lost in the McIvor Escort Robbery of 20 July 1853'. The proposal was prepared by Geoff Hocking in consultation with the Bendigo Historical Society and Jim Evans of the Red Ribbon Repertory Co.mining, sandhurst, red ribbon rebellion, agitation, denovan, latrobe, miners, license fee, diggers

Account of the digital transcription of the 30,000 signature Victorian Women's Suffrage Petition 1891, tabled in Parliament in September 1891 it sought that "Women should vote on equal terms with Men."1 p. photocopy of article published in Ancestor, Vol.28, No. 1, March 2006women's suffrage petition, women's petition 1891, women's suffrage, monster petition

Account of the indexing project providing an index to the names and addresses of the women who signed the Women's Petition in 1891, which is available online on the Parliament of Victoria's website. The Women's Petition sought equal voting rights for women.1 p. article from Ancestor, Vol. 29, No. 4, December 2008womens suffrage petition, monster petition, womens suffrage, women's petition 1891