Phyllis Benjamin

Phyllis Jean Benjamin AO MBE (30 August 1907 – 9 April 1996^[1]), Australian Labor Party politician, was a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council in the electorate of Hobart from 10 May 1952 until retirement in 1976.

She stood for the division of Hobart as a Labor candidate when sitting member John Soundy retired on 10 May 1952. She won the division easily with 1,433 votes, the next highest candidate only won 563 votes.

She was the first Australian woman to lead an upper house of Parliament, and was the longest serving female politician in Australian political history.

Despite her sex, Benjamin was reported as one of the "36 faceless men" who were reported to be in control the Australian Labor Party in the lead up to the 1963 Australian federal election.^[2]

References

^ Parliamentary library profile
^ "The woman beside the men" (in English). The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney Morning Herald). 1 July 2010. http://www.smh.com.au/national/the-diary/the-woman-beside-the-men-20100630-zmvv.html. Retrieved 1 July 2010.

Persondata
Name	Benjamin, Phyllis
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	30 August 1907
Place of birth
Date of death	9 April 1996
Place of death