Although Enid recognised the essential contribution of women in family life, she did not see this as mutually exclusive with paid work and was passionate in her pursuit for women of all backgrounds to be part of civil society, stating: ‘I like the mother on the hearth but that does not preclude her taking part in other things. It is the duty of every woman to take an intelligent interest in outside affairs.’[3]

As her biographer Anne Henderson notes, Enid referred to her public engagements as ‘speeching’; a tongue in cheek reference to a handwritten letter she had once received from a woman who had written to her advising: ‘Be a good, sensible little woman and stay at home. Don’t go around speeching and making yourself ridiculous.’

As Henderson notes, Enid did a lot of ‘speeching’. Both while her husband was in office and after his death, she was a prolific broadcaster on radio, speaking on a wide range of topics canvasing public and social issues.[4] She was a profoundly determined person and after Joe’s death, was elected to federal Parliament as a single mother and as the first woman in the male-dominated House of Representatives.[5]

In her maiden address in 1943, Enid stated she had not thought about the speech with her ‘feet upon the mantle piece’ as many of her male counterparts would have, ‘but knee-deep in shawls and feeding bottles’.[6] She did not shy away from her domestic background but used household metaphors as a springboard of connection with her audiences in speeches and in her advocacy for women’s equality.[7] She was so talented at speaking that Prime Minister Robert Menzies once said she could move him to tears over ‘the condition of a railroad track’.[8]

Enid was overt about her belief in the dignity of all human beings, the sanctity of life and the importance of seeking the common good.[9] She said: ‘Only a relatively few in any society seek the general good rather than their own personal welfare’.[10]

Enid was a passionate advocate for the human rights of unborn babies, children and their mothers underpinned by her belief that ‘a democratic society rests on the moral concepts of human dignity’.[11] At a rally in Brisbane against an abortion reform bill in 1973, she argued, ‘Abortion is a matter of life and death. There is no justification for it despite the emotional arguments to support it’. Despite her strong opposition to abortion, Enid’s style was not to impose her view on others but to persuade and dialogue. Part of Enid’s legacy involved advocating for policies we now take for granted as essential aspects of the welfare state, including free medical care for the elderly and child support for families.

Enid’s public life was about advancing the welfare of children and mothers. Enid was a trail blazer for Australian women, devoting herself to public service and to the common good.

For further reading, see: Anne Henderson, Enid Lyons: Leading Lady to a Nation (Pluto Press, 2008).

[1] Catherine Fisher, ‘Broadcasting the Woman Citizen: Dame Enid Lyons’ Macquarie Network Talks’ (2017) 23(1) Lilith: A Feminist History Journal 34, 34.

[2] Anne Henderson, Enid Lyons: Leading Lady to a Nation (Pluto Press, 2008) 116, 119.

[3] Henderson (n 2) 203.

[4] Fisher (n 1) 36; Diane Langmore, ‘Lyons, Dame Enid Murial (1897–1981)’ (2012) 18 Australian Dictionary of Biography (online) < https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/lyons-dame-enid-muriel-14392>.

[5] Anne Henderson, ‘Faith and Politics: Dame Enid Lyons’ (2011) 39(August) The Sydney Institute Quarterly 19, 19 (‘Faith and Politics').

[6] Malcom Turnbull, ‘Enid Lyons — Leading Lady to a Nation’ (Speech, Book Launch, 20 June 2008).

[7] See: Henderson ‘Faith and Politics’ (n 4); Langmore (n 3).

[8] Langmore (n 3).

[9]  Henderson, ‘Faith and Politics’ (n 4) 22.

[10] Henderson (n 2) 324.

[11] Henderson (n 2) 324.

Image: Dame Enid Lyons 1950. Photo source: Wikipedia