Vida Goldstein (1869-1949) Australian early feminist reformer and politician.

Born in Portland, Victoria of Polish, Jewish and Irish heritage, Vida Goldstein came from a family with strong social views. After attending Presbyterian Ladies College she conducted, with her sisters, a co-educational preparatory school in St Kilda. Introduced into the fight for women's suffrage by her mother, Vida Goldstein took an early interest in politics.

Together with Annette Bear-Crawford she campaigned for social issues including women's franchise and the Queen Victoria Hospital for women. After the death of Annette Bear-Crawford (1899), Vida took on a greater public speaking career for suffrage. In 1902 she addressed the United States Congress as a delegate from Australia and New Zealand to the International Woman Suffrage Conference.

In 1903, as an Independent with the support of the Women's Federal Political Association, she became the first woman in the British Empire to stand for election to a national parliament. Her bid for a Senate seat failed, but she stood for parliament again in 1910, 1913 and 1914; her fifth and last bid was in 1917 for a senate seat on the principle of international peace.

Her campaign secretary in 1913 was Doris Blackburn who was later successfully elected to the Australian House of Representatives.

Goldstein was a speaker, writer and campaigner. Throughout the First World War she was an ardent pacifist, became chairman of the Peace Alliance and formed the Women's Peace Army. She recruited Adela Pankhurst, recently arrived from England as an organiser.

Her continuing political activism included leadership of the Women's Political Association and editing the Women's Sphere between 1900 and 1908.

She contributed to the foundation of many womens organisations including the National Council of Women. She developed an international presence as a feminist, perhaps the only Australian of this period to be recognised around the world. Vida campaigned for peace and disarmament, as well as birth control and equal naturalisation laws.

In 1984 the Division of Goldstein an electorate in Melbourne was named after her.

The Womens' Electoral Lobby in Victoria has named an award after her[1].

External references

• Australian Womens' Biographies published by the National Foundation for Australian Women

• biography commpiled by Friends of St Kilda cemetery

• National Library of Australia Federation Gateway site

• Australian War Memorial Federation site recognising Goldstein as a peace activist