Joseph Cook

Preferential voting returned to the federal agenda in the early 1910s.

Joseph Cook became Prime Minister in 1913 and instituted a royal commission into the electoral system.

Cook promised to implement preferential voting at the 1914 election but ended up losing.

That royal commission eventually recommended preferential voting for the House and proportional representation for the Senate, as in 1902.

But I do just want to acknowledge they did some liberal shit.

So By this point, actually, a Labour rat named Joseph Cooke had taken over as leader of the Liberals because there was also a bit more fluidity between parties in these days.

People moved across, even from Labour.

Cooke's Liberals called for national social insurance to support widows, the unemployed, and those unable to work due to sickness or accident, referential voting to improve Australia's democracy, separate voting days for referenda to stop everyone getting very mad at them, and equal pay for women and men.

American social worker, pioneer settlement worker, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate was born this year, who co-founded Hull House.

The sixth prime minister of Australia, Joseph Cook, was born this year, and Annie Oakley was also born this year.

She was a legendary American, you know, like, sharpshooter and star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.

So this was really the atmosphere that Lizzie was born into.