Florence Cardell-Oliver

Dame Annie Florence Gillies Cardell-Oliver, DBE (née Wilson; 11 May 1876 — 12 January 1965) was a Western Australian politician and political activist, often known publicly as simply Florence Cardell-Oliver.

She was the longest-serving female State Parliamentarian in Western Australia, serving in parliament from 15 February 1936 to 7 April 1956, until her record was broken in September 2011 by Liz Constable.

Background/family Born Annie Florence Gillies Wilson to Johnston Wilson and Annie Thompson, she married, firstly, David Sykes Boydan. They travelled to England, where David Boydan died on 5 September 1902. Later she remarried, to Arthur Cardell-Oliver and they had two sons. The family migrated to Western Australia and Arthur Cardell-Oliver registered as a doctor in 1912. During the First World War she spoke at recruitment meetings for the armed services.

Her husband, an honorary captain in the Army Medical Corps Reserve, joined the Australian Imperial Force, and served in England before requesting his appointment be terminated. He then set up a medical practice in South Melbourne and retired in 1924 due to ill health. The family travelled to England where he died on 15 September 1929. She was buried beside Arthur in St Columb Minor churchyard, Newquay, Cornwall.

Women activism Florence was the first woman to get a full Cabinet rank in Australian parliament, and was thoroughly involved in conservative women's organisations. Through this she made certain acts where she sponsored legislations connecting to the public health of women and children. Cardell-Oliver was also the first woman to be suspended from the Legislative Assembly, which happened in 1942.

Political career In 1929, Cardell-Oliver's husband Arthur died, and she decided to move to Western Australia and to become the vice-president of the State branch of the Nationalist Party. She unsuccessfully stood for the federal seat of Fremantle against John Curtin in 1934. That year she also published her own book, Empire Unity or Red Asiatic Domination?, which outlined the economic measures that she thought would stop communism at the time. The oldest person in Western Australia to attain full cabinet rank (1949)