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Senator Susan Ryan Sculpture
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Senator Susan Ryan addresses a rally
On 1 August 2024, the 40th Anniversary of the Commonwealth Sex Discrimination Act 1984, Tara Cheyne MLA, ACT Minister for the Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy and members of Susan Ryan’s family unveiled a sculpture of Senator Susan Ryan AO (1942-2020). The sculpture, titled Senator Ryan Addresses the Rally, is by artist Lis Johnson. The unveiling was attended by the Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO.
In 1975 Ryan became the first female Senator for the ACT, in 1977 the first woman in Labor’s shadow cabinet, and in 1983 the first woman in a federal Labor Cabinet. Ryan served as a Senator from 1975 until 1988. This permanent tribute celebrates Susan Ryan’s legacy and contribution to Australian political history as a champion for gender equality, education, and social justice.
Best known for the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 and accompanying Affirmative Action Act 1986, Susan Ryan introduced world-leading legislation to prevent discrimination based on sex, marital status, or pregnancy, to guard against harassment and to dismantle barriers in the workplace. In 2011, she became the first Age Discrimination Commissioner.
The full body sculpture of Senator Ryan by artist Lis Johnson is located inside the central, eastern entry of the Old Parliament House Senate Rose Gardens. The portrayal of Senator Ryan is intended to be reminiscent of the iconic photo taken by The Canberra Times of her passionately addressing a crowd during a ‘jobs for women’ rally in 1977.
The life-size cast bronze sculpture of Senator Ryan is positioned atop a new custom curved, polished concrete bench seat which bounds a purpose-made commemorative setting. The new seat is bordered with feature plantings of white Camelia Sasanqua and Viola Hederacea which complement the existing rose gardens Buxus hedging.
The artist commissioned to create the sculpture, Lis Johnson, is a fine art figurative sculptor whose extensive career includes sculptures of Dame Enid Lyons, Dame Dorothy Tangney, Sir John McEwen and Sir John Gorton located nearby in the Parliamentary Zone.
The sculpture was commissioned by the ACT Government as part of the Recognising Significant Women Through Public Art program.
For further educational resources associated with on Susan Ryan please refer to the Museum of Australian Democracy education page:
For more information and background regarding the sculpture, please visit the ArtsACT website.