Dame Dorothy Tangney and Dame Enid Lyons Sculpture

Sculptor Lis Johnson explains her process and the meaning of this specific project.

“These full-scale sculptures of Dame Dorothy Tangney and Dame Enid Lyons are the first of women in the Parliamentary Zone. This is an opportune time to put the spotlight on the two dames as high-achieving women who did a lot of important work to improve education and public health. I think it is befitting that the sculptures of Dame Dorothy Tangney and Dame Enid Lyons will be unveiled at a time when there are now many women making a mark in Parliament.” Lis Johnson

On International Women’s Day, 8 March 2023, The Hon Kristy McBain MP, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, and members of the Lyons and Tangney families unveiled the commemorative statues of Dame Dorothy Tangney and Dame Enid Lyons, two courageous and trailblazing women who, together, carved a legacy in politics and public service. 

In 1943, Dame Dorothy Tangney and Dame Enid Lyons became the first Australian women to enter Federal Parliament. Dorothy Tangney was Australia’s first woman senator and the first Labor woman in Federal Parliament. Enid Lyons was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives and the first appointed to federal Cabinet.

The full body sculpture portrayal of Dorothy Tangney and Enid Lyons alongside each other is intended to be reminiscent of the iconic photo of the pair entering Parliament House together for the first time on 24 September 1943. Dorothy Tangney and Enid Lyons are depicted walking on approach from King George Terrace to the front door of Old Parliament House.

Lis Johnson, the figurative sculptor behind the project had the following to say “I have done lots and lots of statues of men, but there are not as many of women. Hopefully, we would be able to balance that imbalance soon. These full-scale sculptures of Dame Dorothy Tangney and Dame Enid Lyons are the first of women in the Parliamentary Zone. This is an opportune time to put the spotlight on the two dames as high-achieving women who did a lot of important work to improve education and public health. I think it is befitting that the sculptures of Dame Dorothy Tangney and Dame Enid Lyons will be unveiled at a time when there are now many women making a mark in Parliament.”

A Tribute

All firsts in significant fields of endeavour have a special place in history.

Tangney and Lyons paved the way for women to enter politics and were an inspiration to women to enter public service. The two women - with their confidence, brilliance, and determination - share a place of honour among leaders and former prime ministers, including Edmund Barton and war time leader John Curtin, who stand in the gardens surrounding the heart of the nation’s democracy.