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Irene Longman was a woman ahead of her time. She fought tirelessly for a range of important causes through her voluntary and professional work. As an activist for many women’s organisations, she was passionate about improving the lives of women and children but was also interested in issues such as town planning and the preservation of flora and fauna.
Longman’s role as an ambassador for women’s rights contributed to her election as the first female Queensland parliamentarian in 1929. One of Longman’s most significant achievements in parliament was her role in the appointment of the first female police officers in Queensland.
As the first female parliamentarian, however, her career was short lived, running only one term in the Moore government until the Labor Government swept back into power. No other woman was elected to Queensland State Parliament until Vi Jordan in 1966.
Longman’s interest in politics, economics and social questions continued long after her parliamentary role ended. She later assumed the positions of Vice-President of the Lyceum Club, Vice-President of the Queensland Women’s Peace Movement and President of the Association for the Welfare of Mental Deficients, Queensland. Longman died in 1964 at the age of 87.
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 | | Contribution by the Member for Bulimba, Mrs Irene Longman, to a Parliamentary debate on extended sitting hours, Official Record of the Debates of the Legislative Assembly, Vol CLIII, p 701, 4 October 1929 |
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 | 1929 Stockmarket crashed ultimately leading to The Great Depression | |
1930 Pluto was discovered |
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