Unions call for stolen statue of suffragist and union leader Mary Lee to be restored

South Australian unions are saddened that the bust of suffragist and union leader Mary Lee has been stolen from its plinth on North Terrace.

SA Unions Secretary Dale Beasley called on police and the City of Adelaide to make every effort to restore Mary Lee’s statue as a matter of urgency.

Mary Lee was a key figure in the early history of the United Trades and Labor Council of South Australia (now known as SA Unions).

Her contribution to the suffragist movement went hand-in-hand with her work as a trade unionist deeply concerned with conditions faced by working women in South Australia.

In 1889, one year after founding the South Australian Women’s Suffrage League, Mary Lee campaigned for the UTLC to support the formation of a union to organise women employed in sweatshop conditions in the clothing industry.

She then joined the UTLC as an official delegate in her role as the inaugural secretary and later vice-president of the Working Women’s Trades Union.

Simultaneous with her campaign for women’s suffrage, Mary Lee was a mainstay in clothing factories and workshops, where she organised women workers to fight for fairer pay and conditions.

She was a member the Distressed Women and Children’s Committee of the UTLC, which distributed food and clothing relief to women suffering in the economic depression of the 1890s.

Quotes attributable to SA Unions Secretary Dale Beasley

“Mary Lee’s legacy reminds us that the struggle for gender equality has always been deeply entwined with the struggle for workers’ rights.”

“All South Australians should be proud of Mary Lee’s tireless fight for women’s suffrage, which made our state the first place in the world where women could vote and stand for parliament.”

“Mary Lee fought for women’s suffrage as a unionist who knew that workers in their unions have the power to change the world for the better.”

“It’s important that Mary Lee’s statue is restored as a matter of urgency so that her example can continue to inspire South Australian workers still fighting for equality today.”