A new sculpture by Victorian artist Lis Johnson of the late Labor senator Susan Ryan has been unveiled in the Old Parliament House Senate Rose Gardens.

The sculpture, Senator Ryan Addresses the Rally, is inspired by a photo of Ryan addressing a women’s work rally in 1977.

Susan Ryan, who died in 2020, 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.

One of her many achievements was the introduction and passage of world leading legislation to prevent discrimination based on sex, marital status, or pregnancy, to guard against harassment and to dismantle barriers in the workplace.

The sculpture was funded by the ACT government as part of the Recognising Significant Women Through Public Art program.