Australian Biographical Monographs, No. 18.
Dame Annabelle has been overlooked for too long. As Minister for Housing in the Holt and Gorton Governments, she was the first woman with responsibility for a federal government department and as High Commissioner to New Zealand was the first woman to head an Australian diplomatic post. She was, too, the first female whip in the Australian Parliament. -- From the Foreword
Peter Sekuless brings Dame Annabelle Rankin to life in this meticulously researched monograph. He has made extensive use of parliamentary debates, contemporary press reports, and most importantly, interviews recorded after Senator Rankin's retirement. We are all the more informed not just about Dame Annabelle, but of the culture and values of the times in which she lived and the prejudices that she, and others like her, had to overcome. Her story also tells us a lot about the Commonwealth Parliament itself and the nature of the Liberal Party which was perhaps more of a pioneer in women's rights than is usually acknowledged.
Peter Sekuless is a Canberra-based writer who has been a press gallery journalist, Commonwealth public servant and government relations consultant. His books include the life of Australian feminist Jessie Street and a profile of WW11 war correspondent Lorraine Stumm.
