Phyllis Benjamin

{{Short description|Australian politician (1907–1996)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}

{{Use Australian English|date=January 2016}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Phyllis Benjamin

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|AO|MBE}}

| image =

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| office = Member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council for Hobart

| term_start = 10 May 1952

| term_end = 22 May 1976

| predecessor = John Soundy

| successor = Kath Venn

| birth_name = Phyllis Jean Allsopp

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1907|8|30}}

| birth_place = Mosman, New South Wales

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1996|4|6|1907|8|30}}

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| party = Labor Party

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| spouse = {{Marriage|Albert Benjamin|10 March 1926}}

| relations = Bill Neilson (son-in-law)

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Phyllis Jean Benjamin {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AO|MBE}} (30 August 1907 – 9 April 1996), Labor Party politician, was a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council in the electorate of Hobart from 10 May 1952 until her retirement on 22 May 1976.{{cite Tas Parliament |id=benjaminp514 |title=Benjamin, Phyllis |access-date=24 July 2022}}

Born Phyllis Allsopp, she married Albert Benjamin in Sydney on 10 March 1926.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article143935859 |title=Personal. |newspaper=Cootamundra Herald (NSW : 1877 - 1954) |location=NSW |date=19 March 1926 |accessdate=19 November 2015 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

In 1948, their daughter, Jill Benjamin, married Bill Neilson who went on to become Premier of Tasmania.Peter Boyce, [http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/neilson-william-arthur-bill-14990 'Neilson, William Arthur (Bill) (1925–1989)'], Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 2012, accessed online 19 November 2015.

She stood for the division of Hobart as a Labor candidate when sitting member John Soundy retired on 10 May 1952. She won the division easily with 1,433 votes; the next highest candidate received only 563 votes. From 1951 to 1953 she was President of the Federated Association of Australian Housewives.{{Cite web |last=Melbourne |first=National Foundation for Australian Women and The University of |title=Federated Association of Australian Housewives - Organisation - The Australian Women's Register |url=https://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE1120b.htm |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=www.womenaustralia.info |language=en-gb}}

Despite her sex, Benjamin was reported as one of the "36 faceless men" reported to be in control of the Australian Labor Party in the lead up to the 1963 Australian federal election.{{cite news

|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/the-diary/the-woman-beside-the-men-20100630-zmvv.html

|title=The woman beside the men

|date=1 July 2010

|work=The Sydney Morning Herald

|publisher=Sydney Morning Herald

|accessdate=1 July 2010}}

From 1968 to 1969, Benjamin was Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, as one of only four representatives of her party in that chamber. She was the first woman to hold the position in any Australian legislative council.