House of Representatives : Speaker
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Parliament of Australia. The presiding officer in the upper house is the President of the Senate. The office of Speaker was created by section 35 of the Constitution of Australia. The authors of the Constitution intended that the House of Representatives should as nearly as possible be modelled on the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.
The Speaker is the presiding officer of House of Representatives debates, determining which members may speak. The Speaker is also responsible for maintaining order during debate, and may punish members who break the rules of the House.
The office of Speaker is currently held by Tony Smith (Liberal) since 10 August 2015. The Deputy Speaker is Kevin Hogan(National), who was elected Deputy Speaker on 26 March 2018. If the Speaker is absent the Deputy Speaker becomes the Acting Speaker. The Second Deputy Speaker is Rob Mitchell (Labor).
List of Speakers of the Australian House of Representatives.
The parties shown are those to which the Speakers belonged at the time they held office.
House of Representatives : Leader of the House
In the Australian Parliament, the Leader of the House is the government minister responsible for the management of government business in the House of Representatives, including such matters as:
- the order in which Government issues are to be dealt with
- tactical matters in reaction to impediments to such management
- negotiation with the Opposition’s counterpart (the Manager of Opposition Business) about the order in which bills are to be debated, and time allotted for debate.
As the Australian Parliament is bicameral, the Leader of the House must also be aware of developments in the Senate, for example, in order to anticipate whether a bill may be returned to the House with amendments.
The office was created in 1951 by the Prime Minister at the time, Robert Menzies. The Leader of the House and the Deputy Leader are appointed by the Prime Minister. Since 18 September 2013, Leader of the House has been Christopher Pyne, and the current Deputy Leader of the House is Luke Hartsuyker. The duties of the Deputy Leader of the House is largely contingent, coming into play only when the Leader of the House is absent from the House or is on leave, when he or she is referred to as Acting Leader of the House.
House of Representative : Manager of Opposition
The Manager of Opposition Business in the House, sometimes called Opposition Leader of the House, is the member of the Australian Official Opposition Shadow Ministry responsible for negotiating with the Leader of the Houseregarding proceedings in the Australian House of Representatives. Among other things, the topics of negotiation are the order in which Government bills and other items of business are taken, the time allotted for debate, and the timing of Opposition business.
The Manager of Opposition Business in the House and the Deputy Manager are appointed by the Opposition leader. The current Manager of Opposition Business in the House is Tony Burke, and his deputy is Mark Dreyfus. The duties of the Deputy Manager of Opposition Business are largely contingent, coming into play only when the Manager of Opposition Business is absent from the House or is on leave, when he or she is referred to as Acting Manager of Opposition Business.
Two managers of Opposition Business in the House, John Howard and Julia Gillard, went on to become Prime Ministers.
The Managers of Opposition Business since 1974 are as follows:
House of Representatives : Clerk
The Clerk of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Australia is responsible for managing the Parliamentary Department of the House of Representatives. The Clerk is a non-elected administrative officer under the Parliamentary Service Act 1999. The term of the Clerk of the House of Representatives is now limited by law to 10 years.
The Department of the House of Representatives provides services to support the efficient conduct of the House of Representatives, its committees and certain joint committees as well as a range of services and facilities for House Members in the Australian Parliament House in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The Department also undertakes activities to promote the work of the House in the community and is responsible for the conduct of the Parliaments’ international and regional relations. As at 30 June 2014, the Department had a staff of 154. The Clerk of the Australian House of Representatives conducts the election for Speaker.
The Department of the House of Representatives is not part of the Executive Government of Australia, being instead responsible to the Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives, who has accountability obligations for the department to the House of Representatives.
Clerks of the House
| # | Name | Term in Office |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir George Henry Jenkins, CMG (later Sir George) | 1 May 1901 – 6 July 1901 (Acting) |
| 2 | 5 | |
| 6 | Frank Clifton Green, MC (later CBE) | 23 March 1937 – 25 June 1955 |
| 7 | Albert Allan Tregear, BComm, AASA (later CBE) | 27 June 1955 – 31 December 1958 |
| 8 | Alan George Turner, CBE (later Sir Alan) | 1 January 1959 – 10 December 1971 |
| 9 | Norman James Parkes, CBE, AASA | 11 December 1971 – 31 December 1976 |
| 10 | John Athol Pettifer, CBE, BComm, AASA | 1 January 1977 – 15 July 1982 |
| 11 | Douglas Maurice Blake, VRD (later AM) | 16 July 1982 – 30 July 1985 |
| 12 | Alan Robert Browning | 31 July 1985 – 22 March 1991 |
| 13 | Lyndal McAlpin Barlin, AM | 23 March 1991 – 26 July 1997 |
| 14 | Ian Charles Harris, BA (Hons), MA, DipEd, AO | 27 July 1997 – 4 December 2009 |
| 15 | Bernard Clive Wright | 4 December 2009 – 31 December 2013 |
| 16 | David Elder | 1 January 2014 – Present |
House of Representatives : Labor Party : Whips
Whips have managed business and maintained party discipline for Australia’s federal political parties in the House of Representatives since Federation. As the number of members of parliament and amount of business before the House has increased, so too has the number of whips. The three parties represented in the first Parliament each appointed one whip. Each of today’s three main parties appoint a chief whip, while the Australian Labor Party and Liberals each have an additional two whips and the Nationals have one additional whip. Until 1994, a party’s more senior whip held the title “Whip”, while the more junior whip was styled “Deputy Whip”. In 1994, those titles became “Chief Whip” and “Whip”, respectively.
While many whips have gone on to serve as ministers, only three have gone on to lead their parties: Labor’s Frank Tudor, the Country Party’s Earle Page, and the National Party’s Mark Vaile. Page is the only one of them to have served as prime minister (albeit for only a short time), and Vaile is the only one to have served as deputy prime minister. Tudor, less auspiciously, was the only of them to serve as leader of the opposition.
Page was also one of four people to serve as whip while representing Cowper, the others being Francis Clarke (Protectionist), John Thomson (Commonwealth Liberal and Nationalist), and Gerry Nehl. As of August 2013, one other constituency has the same distinction: Griffith, represented by William Conelan, William Coutts, Don Cameron, and Ben Humphreys—all of them Labor except Cameron. Oddly, the last three served in the seat consecutively.
Jump up^ Fenton became acting Whip at Page’s death.[5] The arrangement was made permanent on 29 September that year.[6]
Jump up^ Gil Duthie, the Labor Whip, noted in a debate in November 1968 that the position of Deputy Whip had been created in the Labor party at his request “four or five” years before his speech.[14] That puts the post’s creation in the 24th Parliament, which sat from 20 February 1962 to 30 October 1963, or the 25th Parliament, which sat from 25 February 1963 to 28 October 1966. In a debate in 1963, Duthie referred to Coutts as the “Deputy Whip”, though it is unclear whether the title had yet been formalised.[15] Coutts participated as a teller, a key duty of a whip, in all divisions in 1962,[16] 1963,[17] and 1964 where Labor and the Coalition were on opposite sides except two in May 1964 and the ones during and immediately before a trip on parliamentary business[18] as part of Australia’s delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.[19]
^ Jump up to:a b Nicholls and James were the Whip and Deputy Whip, respectively for the 29th Parliament.[23] Caucus elections were held on 10 June 1974.[24]
Jump up^ Later Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Jump up^ Humphreys was the Deputy Whip beginning with the 32nd Parliament,[27] and caucus elections were held on 8 November 1980.
House of Representatives : Liberal Party : Whips
House of Representatives : Country/National Party : Whips
House of Representatives : Women Members
There have been 115 women in the Australian House of Representatives since the establishment of the Parliament of Australia. Women have had the right to both vote and sit in parliament since 1902, however the first woman to enter the House of Representatives was Dame Enid Lyons in 1943. At that election, the first woman member of the Senate was also elected, and there have been women members of the Senate continuously ever since. By contrast, the House of Representatives has had women members continuously only since 1980.
All states and territories have been represented by women in the House of Representatives. In the 45th Australian Parliament there are 44 women.
- names in bold indicate women who have been appointed as Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries
- names in italics indicate entry into Parliament through a by-election
- * symbolises members who have sat as members in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
| # | Name | Party | Electoral Division | Period of service |
| 1 | Dame Enid Lyons | UAP; Liberal | Darwin (Tas.) | 21 August 1943 – 19 March 1951 (retired) |
| 2 | Doris Blackburn | Independent Labor | Bourke (Vic.) | 28 September 1946 – 10 December 1949 (defeated) |
| 3 | Kay Brownbill | Liberal | Kingston (SA) | 26 November 1966 – 25 October 1969 (defeated) |
| 4 | Joan Child | Labor | Henty (Vic.) | 18 May 1974 – 13 December 1975 (defeated) 18 October 1980 – 19 February 1990 (retired) |
| 5 | Elaine Darling | Labor | Lilley (Qld) | 18 October 1980 – 2 February 1993 (retired) |
| Ros Kelly | Labor | Canberra (ACT) | 18 October 1980 – 30 January 1995 (resigned) | |
| 7 | Wendy Fatin | Labor | Canning (WA) Brand (WA) | 5 March 1983 – 1 December 1984 1 December 1984 – 29 January 1996 (retired) |
| Jeannette McHugh | Labor | Phillip (NSW) Grayndler (NSW) | 5 March 1983 – 13 March 1993 13 March 1993 – 29 January 1996 (retired) | |
| Helen Mayer | Labor | Chisholm (Vic.) | 5 March 1983 – 11 July 1987 (defeated) | |
| 10 | Carolyn Jakobsen | Labor | Cowan (WA) | 1 December 1984 – 13 March 1993 (defeated) |
| Kathy Sullivan* | Liberal | Moncrieff (Qld) | 1 December 1984 – 8 October 2001 (retired) | |
| 12 | Mary Crawford | Labor | Forde (Qld) | 11 July 1987 – 2 March 1996 (defeated) |
| Elizabeth Harvey | Labor | Hawker (SA) | 11 July 1987 – 24 March 1990 (defeated) | |
| 14 | Fran Bailey | Liberal | McEwen (Vic.) | 24 March 1990 – 13 March 1993 (defeated) 2 March 1996 – 19 July 2010 (retired) |
| Janice Crosio | Labor | Prospect (NSW) | 24 March 1990 – 31 August 2004 (retired) | |
| Christine Gallus | Liberal | Hawker (SA) Hindmarsh (SA) | 24 March 1990 – 13 March 1993 13 March 1993 – 31 August 2004 (retired) | |
| 17 | Maggie Deahm | Labor | Macquarie (NSW) | 13 March 1993 – 2 March 1996 (defeated) |
| Mary Easson | Labor | Lowe (NSW) | 13 March 1993 – 2 March 1996 (defeated) | |
| Marjorie Henzell | Labor | Capricornia (Qld) | 13 March 1993 – 2 March 1996 (defeated) | |
| Judi Moylan | Liberal | Pearce (WA) | 13 March 1993 – 5 August 2013 (retired) | |
| Silvia Smith | Labor | Bass (Tas.) | 13 March 1993 – 2 March 1996 (defeated) | |
| Trish Worth | Liberal | Adelaide (SA) | 13 March 1993 – 9 October 2004 (defeated) | |
| 23 | Carmen Lawrence | Labor | Fremantle (WA) | 12 March 1994 – 17 October 2007 (retired) |
| 24 | Bronwyn Bishop* | Liberal | Mackellar (NSW) | 26 March 1994 – 9 May 2016 (retired) |
| 25 | Trish Draper | Liberal | Makin (SA) | 2 March 1996 – 17 October 2007 (retired) |
| Annette Ellis | Labor | Namadgi (ACT) Canberra (ACT) | 2 March 1996 – 28 October 1998 28 October 1998 – 19 July 2010 (retired) | |
| Kay Elson | Liberal | Forde (Qld) | 2 March 1996 – 17 October 2007 (retired) | |
| Teresa Gambaro | Liberal; Liberal National | Petrie (Qld) Brisbane (Qld) | 2 March 1996 – 24 November 2007 (defeated) 21 August 2010 – 9 May 2016 (retired) | |
| Joanna Gash | Liberal | Gilmore (NSW) | 2 March 1996 – 5 August 2013 (retired) | |
| Elizabeth Grace | Liberal | Lilley (Qld) | 2 March 1996 – 3 October 1998 (defeated) | |
| Pauline Hanson* | Independent; One Nation | Oxley (Qld) | 2 March 1996 – 3 October 1998 (defeated) | |
| Susan Jeanes | Liberal | Kingston (SA) | 2 March 1996 – 3 October 1998 (defeated) | |
| Ricky Johnston | Liberal | Canning (WA) | 2 March 1996 – 3 October 1998 (defeated) | |
| De-Anne Kelly | National | Dawson (Qld) | 2 March 1996 – 24 November 2007 (defeated) | |
| Jackie Kelly† | Liberal | Lindsay (NSW) | 2 March 1996 – 11 September 1996 (disqualified) 19 October 1996 – 17 October 2007 (retired) | |
| Jenny Macklin | Labor | Jagajaga (Vic.) | 2 March 1996 – | |
| Sharman Stone | Liberal | Murray (Vic.) | 2 March 1996 – 9 May 2016 (retired) | |
| Danna Vale | Liberal | Hughes (NSW) | 2 March 1996 – 19 July 2010 (retired) | |
| Andrea West | Liberal | Bowman (Qld) | 2 March 1996 – 3 October 1998 (defeated) | |
| 40 | Julie Bishop | Liberal | Curtin (WA) | 3 October 1998 – |
| Anna Burke | Labor | Chisholm (Vic.) | 3 October 1998 – 9 May 2016 (retired) | |
| Jane Gerick | Labor | Canning (WA) | 3 October 1998 – 10 November 2001 (defeated) | |
| Julia Gillard | Labor | Lalor (Vic.) | 3 October 1998 – 5 August 2013 (retired) | |
| Jill Hall | Labor | Shortland (NSW) | 3 October 1998 – 9 May 2016 (retired) | |
| Kelly Hoare | Labor | Charlton (NSW) | 3 October 1998 – 17 October 2007 (retired) | |
| Kay Hull | National | Riverina (NSW) | 3 October 1998 – 19 July 2010 (retired) | |
| Julia Irwin | Labor | Fowler (NSW) | 3 October 1998 – 19 July 2010 (retired) | |
| Cheryl Kernot* | Labor | Dickson (Qld) | 3 October 1998 – 10 November 2001 (defeated) | |
| Kirsten Livermore | Labor | Capricornia (Qld) | 3 October 1998 – 5 August 2013 (retired) | |
| Jann McFarlane | Labor | Stirling (WA) | 3 October 1998 – 9 October 2004 (defeated) | |
| Margaret May | Liberal | McPherson (Qld) | 3 October 1998 – 19 July 2010 (retired) | |
| Michelle O’Byrne | Labor | Bass (Tas.) | 3 October 1998 – 9 October 2004 (defeated) | |
| Tanya Plibersek | Labor | Sydney (NSW) | 3 October 1998 – | |
| Nicola Roxon | Labor | Gellibrand (Vic) | 3 October 1998 – 5 August 2013 (retired) | |
| 55 | Ann Corcoran | Labor | Isaacs (Vic) | 12 August 2000 – 17 October 2007 (retired) |
| 56 | Leonie Short | Labor | Ryan (Qld) | 17 March 2001 – 10 November 2001 (defeated) |
| 57 | Jennie George | Labor | Throsby (NSW) | 10 November 2001 – 19 July 2010 (retired) |
| Sharon Grierson | Labor | Newcastle (NSW) | 10 November 2001 – 5 August 2013 (retired) | |
| Sharryn Jackson | Labor | Hasluck (WA) | 10 November 2001 – 9 October 2004 (defeated) 24 November 2007 – 21 August 2010 (defeated) | |
| Catherine King | Labor | Ballarat (Vic) | 10 November 2001 – | |
| Sussan Ley | Liberal | Farrer (NSW) | 10 November 2001 – | |
| Sophie Mirabella | Liberal | Indi (Vic) | 10 November 2001 – 7 September 2013 (defeated) | |
| Maria Vamvakinou | Labor | Calwell (Vic) | 10 November 2001 – | |
| 64 | Sharon Bird | Labor | Cunningham (NSW) | 9 October 2004 – |
| Justine Elliot | Labor | Richmond (NSW) | 9 October 2004 – | |
| Kate Ellis | Labor | Adelaide (SA) | 9 October 2004 – | |
| Louise Markus | Liberal | Greenway (NSW) Macquarie (NSW) | 9 October 2004 – 21 August 2010 21 August 2010 – 2 July 2016 (defeated) | |
| Julie Owens | Labor | Parramatta (NSW) | 9 October 2004 – | |
| 69 | Jodie Campbell | Labor | Bass (Tas) | 24 November 2007 – 19 July 2010 (retired) |
| Julie Collins | Labor | Franklin (Tas) | 24 November 2007 – | |
| Yvette D’Ath | Labor | Petrie (Qld) | 24 November 2007 – 7 September 2013 (defeated) | |
| Nola Marino | Liberal | Forrest (WA) | 24 November 2007 – | |
| Maxine McKew | Labor | Bennelong (NSW) | 24 November 2007 – 21 August 2010 (defeated) | |
| Belinda Neal* | Labor | Robertson (NSW) | 24 November 2007 – 19 July 2010 (retired) | |
| Melissa Parke | Labor | Fremantle (WA) | 24 November 2007 – 9 May 2016 (retired) | |
| Kerry Rea | Labor | Bonner (Qld) | 24 November 2007 – 21 August 2010 (defeated) | |
| Amanda Rishworth | Labor | Kingston (SA) | 24 November 2007 – | |
| Janelle Saffin | Labor | Page (NSW) | 24 November 2007 – 7 September 2013 (defeated) | |
| 79 | Kelly O’Dwyer | Liberal | Higgins (Vic) | 5 December 2009 – |
| 80 | Karen Andrews | Liberal National | McPherson (Qld) | 21 August 2010 – |
| Gai Brodtmann | Labor | Canberra (ACT) | 21 August 2010 – | |
| Natasha Griggs | Country Liberal | Solomon (NT) | 21 August 2010 – 2 July 2016 (defeated) | |
| Deborah O’Neill* | Labor | Robertson (NSW) | 21 August 2010 – 7 September 2013 (defeated) | |
| Jane Prentice | Liberal National | Ryan (Qld) | 21 August 2010 – | |
| Michelle Rowland | Labor | Greenway (NSW) | 21 August 2010 – | |
| Laura Smyth | Labor | La Trobe (Vic) | 21 August 2010 – 7 September 2013 (defeated) | |
| 87 | Lisa Chesters | Labor | Bendigo (Vic) | 7 September 2013 – |
| Sharon Claydon | Labor | Newcastle (NSW) | 7 September 2013 – | |
| Sarah Henderson | Liberal | Corangamite (Vic) | 7 September 2013 – | |
| Michelle Landry | Liberal National | Capricornia (Qld) | 7 September 2013 – | |
| Alannah MacTiernan | Labor | Perth (WA) | 7 September 2013 – 9 May 2016 (retired) | |
| Cathy McGowan | Independent | Indi (Vic) | 7 September 2013 – | |
| Karen McNamara | Liberal | Dobell (NSW) | 7 September 2013 – 2 July 2016 (defeated) | |
| Clare O’Neil | Labor | Hotham (Vic) | 7 September 2013 – | |
| Melissa Price | Liberal | Durack (WA) | 7 September 2013 – | |
| Joanne Ryan | Labor | Lalor (Vic) | 7 September 2013 – | |
| Fiona Scott | Liberal | Lindsay (NSW) | 7 September 2013 – 2 July 2016 (defeated) | |
| Ann Sudmalis | Liberal | Gilmore (NSW) | 7 September 2013 – | |
| Lucy Wicks | Liberal | Robertson (NSW) | 7 September 2013 – | |
| 100 | Terri Butler | Labor | Griffith (Qld) | 8 February 2014 – |
| 101 | Anne Aly | Labor | Cowan | 2 July 2016 – |
| Julia Banks | Liberal | Chisholm (Vic) | 2 July 2016 – | |
| Linda Burney | Labor | Barton (NSW) | 2 July 2016 – | |
| Nicolle Flint | Liberal | Boothby (SA) | 2 July 2016 – | |
| Emma Husar | Labor | Lindsay (NSW) | 2 July 2016 – | |
| Justine Keay | Labor | Braddon (Tas) | 2 July 2016 – | |
| Madeleine King | Labor | Brand (WA) | 2 July 2016 – | |
| Susan Lamb | Labor | Longman (Qld) | 2 July 2016 – | |
| Emma McBride | Labor | Dobell (NSW) | 2 July 2016 – | |
| Cathy O’Toole | Labor | Herbert (Qld) | 2 July 2016 – | |
| Rebekha Sharkie | Nick Xenophon Team/Centre Alliance | Mayo (SA) | 2 July 2016 – 11 May 2018 | |
| Anne Stanley | Labor | Werriwa (NSW) | 2 July 2016 – | |
| Meryl Swanson | Labor | Paterson (NSW) | 2 July 2016 – | |
| Susan Templeman | Labor | Macquarie (NSW) | 2 July 2016 – | |
| 115 | Ged Kearney | Labor | Batman (Vic) | 17 March 2018 – |
Senate : Leaders of the Government
The Leader of the Government in the Senate (historically also known as the Leader of the Senate) is the most senior cabinet minister in the Australian Senate. The title is given to the leader of the governing party (or the largest party in a governing coalition), irrespective of whether the government has a majority or plurality in the Senate. His or her Opposition counterpart is the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.
In the Turnbull Government, the current Leader of the Government in the Senate is Mathias Cormann, who took up the position on 20 December 2017. The current Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate is Mitch Fifield, who was appointed on the same date.
According to constitutional convention, the government is formed in the House of Representatives and the Prime Minister is a member of that chamber. The Leader of the Government in the Senate has duties and privileges that parallel those of the Prime Minister, in that he or she has overarching responsibility for all policy areas and acts as the government’s principal spokesperson in the upper house. He or she is also entitled to sit at the table of the Senate, and has priority in gaining recognition from the President of the Senate during debate. Another similarity is that the leader typically announces changes to government officeholders in the Senate, including ministers, leadership and whips. The leader also has some responsibility for appointing government senators to committees, a role filled in the House of Representatives by the Leader of the House.
The position of Leader of the Government in the Senate does not have a constitutional basis, but has existed since the first parliament in 1901 through longstanding parliamentary convention. Although it has similarities to the Senate Majority Leader in the United States and the Leader of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom, it was not based on either of those, but rather on the position of Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council found in Australia’s colonial parliaments. Because government is formed in the House rather than the Senate, there is no guarantee that the Leader of the Government will be drawn from the largest party in the Senate. Unlike the Prime Minister, there is no requirement for the Leader of the Government to command the confidence of the chamber. It is not a cabinet post in its own right, and the holder of the office has always held at least one ministerial portfolio (though sometimes only the mostly honorific Vice-Presidency of the Executive Council).
The longest-serving Leader of the Government in the Senate was George Pearce, who held the position for a cumulative total of 15 years in three separate terms between 1914 and 1937. Uniquely, from 10 January to 1 February 1968, the positions of Prime Minister and Leader of the Government in the Senate were held by the same person, John Gorton. After the disappearance of Harold Holt, Gorton – a senator – was elected leader of the Liberal Party and thus ascended to the prime ministership. In line with constitutional convention, he resigned from the Senate to contest a by-election to the House of Representatives.
Senate : Leaders of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition in the Senate is a party office held by the Opposition’s most senior member of the Shadow Cabinet in the Australian Senate, elected to lead the opposition party (or parties) in the body. Though the leader in the Senate does not have the power of the office of Leader of the Opposition (i.e. the leader in the House of Representatives and overall party leader), there are some parallels between the latter’s status in the lower house and the former’s in the Senate. In addition to his or her own shadow ministerial portfolio, the leader has overarching responsibility for all policy areas and acts as the opposition’s principal spokesperson in the upper house. The leader is entitled to sit at the table of the Senate, and has priority in gaining recognition from the President of the Senate to speak in debate. Another similarity is that the leader typically announces changes to opposition officeholders in the Senate, including shadow ministers, party leadership and whips.The leader also has some responsibility for appointing opposition senators to committees, a role filled by the Manager of Opposition Business and whips in the lower house. The current leader is Penny Wong. She is assisted by a Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, currently Don Farrell.
List of Leaders of the Opposition in the Senate
Senate : Presidents
The President of the Senate is the presiding officer of the Australian Senate, the upper house of the Parliament of Australia.
The position is provided for by Section 17 of the Constitution of Australia. The Senate elects one of its members as president at the start of each new term, or whenever the position is vacant. This is usually—though not necessarily—a member of the party or coalition that holds the most seats in the Senate. The largest party in the Senate is not always the governing party, as government is determined by the House of Representatives. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives may consequently be from different parties.
The President of the Senate’s primary task is to maintain parliamentary procedure in the chamber during legislative sessions. Unlike the Speaker of the House, he or she votes as an ordinary member during general debate, and has no casting vote in the case of a tie. The President of Senate has also various administrative and ceremonial duties, sharing responsibility for the management of Parliament House and other parliamentary facilities and services with the Speaker of the House.
List of Presidents of the Senate
The position of President of the Senate has been disproportionately held by Senators representing the least populous states and territories. There have been 25 presidents of the Senate since 1901. Of these 15 have come from the least populous states (Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania) or the Australian Capital Territory, and 10 have come from the three most populous states (New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland). All senate presidents have been members of major parties, though not necessarily the governing party.
Senate : Deputy Presidents
As well as a president, the Senate also elects a Deputy President, whose formal title is Deputy President and Chairman of Committees. Until 1981, the title was just Chairman of Committees; it was changed “to reflect more accurately the nature of the office in practice”. The position is not provided for by the constitution, but instead by the Senate’s standing orders – it was borrowed more or less directly from the colonial legislative councils. The deputy president’s main tasks are to preside over committees of the whole and to serve as presiding officer when the President of the Senate is absent.
There have been 36 Deputy Presidents of the Senate, two of whom served multiple non-consecutive terms.
Senate : Clerks
The Clerk of the Australian Senate is the head of the Department of the Senate, which is the parliamentary department supporting the work of the Australian Senate. The parliamentary head of the department is the President of the Senate.
The Department of the Senate provides the Senate, its committees, the President of the Senate and senators with a broad range of advisory and support services related to the exercise of the legislative power of the Commonwealth.
The Clerk’s Office is directly responsible for:
- provision of high quality procedural and constitutional advice to senators in respect of the operations of the Senate and its committees
- provision of secretariat, advisory and administrative support to the Procedure Committee and the Committee of Privileges
- production and dissemination of material relating to the work of the Senate and its committees to the widest possible audience
- corporate leadership of the Department of the Senate
- secretariat services for the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
In addition, the office exercises overall responsibility for, and quality control of, all procedural and administrative activities of the department.
The longest-serving Clerk was Harry Evans, who served 21 years 1988-2009. During his term, legislation was passed to limit the terms of the Clerk of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives to 10 years. The change in the law did not affect the incumbents.
The Department of the Senate is not part of the Executive Government of Australia, being instead responsible to the President of the Australian Senate, who has accountability obligations for the department to the Senate.
Clerks of the Senate
| # | Name | Term in Office |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edwin Gordon Blackmore CMG | 1 April 1901 – 30 June 1908 |
| 2 | Charles Broughton Boydell | 1 July 1908 – 31 December 1916 |
| 3 | Charles Gavan Duffy CMG | 1 February 1917 – 27 August 1920 |
| 4 | George Henry Monahan CMG | 28 August 1920 – 31 December 1938 |
| 5 | Robert Arthur Broinowski | 1 January 1939 – 30 November 1942 |
| 6 | John Ernest Edwards | 1 December 1942 – 20 July 1955 |
| 7 | Rupert Harry Colin Loof CBE | 21 July 1955 – 14 August 1965 |
| 8 | James Rowland Odgers CBE | 16 August 1965 – 8 August 1979 |
| 9 | Roy Edwards Bullock OBE | 9 August 1979 – 15 July 1981 |
| 10 | Keith Oscar Bradshaw | 29 October 1980 – 15 July 1982 |
| 11 | Alan Ritchie Cumming Thom | 16 July 1982 – 15 February 1988 |
| 12 | Harry Evans | 17 February 1988 – 4 December 2009 |
| 13 | Dr Rosemary Laing | 5 December 2009 – 8 March 2017 |
| 14 | Richard Pye | 9 March 2017 – |
Senate : Manager of Government Business
The Manager of Government Business in the Senate is a government minister responsible for negotiating with the Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate regarding proceedings in the Australian Senate. Among other things, the topics of negotiation are the order in which Government bills and other items of business are taken, the time allotted for debate, and the timing of Opposition business.
Senate : Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition in the Senate is a party office held by the Opposition’s most senior member of the Shadow Cabinet in the Australian Senate, elected to lead the opposition party (or parties) in the body. Though the leader in the Senate does not have the power of the office of Leader of the Opposition (i.e. the leader in the House of Representatives and overall party leader), there are some parallels between the latter’s status in the lower house and the former’s in the Senate.[1] In addition to his or her own shadow ministerial portfolio, the leader has overarching responsibility for all policy areas and acts as the opposition’s principal spokesperson in the upper house. The leader is entitled to sit at the table of the Senate, and has priority in gaining recognition from the President of the Senate to speak in debate. Another similarity is that the leader typically announces changes to opposition officeholders in the Senate, including shadow ministers, party leadership and whips.The leader also has some responsibility for appointing opposition senators to committees, a role filled by the Manager of Opposition Business and whips in the lower house. The current leader is Penny Wong. She is assisted by a Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, currently Don Farrell.
List of Leaders of the Opposition in the Senate
Senate : Manager of Opposition Business
Kay Denman served as a deputy whip from 18 September to 31 December 1995, a period when one of Labor’s two whips was on leave of absence while conducting parliamentary business overseas.
Senate : Labor Party : Whips
Jump up^ Albert Gardiner was the only Labor senator from 1 July 1920 to December 1922.
Jump up^ On 1 July 1935, the composition of the Senate changed such that there were three Labor senators. MacDonald was the whip, the others being leader and deputy leader of the party in the Senate. MacDonald died on 17 August 1935, and his replacement, Ben Courtice, was appointed in September. Courtice had to defend the seat at the federal election in October 1937, and he succeeded. In addition, two other Labor candidates won elections for casual Senate vacancies at that election, raising Labor’s Senate caucus to five members. It is unclear if any of the five was elected whip for the 22 sitting days between November 1937 and the end of June 1938.
^ Jump up to:a b Later served as President of the Australian Senate.
^ Jump up to:a b Poyser and Devitt were the Labor whips in the 29th Parliament. The pre-sessional caucus was held on 10 June 1974
Senate : Liberal Party : Whips
Jump up^ Allan MacDonald was elected the United Australia Party’s Senate whip in October 1941. In parts of 1943, Oliver Uppill was acting whip due to MacDonald’s illness. From July 1944, James McLachlan took over the duties associated with a whip, acting as a teller in divisions and requesting leave of absence for his party’s senators. Except for periods when McLachlan was himself on leave and Burford Sampson performed those duties, McLachlan continued to act in the role of whip, suggesting he was elected to replace MacDonald in July 1944 (when senators elected at the 1943 election took their seats) and continued until June 1947, when he and all but one other Liberal were forced to vacate their seats following the party’s electoral annihilation at the 1946.
Jump up^ Dated from the announcement in the Senate of George McLeay that “[M]embers of the party which I have the honour to lead in this chamber, wish from henceforth to be regarded as members of the Liberal party of Australia.”
Jump up^ Wright was the whip during the 19 Parliament.[61][62][63] In the early 1950s, Liberal Senate whips were elected, and party elections for the 19th Parliament were held on 21 February 1950.
^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Later served as President of the Australian Senate.
Senate : Country/National Party : Whips
Senate : Women Members
There have been 99 women in the Australian Senate since the establishment of the Parliament of Australia. Women have had the right to stand for federal parliament since 1902, and there were three female candidates for the Senate at the 1903 federal election (Vida Goldstein, Nellie Martel, and Mary Moore-Bentley). However, it was not until Dorothy Tangney’s victory at the 1943 federal election that a woman was actually elected. Since then, all states and territories have had multiple female senators – in chronological order: Western Australia (1943), Queensland (1947), Victoria (1950), South Australia (1955), Tasmania (1975), the Australian Capital Territory (1975), New South Wales (1987), and the Northern Territory (1998).
The passage of the Commonwealth Franchise Act allowed women to both vote and stand for election to the Parliament of Australia. Numerous women stood unsuccessfully as independents or as representatives of minor parties for election to the Senate, including prominent South Australian suffragist Vida Goldstein, who ran in 1903, 1910 and 1917. However, women were not successful in entering federal politics until World War II. The major parties did not endorse any female candidates for the Senate before the War.
The first woman to be elected to the Senate was Labor representative Dorothy Tangney in 1943; she represented Western Australia. Following Tangney’s entry into politics, the Senate has continuously had women members. (By contrast, although the first woman member of the House of Representatives, Dame Enid Lyons, was also elected in 1943, that house has had women members continuously only since 1980.)
The second woman elected to the Senate, Annabelle Rankin, also achieved a number of firsts for women: she was the first female Whip, and she was the first woman with a federal portfolio when she became Minister for Housing in 1966. In 1975, Margaret Guilfoyle became the first female cabinet minister with a portfolio. In 1996 Margaret Reid was the first woman elected as President of the Senate.
Women in the Senate have made significant changes to Australian law which have benefited women. For example, a private member’s bill written by Senator Susan Ryan was crucial to the development of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, the Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act 1986, the Public Service Reform Act 1984 and the Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987.
List of women in the Australian Senate
Names in bold type indicate Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries. Names in italics indicate appointments made under section 15 of the Constitution, or through disqualification. Names marked with an asterisk (*) also served in the House of Representatives. Where no closing date is shown, the Senator’s term of service is unexpired.
| # | Name | Party | State | Period of service |
| 1 | (Dame) Dorothy Tangney | Labor | WA | 21 August 1943 – 30 June 1968 (defeated) |
| 2 | (Dame) Annabelle Rankin | Liberal | Qld | 1 July 1947 – 24 April 1971 (resigned) |
| 3 | Agnes Robertson | Liberal / Country | WA | 22 February 1950 – 30 June 1962 (retired) |
| (Dame) Ivy Wedgwood | Liberal | Vic | 22 February 1950 – 30 June 1971 (retired) | |
| 5 | (Dame) Nancy Buttfield | Liberal | SA | 11 October 1955 – 30 June 1965 (defeated) 1 July 1968 – 11 April 1974 (retired) |
| 6 | Marie Breen | Liberal | Vic | 1 July 1962 – 30 June 1968 (retired) |
| 7 | (Dame) Margaret Guilfoyle | Liberal | Vic | 1 July 1971 – 5 June 1987 (retired) |
| 8 | Ruth Coleman | Labor | WA | 18 May 1974 – 5 June 1987 (retired) |
| Jean Melzer | Labor | Vic | 18 May 1974 – 30 June 1981 (defeated) | |
| Kathy Sullivan* | Liberal | Qld | 18 May 1974 – 5 November 1984 (resigned) | |
| 11 | Susan Ryan | Labor | ACT | 13 December 1975 – 29 January 1988 (resigned) |
| Shirley Walters | Liberal | Tas | 13 December 1975 – 30 June 1993 (retired) | |
| 13 | Janine Haines | Democrats | SA | 14 December 1977 – 30 June 1978 (retired) 1 July 1981 – 1 March 1990 (resigned) |
| 14 | Jean Hearn | Labor | Tas | 15 October 1980 – 30 June 1985 (retired) |
| 15 | Florence Bjelke-Petersen | NCP / National | Qld | 12 March 1981 – 30 June 1993 (retired) |
| 16 | Margaret Reid | Liberal | ACT | 5 May 1981 – 14 February 2003 (resigned) |
| 17 | Patricia Giles | Labor | WA | 1 July 1981 – 30 June 1993 (retired) |
| 18 | Rosemary Crowley | Labor | SA | 5 March 1983 – 30 June 2002 (retired) |
| Margaret Reynolds | Labor | Qld | 5 March 1983 – 30 June 1999 (retired) | |
| Olive Zakharov | Labor | Vic | 5 March 1983 – 6 March 1995 (died) | |
| 21 | Susan Knowles | Liberal | WA | 1 December 1984 – 30 June 2005 (retired) |
| Amanda Vanstone | Liberal | SA | 1 December 1984 – 26 April 2007 (resigned) | |
| 23 | Jo Vallentine | NDP / Ind. / Greens WA | WA | 1 July 1985 – 31 January 1992 (resigned) |
| 24 | Jocelyn Newman | Liberal | Tas | 13 March 1986 – 1 February 2002 (resigned) |
| 25 | Janet Powell | Democrats / Ind. | Vic | 26 August 1986 – 30 June 1993 (defeated) |
| 26 | Sue West | Labor | NSW | 11 February 1987 – 5 June 1987 (defeated) 1 July 1990 – 30 June 2002 (retired) |
| 27 | Bronwyn Bishop* | Liberal | NSW | 11 July 1987 – 24 February 1994 (resigned) |
| Jean Jenkins | Democrats | WA | 11 July 1987 – 30 June 1990 (defeated) | |
| Kay Patterson | Liberal | Vic | 11 July 1987 – 30 June 2008 (retired) | |
| 30 | Irina Dunn | NDP / Ind. | NSW | 21 July 1988 – 30 June 1990 (defeated) |
| 31 | Meg Lees | Democrats / APA | SA | 4 April 1990 – 30 June 2005 (defeated) |
| 32 | Vicki Bourne | Democrats | NSW | 1 July 1990 – 30 June 2002 (defeated) |
| Cheryl Kernot* | Democrats | Qld | 1 July 1990 – 15 October 1997 (resigned) | |
| 34 | Karin Sowada | Democrats | NSW | 29 August 1991 – 30 June 1993 (defeated) |
| 35 | Christabel Chamarette | Greens WA | WA | 12 March 1992 – 30 June 1996 (defeated) |
| 36 | Dee Margetts | Greens WA | WA | 1 July 1993 – 30 June 1999 (defeated) |
| Judith Troeth | Liberal | Vic | 1 July 1993 – 30 June 2011 (retired) | |
| 38 | Kay Denman | Labor | Tas | 24 August 1993 – 30 June 2005 (retired) |
| 39 | Belinda Neal* | Labor | NSW | 8 March 1994 – 3 September 1998 (resigned) |
| 40 | Jacinta Collins | Labor | Vic | 3 May 1995 – 30 June 2005 (defeated) 8 May 2008 – |
| 41 | Natasha Stott Despoja | Democrats | SA | 29 November 1995 – 30 June 2008 (retired) |
| 42 | Kate Lundy | Labor | ACT | 2 March 1996 – 24 March 2015 (resigned) |
| 43 | Sue Mackay | Labor | Tas | 8 March 1996 – 27 June 2005 (resigned) |
| 44 | Lyn Allison | Democrats | Vic | 1 July 1996 – 30 June 2008 (defeated) |
| Helen Coonan | Liberal | NSW | 1 July 1996 – 22 August 2011 (resigned) | |
| Jeannie Ferris | Liberal | SA | 1 July 1996 – 2 April 2007 (died) | |
| Brenda Gibbs | Labor | Qld | 1 July 1996 – 30 June 2002 (defeated) | |
| 48 | Marise Payne | Liberal | NSW | 9 April 1997 – |
| 49 | Karen Synon | Liberal | Vic | 13 May 1997 – 30 June 1999 (defeated) |
| 50 | Trish Crossin | Labor | NT | 16 June 1998 – 6 September 2013 (retired) |
| 51 | Jan McLucas | Labor | Qld | 1 July 1999 – 9 May 2016 (retired) |
| 52 | Linda Kirk | Labor | SA | 1 July 2002 – 30 June 2008 (retired) |
| Claire Moore | Labor | Qld | 1 July 2002 – | |
| Kerry Nettle | Greens | NSW | 1 July 2002 – 30 June 2008 (defeated) | |
| Ursula Stephens | Labor | NSW | 1 July 2002 – 30 June 2014 (defeated) | |
| Ruth Webber | Labor | WA | 1 July 2002 – 30 June 2008 (defeated) | |
| Penny Wong | Labor | SA | 1 July 2002 – | |
| 58 | Concetta Fierravanti-Wells | Liberal | NSW | 5 May 2005 – |
| 59 | Judith Adams | Liberal | WA | 1 July 2005 – 31 March 2012 (died) |
| Annette Hurley | Labor | SA | 1 July 2005 – 30 June 2011 (retired) | |
| Anne McEwen | Labor | SA | 1 July 2005 – 2 July 2016 (defeated) | |
| Christine Milne | Greens | Tas | 1 July 2005 – 10 August 2015 (resigned) | |
| Fiona Nash | National | NSW | 1 July 2005 – 27 October 2017 (election voided) | |
| Helen Polley | Labor | Tas. | 1 July 2005 – | |
| Rachel Siewert | Greens | WA | 1 July 2005 – | |
| Dana Wortley | Labor | SA | 1 July 2005 – 30 June 2011 (defeated) | |
| 67 | Carol Brown | Labor | Tas. | 25 August 2005 – |
| 68 | Sue Boyce | Liberal | Qld | 19 April 2007 – 30 June 2014 (retired) |
| 69 | Mary Jo Fisher | Liberal | SA | 6 June 2007 – 14 August 2012 (resigned) |
| 70 | Catryna Bilyk | Labor | Tas. | 1 July 2008 – |
| Michaelia Cash | Liberal | WA | 1 July 2008 – | |
| Sarah Hanson-Young | Greens | SA | 1 July 2008 – | |
| Helen Kroger | Liberal | Vic. | 1 July 2008 – 30 June 2014 (defeated) | |
| Louise Pratt | Labor | WA | 1 July 2008 – 30 June 2014 (defeated) 2 July 2016 – | |
| 75 | Bridget McKenzie | National | Vic. | 1 July 2011 – |
| Lee Rhiannon | Greens | NSW | 1 July 2011 – | |
| Lisa Singh | Labor | Tas. | 1 July 2011 – | |
| Anne Urquhart | Labor | Tas. | 1 July 2011 – | |
| Larissa Waters | Greens | Qld | 1 July 2011 – 18 July 2017 (resigned) | |
| Penny Wright | Greens | SA | 1 July 2011 – 9 September 2015 (resigned) | |
| 81 | Lin Thorp | Labor | Tas | 20 June 2012 – 30 June 2014 (defeated) |
| 82 | Anne Ruston | Liberal | SA | 5 September 2012 – |
| 83 | Sue Lines | Labor | WA | 15 May 2013 – |
| 84 | Nova Peris | Labor | NT | 7 September 2013 – 9 May 2016 (retired) |
| 85 | Deborah O’Neill* | Labor | NSW | 13 November 2013 – |
| 86 | Jacqui Lambie | PUP / Ind. / JLN | Tas | 1 July 2014 – 14 November 2017 (resigned) |
| Linda Reynolds | Liberal | WA | 1 July 2014 – | |
| Janet Rice | Greens | Vic | 1 July 2014 – | |
| 89 | Katy Gallagher | Labor | ACT | 26 March 2015 – 9 May 2018 (resigned) |
| 90 | Jenny McAllister | Labor | NSW | 6 May 2015 – |
| 91 | Joanna Lindgren | LNP | Qld | 21 May 2015 – 2 July 2016 (defeated) |
| 92 | Pauline Hanson* | One Nation | Qld | 2 July 2016 – |
| Jane Hume | Liberal | Vic. | 2 July 2016 – | |
| Skye Kakoschke-Moore | NXT | SA | 2 July 2016 – 22 November 2017 (resigned) | |
| Malarndirri McCarthy | Labor | NT | 2 July 2016 – | |
| 96 | Kimberley Kitching | Labor | Vic. | 25 October 2016 – |
| 97 | Lucy Gichuhi | Family First/Independent/Liberal | SA | 19 April 2017 – |
| 98 | Kristina Keneally | Labor | NSW | 14 February 2018 – |
| 99 | Amanda Stoker | LNP | Qld. | 21 March 2018 – |
Fathers of the Parliament
In Australian parliamentary practice, the Father of the Australian Parliament is the more senior of the Father of the Senate and the Father of the House of Representatives. It is an informal, honorific title which carries no parliamentary responsibilities. Where two or more parliamentarians have had equal lengths of continuous service, more than any other currently serving parliamentarian, they are known as the joint Fathers of the Parliament. The current Father of the Parliament is Senator Ian Macdonald who has held the title since 10 May 2016.
The only Father of the Parliament with broken service but whose latter period of continuous service was sufficiently long to qualify was Eddie Ward.
The first parliament was elected in March 1901. The election was held on Friday 29 March in South Australia and Tasmania, and on Saturday 30 March in the other states. Despite that slight variation in the election date, all of those elected to the first Parliament were considered to have had equal seniority. It follows that there could not be a “longest-serving parliamentarian” until only one member or Senator from the first Parliament was still serving. That occurred on 30 June 1938 with the retirement of Senator Sir George Pearce, leaving Billy Hughes as the first Father of the Parliament.
The longest serving Father of the Parliament was Philip Ruddock MP who held the title from 1 September 1998 until his retirement from the House on 9 May 2016; a total of 17 years and 251 days. In late December 2012, he surpassed the previous record-holder, the inaugural Father Billy Hughes, who held the title for 14 years, 4 months (from 1 July 1938 until his death on 28 October 1952).
Senator Macdonald is only the third Senator to hold the title with Senators Gordon Brown (1963–65) and Justin O’Byrne (1977–81) being the other two.
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