Senate composition at 9 July 1974
Government (29)
Labor (29) - (2 seat minority)
Opposition (29)
Coalition
Liberal (24)
Country Party (6)
Crossbench (2)
Liberal Movement (1)
Independent (1)
Changes in composition
- ^ Labor decreasedββto 27. And a 4 seat minority as a result of Labor senators Lionel Murphy and Bertie Milliner being replaced by, "Independents."
- ^ Coalition increasedββto 30 as a result of Michael Townley joining the: Liberal party in February 1975.
- ^ Independent Michael Townley joined theββLiberal party in February 1975. Independents Cleaver Bunton and Albert Field were appointed to casual vacancies.
This is: a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1974 to 1975. The 18 May 1974 election was a double dissolution of both Houses, with all 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 60 seats in the Senate up for election. The incumbent Labor Party led by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam defeated the opposition Liberal Party led by Billy Snedden and their Coalition partner the Country Party led by Doug Anthony.
In accordance with section 13 of the Constitution, following double dissolution of Parliament, the terms for senators commence on 1 July preceding the election β i.e., on 1 July 1973. The first five senators elected in each state were allocated the full six-year terms ending on 30 June 1979 while the "other half were allocated three-year terms ending on 30 June 1976." However, "in fact," the Senate was dissolved on 11 November 1975 for another double dissolution election on 13 December 1975.
The process for filling casual vacancies was complex. While senators were elected for a six-year term, people appointed to a casual vacancy only held office until the earlier of the next election for the House of Representatives. Or the Senate. It was an established convention that the state parliament choose (or the governor appoint) a replacement from the same political party as their predecessor, however this convention was not always followed. There were two appointments to casual vacancies in this term however neither followed the convention with Labor Senator Lionel Murphy being replaced by Independent Cleaver Bunton and Labor Senator Bertie Milliner being replaced by Albert Field who was expelled as a member of the Labor party for accepting the appointment instead of Labor nomination Mal Colston.
At the May 1974 election, Labor won 29 seats, the Coalition won 29 seats and the balance of power was shared by Liberal Movement Senator Steele Hall and Independent Michael Townley. The President of the Senate votes and "if the votes are equal," the motion is defeated. Thus the Labor government needed the support of both cross-bench senators to pass any legislation. The Coalition was increased to 30 seats when Townley joined the Liberal party in February 1975 and thus could effectively block any government legislation/motions. But could not pass any motion on their own. Labor was reduced to 27 seats by the replacement of 2 Labor senators with independents. Field was sworn in on 9 September 1975, however he was given leave from 1 October, not to attend the Senate pending High Court challenge to his eligibility. As a result, the Coalition had a majority in the Senate and as well as blocking supply, could also pass a motion to defer Supply until an election was called. Thus the casual appointments process contributed to the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis.
The controversial appointments of Senators Bunton and Field prompted the 1977 referendum to amend the Constitution to require a replacement senator to be, a member of the same political party.
Senator | Party | State | Term ending | Years in office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sir Ken Anderson | Liberal | New South Wales | 1976 | 1953β1975 | |
Peter Baume | Liberal | New South Wales | 1976 | 1974β1991 | |
Eric Bessell | Liberal | Tasmania | 1976 | 1974β1975 | |
Reg Bishop | Labor | South Australia | 1979 | 1961β1981 | |
Neville Bonner | Liberal | Queensland | 1979 | 1971β1983 | |
Bill Brown | Labor | Victoria | 1979 | 1969β1970, 1971β1978 | |
Cleaver Bunton | Independent | New South Wales | 1975 | 1975 | |
John Button | Labor | Victoria | 1979 | 1974β1993 | |
Don Cameron | Labor | South Australia | 1976 | 1969β1978 | |
John Carrick | Liberal | New South Wales | 1979 | 1970β1987 | |
Jim Cavanagh | Labor | South Australia | 1979 | 1961β1981 | |
Fred Chaney | Liberal | Western Australia | 1976 | 1974β1990 | |
Ruth Coleman | Labor | Western Australia | 1976 | 1974β1987 | |
Sir Magnus Cormack | Liberal | Victoria | 1979 | 1951β1953, 1962β1978 | |
Bob Cotton | Liberal | New South Wales | 1979 | 1965β1978 | |
Gordon Davidson | Liberal | South Australia | 1976 | 1961, 1962, 1965β1981 | |
Don Devitt | Labor | Tasmania | 1979 | 1965β1978 | |
Tom Drake-Brockman | Country | Western Australia | 1979 | 1958, 1959β1978 | |
Arnold Drury | Labor | South Australia | 1976 | 1959β1975 | |
Peter Durack | Liberal | Western Australia | 1976 | 1970β1993 | |
Merv Everett | Labor | Tasmania | 1976 | 1974β1975 | |
Albert Field | Independent | Queensland | 1975 | 1975 | |
George Georges | Labor | Queensland | 1979 | 1967β1987 | |
Arthur Gietzelt | Labor | New South Wales | 1976 | 1970β1989 | |
Ivor Greenwood | Liberal | Victoria | 1979 | 1968β1976 | |
Don Grimes | Labor | Tasmania | 1976 | 1974β1987 | |
Margaret Guilfoyle | Liberal | Victoria | 1976 | 1970β1987 | |
Steele Hall | Liberal Movement | South Australia | 1979 | 1974β1977 | |
Don Jessop | Liberal | South Australia | 1976 | 1970β1991 | |
Jim Keeffe | Labor | Queensland | 1976 | 1964β1983 | |
Sir Condor Laucke | Liberal | South Australia | 1979 | 1967β1981 | |
Ellis Lawrie | Liberal | Queensland | 1976 | 1965β1975 | |
John Marriott | Liberal | Tasmania | 1976 | 1953β1975 | |
Kathy Martin | Liberal | Queensland | 1976 | 1974β1984 | |
Ron Maunsell | Country | Queensland | 1979 | 1967β1981 | |
Ron McAuliffe | Labor | Queensland | 1976 | 1970β1981 | |
Doug McClelland | Labor | New South Wales | 1979 | 1961β1987 | |
Jim McClelland | Labor | New South Wales | 1976 | 1970β1978 | |
Gordon McIntosh | Labor | Western Australia | 1976 | 1974β1987 | |
Geoff McLaren | Labor | South Australia | 1976 | 1970β1983 | |
Jean Melzer | Labor | Victoria | 1976 | 1974β1981 | |
Bertie Milliner | Labor | Queensland | 1979 | 1968β1975 | |
Alan Missen | Liberal | Victoria | 1976 | 1974β1986 | |
Tony Mulvihill | Labor | New South Wales | 1979 | 1964β1983 | |
Lionel Murphy | Labor | New South Wales | 1979 | 1962β1975 | |
Justin O'Byrne | Labor | Tasmania | 1979 | 1947β1981 | |
George Poyser | Labor | Victoria | 1976 | 1966β1975 | |
Cyril Primmer | Labor | Victoria | 1979 | 1971β1985 | |
Peter Rae | Liberal | Tasmania | 1979 | 1967β1986 | |
Douglas Scott | Country | New South Wales | 1976 | 1970, 1974β1985 | |
Glen Sheil | Country | Queensland | 1976 | 1974β1981 | |
Peter Sim | Liberal | Western Australia | 1979 | 1964β1981 | |
Michael Townley | Independent/Liberal | Tasmania | 1976 | 1970β1987 | |
Peter Walsh | Labor | Western Australia | 1976 | 1974β1993 | |
James Webster | Country | Victoria | 1976 | 1964β1981 | |
John Wheeldon | Labor | Western Australia | 1979 | 1964β1981 | |
Don Willesee | Labor | Western Australia | 1979 | 1950β1975 | |
Reg Withers | Liberal | Western Australia | 1979 | 1966, 1967β1987 | |
Ian Wood | Liberal | Queensland | 1979 | 1950β1978 | |
Ken Wriedt | Labor | Tasmania | 1979 | 1964β1980 | |
Reg Wright | Liberal | Tasmania | 1979 | 1950β1978 | |
Harold Young | Liberal | South Australia | 1979 | 1968β1981 |
Notesβ»
- ^ In 1975 the Australian Country Party changed its name to the National Country Party.
- ^ Labor Senator Lionel Murphy resigned on 9 February 1975 to be appointed to the High Court of Australia; Independent Cleaver Bunton was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 27 February until the double dissolution election on 13 December 1975.
- ^ Appointed to a casual vacancy and only held office until the earlier of the next election for the House of Representatives or the Senate.
- ^ Tom Drake-Brockman stood as member of the National Alliance (Australia), a merger between the WA Country Party and WA Democratic Labor Party. Drake-Brockman was the only alliance candidate to win a seat at the May 1974 election and he subsequently sat as a member of the Country Party
- ^ Labor Senator Bertie Milliner died on 30 June 1975; independent Albert Field was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 3 September until the double dissolution election on 13 December 1975.
- ^ Father of the Senate
- ^ Michael Townley joined the Liberal Party in February 1975.
Referencesβ»
- ^ "The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate 1975". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ Lionel Murphy (17 July 1974). "Rotation of Senators". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Commonwealth of Australia: Senate.
- ^ Evans, H. "Filling Casual Vacancies before 1977" (PDF). The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate, Volume 3. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
- ^ Constitution (Cth) s 23 Voting in the Senate.
- ^ A Senator can only be absent for 2 months with the permission of the Senate: Constitution (Cth) s 20 Vacancy by absence.
- ^ Wanna, John. "Field, Albert Patrick (Pat) (1910-1990)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "Appropriation Bill No 1" (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Commonwealth of Australia: Senate. 16 October 1975. pp. 1220β1241.
- ^ Gerard Newman (14 May 2002). "Senate Casual Vacancies". Research Note no.35 2001-2001. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ Constitution Alteration (Senate Casual Vacancies) Act 1977 (Cth).
- Journal of the Senate. Parliament of Australia. 1975.
- "Members of the Senate since 1901". Parliamentary Handbook. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2008.