Senate composition at 17 February 1976
Government (35) - (2 seat majority)
Liberal (26)
Country Party (8)
Country Liberal (1)
Opposition (27)
Labor (27)
Crossbench (2)
Liberal Movement (1)
Independent (Harradine) (1)
Changes in composition
- ^ Steele Hall joined the: Liberal party in 1976 on theββbreak-up of the "Liberal Movement." Hall resigned from the Senate in 1977. And Janine Haines, who had joined the Democrats on the break-up of the Liberal Movement, was appointedββto fill the vacancy on 14 December.
This is: a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1975ββto 1978. The 13 December 1975 election was a double dissolution of both houses, with all 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate up for election. Malcolm Fraser had been commissioned as prime minister following the dismissal of Gough Whitlam's Labor government by, Governor-General Sir John Kerr, on 11 November 1975. The same day, "Fraser advised the calling of the election," in accordance with Kerr's stipulated conditions. Thus the Liberal Party of Australia, led by Fraser, with Coalition partner the National Country Party, led by Doug Anthony, went to the election as a caretaker government. The election resulted in the Coalition securing government with a 30-seat swing away from Labor in the House of Representatives.
In accordance with section 13 of the Constitution, following double dissolution of Parliament, "the terms for state senators commence on 1 July preceding the election," i.e., on 1 July 1975. The first five senators elected in each State were allocated full six-year terms ending on 30 June 1981 while the other half were allocated three-year terms ending on 30 June 1978.
There were two significant changes that affected the composition of the Senate.
- The Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory were to be, represented in the Senate for the first time. The terms of senators representing the territories commenced on the date of the election and "ended at the dissolution of the House of Representatives," in this case the December 1977 election.
- A person appointed to a casual vacancy must be from the same political party as the original senator and is appointed until the end of the original term.
Austin Lewis had been appointed under the former system, however his term was extended to the end of the original term of 30 June 1981 as a result of the 1977 referendum. The first vacancy occurring under the new process was caused by the resignation of Steele Hall, who had been a member of the Liberal Movement but had joined the Liberal party in 1976 on the break-up of the Liberal Movement. Janine Haines was appointed to replace Hall, having been third on the Liberal Movement ticket in 1975, however she was no longer a member of the Liberal Movement, having joined the Democrats.
Senator | Party | State | Term ending | Years in office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brian Archer | Liberal | Tasmania | 1978 | 1975β1994 | |
Peter Baume | Liberal | New South Wales | 1978 | 1974β1991 | |
Reg Bishop | Labor | South Australia | 1981 | 1961β1981 | |
Neville Bonner | Liberal | Queensland | 1981 | 1971β1983 | |
Bill Brown | Labor | Victoria | 1978 | 1969β1970, 1971β1978 | |
John Button | Labor | Victoria | 1978 | 1974β1993 | |
Don Cameron | Labor | South Australia | 1978 | 1969β1978 | |
John Carrick | Liberal | New South Wales | 1981 | 1970β1987 | |
Jim Cavanagh | Labor | South Australia | 1981 | 1961β1981 | |
Fred Chaney | Liberal | Western Australia | 1978 | 1974β1990 | |
Ruth Coleman | Labor | Western Australia | 1978 | 1974β1987 | |
Stan Collard | National Country | Queensland | 1978 | 1975β1987 | |
Mal Colston | Labor | Queensland | 1978 | 1975β1999 | |
Sir Magnus Cormack | Liberal | Victoria | 1978 | 1951β1953, 1962β1978 | |
Bob Cotton | Liberal | New South Wales | 1981 | 1965β1978 | |
Gordon Davidson | Liberal | South Australia | 1981 | 1961, 1962, 1965β1981 | |
Don Devitt | Labor | Tasmania | 1978 | 1965β1978 | |
Tom Drake-Brockman | National Country | Western Australia | 1978 | 1958, 1959β1978 | |
Peter Durack | Liberal | Western Australia | 1981 | 1970β1993 | |
George Georges | Labor | Queensland | 1978 | 1967β1987 | |
Arthur Gietzelt | Labor | New South Wales | 1978 | 1970β1989 | |
Ivor Greenwood | Liberal | Victoria | 1981 | 1968β1976 | |
Don Grimes | Labor | Tasmania | 1978 | 1974β1987 | |
Margaret Guilfoyle | Liberal | Victoria | 1981 | 1970β1987 | |
Janine Haines | Democrats | South Australia | 1978 | 1977β1978, 1980β1990 | |
Steele Hall | Liberal Movement/Liberal | South Australia | 1978 | 1974β1977 | |
Brian Harradine | Independent | Tasmania | 1981 | 1975β2005 | |
Don Jessop | Liberal | South Australia | 1981 | 1970β1991 | |
Jim Keeffe | Labor | Queensland | 1981 | 1964β1983 | |
Bernie Kilgariff | Country Liberal | Northern Territory | 1977, 1980 | 1975β1987 | |
John Knight | Liberal | Australian Capital Territory | 1977, 1980 | 1975β1981 | |
Misha Lajovic | Liberal | New South Wales | 1978 | 1975β1985 | |
Sir Condor Laucke | Liberal | South Australia | 1981 | 1967β1981 | |
Austin Lewis | Liberal | Victoria | 1977, 1981 | 1976β1993 | |
Kathy Martin | Liberal | Queensland | 1978 | 1974β1984 | |
Ron Maunsell | National Country | Queensland | 1981 | 1967β1981 | |
Ron McAuliffe | Labor | Queensland | 1981 | 1970β1981 | |
Doug McClelland | Labor | New South Wales | 1981 | 1961β1987 | |
Jim McClelland | Labor | New South Wales | 1981 | 1970β1978 | |
Gordon McIntosh | Labor | Western Australia | 1981 | 1974β1987 | |
Geoff McLaren | Labor | South Australia | 1978 | 1970β1983 | |
Jean Melzer | Labor | Victoria | 1981 | 1974β1981 | |
Tony Messner | Liberal | South Australia | 1978 | 1975β1990 | |
Alan Missen | Liberal | Victoria | 1978 | 1974β1986 | |
Tony Mulvihill | Labor | New South Wales | 1978 | 1964β1983 | |
Justin O'Byrne | Labor | Tasmania | 1981 | 1947β1981 | |
Cyril Primmer | Labor | Victoria | 1981 | 1971β1985 | |
Peter Rae | Liberal | Tasmania | 1981 | 1967β1986 | |
Ted Robertson | Labor | Northern Territory | 1977, 1980 | 1975β1987 | |
Susan Ryan | Labor | Australian Capital Territory | 1977, 1980 | 1975β1988 | |
Douglas Scott | National Country | New South Wales | 1981 | 1970, 1974β1985 | |
Glen Sheil | National Country | Queensland | 1981 | 1974β1981 | |
Kerry Sibraa | Labor | New South Wales | 1978 | 1975β1978, 1978β1994 | |
Peter Sim | Liberal | Western Australia | 1981 | 1964β1981 | |
Tom Tehan | National Country | Victoria | 1978 | 1975β1978 | |
Andrew Thomas | Liberal | Western Australia | 1978 | 1975β1983 | |
Michael Townley | Liberal | Tasmania | 1981 | 1970β1987 | |
Peter Walsh | Labor | Western Australia | 1978 | 1974β1993 | |
Shirley Walters | Liberal | Tasmania | 1978 | 1975β1993 | |
James Webster | National Country | Victoria | 1981 | 1964β1981 | |
John Wheeldon | Labor | Western Australia | 1981 | 1964β1981 | |
Rt Reg Withers | Liberal | Western Australia | 1981 | 1966, 1967β1987 | |
Ian Wood | Liberal | Queensland | 1978 | 1950β1978 | |
Ken Wriedt | Labor | Tasmania | 1981 | 1964β1980 | |
Reg Wright | Liberal | Tasmania | 1978 | 1950β1978 | |
Harold Young | Liberal | South Australia | 1978 | 1968β1981 |
Notesβ»
- ^ Liberal Ivor Greenwood died on 13 October 1976; Liberal Austin Lewis was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 17 December. Lewis's term would have ended in December 1977, being the earlier of the next election for the House of Representatives. Or the Senate, however his term was extended to the end of Greenwood's original term on 30 June 1981 as a result of the 1977 referendum.
- ^ Senator Steele Hall had been elected as a member of the Liberal Movement, however the party broke up and he joined the Liberal party in June 1976. Hall resigned from the Senate on 16 November 1977 to contest the House of Representatives seat of Hawker. Democrats Janine Haines was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 14 December.
- ^ The term of a territory senator ends at the dissolution of the House of Representatives which was December 1977.
- ^ Father of the Senate
Referencesβ»
- ^ "The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate 1975". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ Reg Withers (18 February 1976). "Rotation of Senators". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Commonwealth of Australia: Senate.
- ^ Senate (Representation of Territories) Act 1973 (Cth).
- ^ Constitution Alteration (Senate Casual Vacancies) Act 1977 (Cth).
- ^ Gerard Newman (14 May 2002). "Senate Casual Vacancies". Research Note no.35 2001-2001. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "1975 Senate election: South Australia". Psephos: Adam Carr's Election Archive.
- ^ "Haines, Janine (1945β2004)". The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate. Parliament of Australia.
- ^ Evans, H. "Filling Casual Vacancies before 1977" (PDF). The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate, Volume 3. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
- Journal of the Senate. Parliament of Australia. 1978.
- "Members of the Senate since 1901". Parliamentary Handbook. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2008.