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Members of the Australian Senate, 1975–1978

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) [a]
  Independent (Harradine) (1)
 
Changes in composition

  1. ^ Steele Hall joined the Liberal party in 1976 on the break-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 appointed to fill the vacancy on 14 December.

This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1975 to 1978.[1] 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 a 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.[2]

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.[3] 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.[4][5] 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,[6] however she was no longer a member of the Liberal Movement, having joined the Democrats.[7]

Senator Party State Term ending Years in office
Brian Archer   Liberal Tasmania 1978 1975–1994
Peter Baume   Liberal New South Wales 1978 1974–1991
Reg Bishop   Labor South Australia 1981 1961–1981
Neville Bonner   Liberal Queensland 1981 1971–1983
Bill Brown   Labor Victoria 1978 1969–1970, 1971–1978
John Button   Labor Victoria 1978 1974–1993
Don Cameron   Labor South Australia 1978 1969–1978
John Carrick   Liberal New South Wales 1981 1970–1987
Jim Cavanagh   Labor South Australia 1981 1961–1981
Fred Chaney   Liberal Western Australia 1978 1974–1990
Ruth Coleman   Labor Western Australia 1978 1974–1987
Stan Collard   National Country Queensland 1978 1975–1987
Mal Colston   Labor Queensland 1978 1975–1999
Sir Magnus Cormack   Liberal Victoria 1978 1951–1953, 1962–1978
Bob Cotton   Liberal New South Wales 1981 1965–1978
Gordon Davidson   Liberal South Australia 1981 1961, 1962, 1965–1981
Don Devitt   Labor Tasmania 1978 1965–1978
Tom Drake-Brockman   National Country Western Australia 1978 1958, 1959–1978
Peter Durack   Liberal Western Australia 1981 1970–1993
George Georges   Labor Queensland 1978 1967–1987
Arthur Gietzelt   Labor New South Wales 1978 1970–1989
Ivor Greenwood [a]   Liberal Victoria 1981 1968–1976
Don Grimes   Labor Tasmania 1978 1974–1987
Margaret Guilfoyle   Liberal Victoria 1981 1970–1987
Janine Haines [b]   Democrats South Australia 1978 1977–1978, 1980–1990
Steele Hall [b]   Liberal Movement/Liberal South Australia 1978 1974–1977
Brian Harradine   Independent Tasmania 1981 1975–2005
Don Jessop   Liberal South Australia 1981 1970–1991
Jim Keeffe   Labor Queensland 1981 1964–1983
Bernie Kilgariff   Country Liberal Northern Territory 1977, 1980 [c] 1975–1987
John Knight   Liberal Australian Capital Territory 1977, 1980 [c] 1975–1981
Misha Lajovic   Liberal New South Wales 1978 1975–1985
Sir Condor Laucke   Liberal South Australia 1981 1967–1981
Austin Lewis [a]   Liberal Victoria 1977, 1981 1976–1993
Kathy Martin   Liberal Queensland 1978 1974–1984
Ron Maunsell   National Country Queensland 1981 1967–1981
Ron McAuliffe   Labor Queensland 1981 1970–1981
Doug McClelland   Labor New South Wales 1981 1961–1987
Jim McClelland   Labor New South Wales 1981 1970–1978
Gordon McIntosh   Labor Western Australia 1981 1974–1987
Geoff McLaren   Labor South Australia 1978 1970–1983
Jean Melzer   Labor Victoria 1981 1974–1981
Tony Messner   Liberal South Australia 1978 1975–1990
Alan Missen   Liberal Victoria 1978 1974–1986
Tony Mulvihill   Labor New South Wales 1978 1964–1983
Justin O'Byrne [d]   Labor Tasmania 1981 1947–1981
Cyril Primmer   Labor Victoria 1981 1971–1985
Peter Rae   Liberal Tasmania 1981 1967–1986
Ted Robertson   Labor Northern Territory 1977, 1980 [c] 1975–1987
Susan Ryan   Labor Australian Capital Territory 1977, 1980 [c] 1975–1988
Douglas Scott   National Country New South Wales 1981 1970, 1974–1985
Glen Sheil   National Country Queensland 1981 1974–1981
Kerry Sibraa   Labor New South Wales 1978 1975–1978, 1978–1994
Peter Sim   Liberal Western Australia 1981 1964–1981
Tom Tehan   National Country Victoria 1978 1975–1978
Andrew Thomas   Liberal Western Australia 1978 1975–1983
Michael Townley   Liberal Tasmania 1981 1970–1987
Peter Walsh   Labor Western Australia 1978 1974–1993
Shirley Walters   Liberal Tasmania 1978 1975–1993
James Webster   National Country Victoria 1981 1964–1981
John Wheeldon   Labor Western Australia 1981 1964–1981
Rt Reg Withers   Liberal Western Australia 1981 1966, 1967–1987
Ian Wood   Liberal Queensland 1978 1950–1978
Ken Wriedt   Labor Tasmania 1981 1964–1980
Reg Wright   Liberal Tasmania 1978 1950–1978
Harold Young   Liberal South Australia 1978 1968–1981

Notes

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  1. ^ a b 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,[8] however his term was extended to the end of Greenwood's original term on 30 June 1981 as a result of the 1977 referendum.[4][5]
  2. ^ a b 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.
  3. ^ a b c d The term of a territory senator ends at the dissolution of the House of Representatives which was December 1977.
  4. ^ Father of the Senate

References

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  1. ^ "The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate 1975". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  2. ^ Reg Withers (18 February 1976). "Rotation of Senators". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Commonwealth of Australia: Senate.
  3. ^ Senate (Representation of Territories) Act 1973 (Cth).
  4. ^ a b Constitution Alteration (Senate Casual Vacancies) Act 1977 (Cth).
  5. ^ a b Gerard Newman (14 May 2002). "Senate Casual Vacancies". Research Note no.35 2001-2001. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  6. ^ "1975 Senate election: South Australia". Psephos: Adam Carr's Election Archive.
  7. ^ "Haines, Janine (1945–2004)". The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate. Parliament of Australia.
  8. ^ Evans, H. "Filling Casual Vacancies before 1977" (PDF). The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate, Volume 3. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
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