Members of the Australian Senate, 1971–1974

Senate composition at 1 July 1971
Coalition (26) - (5 seat minority) ^{[lower-roman 1]}

  Liberal (22)
  Country Party (4)

  Labor (26) - (5 seat minority) ^{[lower-roman 1]}

Crossbench (8)
  DLP (5)
  Independents (3)
 
Notes

1. The Coalition government was defeated by Labor at the December 1972 House of Representatives election

This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1971 to 1974. ^[1] Half of its members were elected at the 25 November 1967 half Senate election and had terms due to finish on 30 June 1974; the other half were elected at the 21 November 1970 half Senate election and had terms due to finish on 30 June 1977. In fact, the term for all of them was terminated by the double dissolution for the 18 May 1974 election.

The government changed during the Senate term as the election cycles of the Senate and the House of Representatives had been out of synchronisation since 1963 and the Coalition government, led by Prime Minister William McMahon, was defeated by the Labor Party, led by Gough Whitlam, at the December 1972 House of Representatives election.

Members

Senator	Party		State	Term ending	Years in office
Hon. Ken Anderson		Liberal	New South Wales	1977	1953–1975
Hon. Reg Bishop		Labor	South Australia	1974	1961–1981
Neville Bonner [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2]		Liberal	Queensland	1972, [lower-alpha 3] 1974	1971–1983
Bill Brown		Labor	Victoria	1977	1969–1970, 1971–1978
Nancy Buttfield		Liberal	South Australia	1974	1955–1965, 1968–1974
Condon Byrne		DLP	Queensland	1974	1951–1959, 1968–1974
Don Cameron		Labor	South Australia	1977	1969–1978
Harry Cant		Labor	Western Australia	1977	1959–1974
Hon. John Carrick		Liberal	New South Wales	1977	1971–1987
Jim Cavanagh		Labor	South Australia	1974	1961–1981
Hon. Sir Magnus Cormack		Liberal	Victoria	1974	1951–1953, 1962–1978
Hon. Bob Cotton		Liberal	New South Wales	1974	1965–1978
Gordon Davidson		Liberal	South Australia	1977	1961, 1962, 1965–1981
Don Devitt		Labor	Tasmania	1977	1965–1978
Hon. Tom Drake-Brockman		Country	Western Australia	1977	1958, 1959–1978
Arnold Drury		Labor	South Australia	1977	1959–1975
Peter Durack		Liberal	Western Australia	1977	1971–1993
Joe Fitzgerald		Labor	New South Wales	1974	1962–1974
Hon. Vince Gair		DLP	Queensland	1977	1965–1974
George Georges		Labor	Queensland	1974	1967–1987
Arthur Gietzelt		Labor	New South Wales	1977	1971–1989
Hon. Ivor Greenwood		Liberal	Victoria	1977	1968–1976
Margaret Guilfoyle		Liberal	Victoria	1977	1971–1987
George Hannan [lower-alpha 4]		Liberal/National Liberal	Victoria	1974	1956–1965, 1970–1974
Don Jessop		Liberal	South Australia	1977	1971–1991
Jack Kane		DLP	New South Wales	1974	1970–1974
Jim Keeffe		Labor	Queensland	1977	1964–1983
Sir Condor Laucke		Liberal	South Australia	1974	1967–1981
Ellis Lawrie		Liberal	Queensland	1977	1965–1975
Elliot Lillico		Liberal	Tasmania	1977	1959–1974
Jack Little		DLP	Victoria	1974	1968–1974
John Marriott		Liberal	Tasmania	1977	1953–1975
Ron Maunsell		Country	Queensland	1974	1967–1981
Ron McAuliffe		Labor	Queensland	1977	1971–1981
Hon. Doug McClelland		Labor	New South Wales	1974	1961–1987
Hon. Jim McClelland		Labor	New South Wales	1977	1971–1978
Geoff McLaren		Labor	South Australia	1977	1971–1983
Frank McManus		DLP	Victoria	1977	1956–1962, 1965–1974
Bertie Milliner		Labor	Queensland	1974	1968–1975
Tony Mulvihill		Labor	New South Wales	1977	1964–1983
Hon. Lionel Murphy		Labor	New South Wales	1974	1962–1975
Syd Negus		Independent	Western Australia	1977	1971–1974
Hon. Justin O'Byrne [lower-alpha 5]		Labor	Tasmania	1977	1947–1981
Bob Poke		Labor	Tasmania	1974	1956–1974
George Poyser		Labor	Victoria	1974	1966–1975
Cyril Primmer		Labor	Victoria	1977	1971–1985
Edgar Prowse [lower-alpha 6]		Country	Western Australia	1974	1962–1973
Peter Rae		Liberal	Tasmania	1974	1967–1986
David Reid [lower-alpha 6]		Country	Western Australia	1974 [lower-alpha 3]	1974
Peter Sim		Liberal	Western Australia	1974	1964–1981
Michael Townley		Independent	Tasmania	1977	1971–1987
Reg Turnbull		Independent	Tasmania	1974	1962–1974
James Webster		Country	Victoria	1974	1964–1981
John Wheeldon		Labor	Western Australia	1977	1964–1981
Laurie Wilkinson		Labor	Western Australia	1974	1966–1974
Don Willesee		Labor	Western Australia	1974	1950–1975
Reg Withers		Liberal	Western Australia	1974	1966, 1967–1987
Ian Wood		Liberal	Queensland	1977	1950–1978
Hon. Ken Wriedt		Labor	Tasmania	1974	1964–1980
Hon. Reg Wright		Liberal	Tasmania	1974	1950–1978
Harold Young		Liberal	South Australia	1974	1968–1981

Notes

1. First Indigenous Australian to be a member of the Parliament of Australia
2. Liberal Party Senator Dame Annabelle Rankin resigned on 24 May 1971; Liberal Party Neville Bonner was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 11 June 1971 until a special election at the December 1972 House of Representatives election, when he was elected to complete the term until 30 June 1974.
3. Appointed to a casual vacancy and only held office until the earlier of the next election for the House of Representatives or the Senate. ^[3]
4. Hannan resigned from the Liberal Party on 20 March 1974 to form the National Liberal Party in protest at the Liberals' perceived social liberalism. ^[2]
5. Father of the Senate
6. Country Party Senator Edgar Prowse resigned on 31 December 1973; Country Party member David Reid was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 16 January 1974 to complete the term until 30 June 1974.

References

1. "The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate 1971". Parliament of Australia . Retrieved 21 March 2017.

Bibliography

• Journal of the Senate. Parliament of Australia. 1974.
• "Members of the Senate since 1901". Parliamentary Handbook. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2008.