Members of the Australian Senate, 1968–1971

This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1968 to 1971.[1] Half of its members were elected at the 5 December 1964 half Senate election and had terms due to finish on 30 June 1971; the other half were elected at 25 November 1967 half Senate election and had terms due to finish on 30 June 1974. 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.[2]

Senator	Party		State	End term	Years in Office
Ken Anderson		Liberal	New South Wales	1971	1953–1975
Reg Bishop		Labor	South Australia	1974	1961–1981
George Branson		Liberal	Western Australia	1971	1958–1971
Bill Brown [lower-alpha 1]		Labor	Victoria	1970 [lower-alpha 2]	1969–1970, 1971–1978
Tom Bull		Country	New South Wales	1971	1965–1971
Nancy Buttfield		Liberal	South Australia	1974	1955–1965, 1968–1974
Condon Byrne		DLP	Queensland	1974	1951–1959, 1968–1974
Don Cameron [lower-alpha 3]		Labor	South Australia	1971	1969–1978
Martin Cameron [lower-alpha 3]		Liberal	South Australia	1969 [lower-alpha 2]	1969
Harry Cant		Labor	Western Australia	1971	1959–1974
Jim Cavanagh		Labor	South Australia	1974	1961–1981
Sam Cohen [lower-alpha 1]		Labor	Victoria	1974	1962–1969
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	1971	1961, 1962, 1965–1981
Don Devitt		Labor	Tasmania	1971	1965–1978
Felix Dittmer		Labor	Queensland	1971	1959–1971
Hon. Tom Drake-Brockman		Country	Western Australia	1971	1958, 1959–1978
Arnold Drury		Labor	South Australia	1971	1959–1975
Joe Fitzgerald		Labor	New South Wales	1974	1962–1974
Hon. Vince Gair		DLP	Queensland	1971	1965–1974
George Georges		Labor	Queensland	1974	1967–1987
Ivor Greenwood [lower-alpha 4]		Liberal	Victoria	1971	1968–1976
George Hannan [lower-alpha 1]		Liberal	Victoria	1974	1956–1965, 1970–1974
Bert Hendrickson [lower-alpha 5]		Labor	Victoria	1971	1947–1971
Jack Kane [lower-alpha 6]		DLP	New South Wales	1974	1970–1974
Jim Keeffe		Labor	Queensland	1971	1964–1983
Pat Kennelly		Labor	Victoria	1971	1953–1971
Bert Lacey		Labor	Tasmania	1971	1965–1971
Condor Laucke		Liberal	South Australia	1974	1967–1981
Keith Laught [lower-alpha 3]		Liberal	South Australia	1971	1951–1969
Ellis Lawrie		Liberal	Queensland	1971	1965–1975
Elliot Lillico		Liberal	Tasmania	1971	1959–1974
Jack Little		DLP	Victoria	1974	1968–1974
John Marriott		Liberal	Tasmania	1971	1953–1975
Ron Maunsell		Country	Queensland	1974	1967–1981
Doug McClelland		Labor	New South Wales	1974	1961–1987
Jim McClelland [lower-alpha 7]		Labor	New South Wales	1971 [lower-alpha 2]	1970–1978
Colin McKellar [lower-alpha 6]		Country	New South Wales	1974	1958–1970
Frank McManus		DLP	Victoria	1971	1956–1962, 1965–1974
Hon. Alister McMullin		Liberal	New South Wales	1971	1951–1971
Bertie Milliner		Labor	Queensland	1974	1968–1975
Tony Mulvihill		Labor	New South Wales	1971	1964–1983
Hon. Lionel Murphy		Labor	New South Wales	1974	1962–1975
Hon. Justin O'Byrne [lower-alpha 5]		Labor	Tasmania	1971	1947–1981
James Ormonde [lower-alpha 7]		Labor	New South Wales	1971	1958, 1959–1970
Bob Poke		Labor	Tasmania	1974	1956–1974
George Poyser		Labor	Victoria	1974	1966–1975
Edgar Prowse		Country	Western Australia	1974	1962–1973
Peter Rae		Liberal	Tasmania	1974	1968–1986
Dame Annabelle Rankin [lower-alpha 5]		Liberal	Queensland	1974	1947–1971
Clem Ridley		Labor	South Australia	1971	1959–1971
Douglas Scott [lower-alpha 6]		Country	New South Wales	1970 [lower-alpha 2]	1970, 1974–1985
Hon. Malcolm Scott		Liberal	Western Australia	1971	1950–1971
Peter Sim		Liberal	Western Australia	1974	1964–1981
Jim Toohey		Labor	South Australia	1971	1953–1971
Reg Turnbull		Independent	Tasmania	1974	1962–1974
James Webster		Country	Victoria	1974	1964–1981
Dame Ivy Wedgwood		Liberal	Victoria	1971	1950–1971
John Wheeldon		Labor	Western Australia	1971	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	1971	1950–1978
Ken Wriedt		Labor	Tasmania	1974	1964–1980
Hon. Reg Wright		Liberal	Tasmania	1974	1950–1978
Harold Young		Liberal	South Australia	1974	1968–1981

Senate composition at 1 July 1968

Government (29) - (2 seat minority)
     Liberal (23) [lower-roman 1]
     Country Party (6) [lower-roman 2]

Opposition (26)
     Labor (26) [lower-roman 3]

Crossbench (5)
     DLP (4)
     Independents (1)
 
Changes in composition

1. At the October 1969 House of Representatives election Liberal Senator Martin Cameron was defeated for a casual vacancy by Labor candidate Don Cameron.
2. At the November 1970 half Senate election Country Party Senator Douglas Scott was defeated for a casual vacancy by DLP candidate Jack Kane.
3. At the November 1970 half Senate election Labor Senator Bill Brown was defeated for a casual vacancy by Liberal candidate George Hannan.

Notes

1. Labor Senator Sam Cohen died on 7 October 1969; Labor member Bill Brown was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 19 November but he was defeated for the seat at the November 1970 half Senate election by Liberal candidate George Hannan to complete the term until 30 June 1974.
2. Appointed to a casual vacancy and only held office until the earlier of the next election for the House of Representatives or the Senate.[2]
3. Liberal Senator Keith Laught died on 13 May 1969; Liberal member Martin Cameron was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 23 May but he was defeated for the seat at the October 1969 House of Representatives election by Labor candidate Don Cameron to complete the term until 30 June 1971.
4. Liberal Senator John Gorton resigned from the Senate on 1 February 1968. Liberal member Ivor Greenwood was appointed to fill the ensuing Senate vacancy on 21 February until a special election at the October 1969 House of Representatives election, when he was elected to complete the term until 30 June 1971.
5. Father of the Senate
6. Country Party Senator Colin McKellar died on 13 April 1970; Country Party member Douglas Scott was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 6 August but he was defeated for the seat at the November 1970 half Senate election by DLP candidate Jack Kane to complete the term until 30 June 1974.
7. Labor Senator James Ormonde died on 30 November 1970; Labor member Jim McClelland was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 16 March to complete the term until 30 June 1971. McClelland had been elected to the Senate at the 1970 election for a term from 1 July 1971 to 30 June 1977

References

1. "The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate 1968". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
2. 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. 1970.
• "Members of the Senate since 1901". Parliamentary Handbook. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2008.