This is the full list of members of the House of Representatives elected on April 28, 1951.
The 1951 election was the second of nine victories for the coalition and the second of seven consecutive victories for Robert Menzies. Just 15 months after his 1949 victory, Menzies called a double dissolution in 1951, following the ALP’s failure to pass banking legislation. Menzies’ legislation to ban the Communist Party had been declared unconstitutional by the High Court and it was this issue that set the scene for the election.
In a 121-seat House of Representatives, the Liberal Party won 52 seats (-3) and the Country Party 17 (-2), for a coalition total of 69. The ALP won 52 seats (+7). The new government had a majority of 17. Crucially, the government gained control of the Senate. Of all the double dissolutions since Federation, this was the most successful outcome for the incumbent government.
The Liberal Party won 40.63% of the primary vote (+1.65%), the Country Party 9.72% (-1.15%) and the ALP 47.63% (-1.65%). The estimated two-party-preferred vote for the coalition was 50.70%, a swing against it of 0.30%.
The members for the Northern Territory (Jock Nelson-ALP) and the Australian Capital Territory (Jim Fraser-ALP) did not have voting rights, other than on matters affecting their territory. They are counted as members on the list below but not included in the seat tallies shown above.
There were ten by-elections during the life of the 20th Parliament, the biggest number of any parliament before or since. Nine of the ten were because of the death of the sitting member. The Country Party replaced two of its sitting members in Lyne and Gwydir, whilst the Liberal Party replaced three sitting members in Balaclava, Bradfield and Corangamite, but lost Flinders to the ALP. The ALP replaced four sitting members in Macquarie, Werriwa, Dalley and Lang. Accordingly, there are 133 members listed below.
One by-election resulted from the death of former ALP prime minister Ben Chifley in Macquarie. In Werriwa, a future Labor prime minister, Gough Whitlam, entered the parliament.
There are now just two members of the 20th Parliament still alive, both Liberals: Henry Pearce (Capricornia-Qld), 105 and Bill Grayden (Swan-WA), 102. However, I am advised that Pearce’s whereabouts are unknown and it is likely that he is deceased.
Members of the 20th Parliament – 1951-1954 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Number of members | Died | Died % | Living | Living % |
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY | |||||
COALITION | |||||
TOTAL | |||||
— Liberal Party / LNP | |||||
— Country Party |
The most recent deaths of members of the 20th Parliament have been:
– Oct 21, 2014: Gough Whitlam, ALP (Werriwa-NSW)), 98
– Dec 02, 2008: Frank Crean, ALP (Melbourne Ports-Vic), 92
– Nov 03, 2006: Allen Fairhall, Liberal (Paterson-NSW)), 96
– Feb 02, 2006: Reg Swartz, Liberal (Darling Downs-Qld), 94
– Jan 13, 2004: William Lawrence, Liberal (Wimmera-Vic), 97
– Jun 15, 2003: William Charles Wentworth, Liberal (MacKellar-NSW), 95
– Jul 11, 2002: John Howse, Liberal (Calare-NSW), 88
– Nov 27, 2001: Gordon Freeth, Liberal (Forrest-WA), 87
– Feb 13, 2000: Ian Allan, Country (Gwydir-NSW), 84
The table below lists members by their party affiliation, seat, term and age.
Members of the 20th Parliament – 1951-1954 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Name | Party | Seat | Term Began | Term Ended |
Birth | Death | Age |
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY MEMBERS | ||||||||
Gordon Anderson | ||||||||
Tom Andrews | ||||||||
Kim Beazley | ||||||||
Alan Bird | ||||||||
Bill Bourke | ||||||||
Harry Bruce | MLA Tableland (Qld) Leichhardt (Qld |
11.06.1932 28.04.1951 |
11.06.1932 11.10.1958 |
|||||
Bill Bryson | Wills (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
10.12.1955 |
|||||
Tom Burke | ||||||||
Arthur Calwell | ||||||||
Clyde Cameron | ||||||||
Cyril Chambers | ||||||||
Ben Chifley | 21.09.1940 |
13.06.1951 |
||||||
Percy Clarey | Bendigo (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
17.05.1960 |
|||||
Joe Clark | ||||||||
Dominic Costa | ||||||||
Frank Crean | MLA Prahran (Vic) Melbourne Ports (Vic) |
22.01.1949 28.04.1951 |
01.03.1951 10.11.1977 |
|||||
Jack Cremean | ||||||||
Dan Curtin | Kingsford Smith |
10.12.1955 |
23.09.1969 |
|||||
Fred Daly | Grayndler (NSW) |
10.12.1949 |
11.11.1975 |
|||||
Billy Davies | ||||||||
Arthur Drakeford | Maribyrnong (Vic) |
15.09.1934 |
10.12.1955 |
|||||
Gil Duthie | ||||||||
Bill Edmonds | ||||||||
Dr H. V. Evatt | Barton (NSW) Hunter (NSW) |
21.09.1940 22.11.1958 |
22.11.1958 10.02.1960 |
|||||
Keith Ewert | ||||||||
Joe Fitzgerald | Senate (NSW) |
01.07.1962 |
11.04.1974 |
|||||
Allan Fraser | 25.10.1969 |
02.11.1972 |
||||||
Jim Fraser | ||||||||
Arthur Fuller | 28.04.1951 09.12.1961 |
10.12.1955 30.11.1963 |
||||||
Pat Galvin | ||||||||
Arthur Greenup | Dalley (NSW) |
09.05.1953 |
04.11.1955 |
|||||
Charles Griffiths | ||||||||
Eli James (Jim) Harrison | Blaxland (NSW) |
10.12.1949 |
29.09.1969 |
|||||
Les Haylen | ||||||||
Rowley James | ||||||||
Herbert Johnson | ||||||||
Robert Joshua | ||||||||
Stan Keon | ALP (A-C) |
Yarra (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
10.12.1955 |
||||
George Lawson | Brisbane (Qld) |
19.12.1931 |
02.11.1961 |
|||||
Bert Lazzarini | Lang Labor ALP |
15.09.1934 |
01.10.1952 |
|||||
Tony Luchetti | ||||||||
Don McLeod | 28.04.1951 |
04.11.1955 |
||||||
Dan Minogue | ||||||||
Charles Morgan | 10.12.1949 |
22.11.1958 |
||||||
Dan Mulcahy | ||||||||
Jack Mullens | Gellibrand (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
10.12.1955 |
|||||
Jock Nelson | ||||||||
William O’Connor | Martin (NSW) Dalley (NSW) |
10.12.1949 10.12.1955 |
10.12.1955 29.09.1969 |
|||||
Ted Peters | Scullin (Vic) |
10.12.1955 |
29.09.1969 |
|||||
Reg Pollard | Lalor (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
26.11.1966 |
|||||
Bill Riordan | ||||||||
Sol Rosevear | ||||||||
Edgar Russell | ||||||||
Tom Sheehan | Lang (40-41) ALP (41-55) |
|||||||
Frank Stewart | Grayndler (NSW) |
10.12.1977 |
16.04.1979 |
|||||
Albert Thompson | Port Adelaide (SA) |
10.12.1949 |
01.11.1963 |
|||||
Eddie Ward | 06.02.1932 |
31.07.1963 |
||||||
David Watkins | ||||||||
Gough Whitlam | ||||||||
LIBERAL PARTY MEMBERS | ||||||||
Jeff Bate | ||||||||
Howard Beale | ||||||||
Doug Berry | ||||||||
Francis Bland | ||||||||
William Bostock | ||||||||
Geoffrey Brown | ||||||||
Archie Cameron | UAP/Lib |
|||||||
Dr Donald Cameron | ||||||||
Richard Casey | La Trobe (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
10.02.1960 |
|||||
(Sir) John Cramer | ||||||||
Frank Davis | ||||||||
Roger Dean | ||||||||
Aexander Downer | ||||||||
Nigel Drury | ||||||||
David Fairbairn | ||||||||
Allen Fairhall | ||||||||
Bill Falkinder | ||||||||
(Sir) Josiah Francis | Liberal |
|||||||
Gordon Freeth | ||||||||
Bill Graham | St George (NSW) North Sydney (NSW) |
10.12.1955 26.11.1966 |
22.11.1958 19.09.1980 |
|||||
Bill Grayden | ||||||||
Jo Gullett | ||||||||
(Sir) Eric Harrison | ||||||||
(Sir) Paul Hasluck | ||||||||
William Haworth | ||||||||
Harold Holt | Higgins (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
17.12.1967 |
|||||
John Howse | ||||||||
William Morris Hughes | ALP Nationalist Nat/UAP/Lib Liberal |
West Sydney (NSW) Bendigo (Vic) North Sydney (NSW) Bradfield (NSW) |
29.03.1901 05.05.1917 16.12.1922 10.12.1949 |
05.05.1917 16.12.1922 10.12.1949 28.10.1952 |
||||
Alan Hulme | 09.12.1961 |
02.11.1972 |
||||||
William Jack | ||||||||
(Sir) Percy Joske | ||||||||
Bruce Kekwick | ||||||||
(Sir) Wilfrid Kent Hughes | ||||||||
William Lawrence | ||||||||
Aubrey Luck | Braddon (Tas) |
10.12.1955 |
22.11.1958 |
|||||
Dan Mackinnon | Corangamite (Vic) |
29.08.1953 |
31.10.1966 |
|||||
Philip McBride | Senate (SA) Wakefield (SA) |
21.10.1937 28.09.1946 |
30.06.1944 14.10.1958 |
|||||
Malcolm McColm | ||||||||
Allan McDonald | Corangamite (Vic) |
21.09.1940 |
10.06.1953 |
|||||
John McLeay, Sr. | ||||||||
William McMahon | ||||||||
Robert Menzies | Nationalist UAP/Liberal |
MLA Nunawading (Vic) Kooyong (Vic) |
30.11.1929 15.09.1934 |
31.08.1934 16.02.1966 |
||||
Hubert Opperman | ||||||||
Frederick Osborne | ||||||||
Henry George Pearce | ||||||||
Rupert Ryan | ||||||||
Reginald Swartz | ||||||||
Frank Timson | ||||||||
Athol Townley | ||||||||
Harry Turner | Bradfield (NSW) |
20.12.1952 |
11.04.1974 |
|||||
William C. Wentworth | ||||||||
Roy Wheeler | ||||||||
Thomas White | ||||||||
Bruce Wight | ||||||||
Keith Wilson | Sturt (SA) Sturt (SA) |
10.12.1949 10.12.1955 |
29.05.1954 31.10.1966 |
|||||
COUNTRY PARTY | ||||||||
Charles Adermann | Fisher (Qld) |
10.12.1949 |
02.11.1972 |
|||||
Ian Allan | ||||||||
Larry Anthony | ||||||||
George Bowden | ||||||||
Wilfred Brimblecombe | ||||||||
Bernard Corser | Wide Bay (Qld) |
03.09.1928 |
21.04.1954 |
|||||
(Sir) Charles Davidson | Country |
Dawson (Qld) |
10.12.1949 |
01.11.1963 |
||||
David Drummond | Country Country |
MLA Armidale (NSW) New England (NSW) |
07.09.1927 10.12.1949 |
28.10.1949 01.11.1963 |
||||
Jim Eggins | Lyne (NSW) |
10.12.1949 |
28.01.1952 |
|||||
Arthur Fadden | Darling Downs (Qld) McPherson (Qld) |
06.11.1936 10.12.1949 |
10.12.1949 22.11.1958 |
|||||
Laurie Failes | ||||||||
Len Hamilton | Canning (WA) |
10.12.1949 |
02.11.1961 |
|||||
Hugh Leslie | Moore (WA) Moore (WA) |
10.12.1949 09.12.1961 |
22.11.1958 01.11.1963 |
|||||
Philip Lucock | ||||||||
John McEwen | Murray (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
20.03.1971 |
|||||
Sir Earle Page | ||||||||
Hugh Roberton | ||||||||
Thomas Treloar | ||||||||
Winton Turnbull | Mallee (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
02.11.1972 |