This is the full list of members of the House of Representatives (21st Parliament) elected on May 29, 1954.
The 1954 election was the third of nine victories for the coalition and the third of seven consecutive victories for Robert Menzies. It took place amidst the controversy surrounding the defection of the Russian diplomat, Vladimir Petrov. Despite losing, the ALP, led by Dr H.V. Evatt, outpolled the Coalition on primary and two-party-preferred votes.
In a 121-seat House of Representatives, the Liberal Party won 47 seats (-5) and the Country Party 17 (-), for a coalition total of 64. The ALP won 57 seats (+5). The government secured a majority of 7 (-5).
The Liberal Party won 38.31% of the primary vote (-2.31%), the Country Party 8.52% (-1.20%) and the ALP 50.03% (+2.40%). The estimated two-party-preferred vote for the coalition was 49.30%, a swing against it of 1.40%, with the ALP on 50.70%.
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.
The election was for the House alone. Because of the 1951 double dissolution, a half-Senate election had to be held in 1953. The House and Senate elections came back into alignment at the election in December 1955, when Menzies took the House out early.
There was one by-election during the life of the 21st Parliament. The ALP’s Tom Sheehan died in March 1955 and was replaced by Jim Cope as the member for Cook. Cope went on to become the Speaker of the House during the Whitlam government. The table below shows 124 members, reflecting all who served in the parliament.
During the life of the 21st Parliament, the ALP split over the issue of communism and the activities of the Industrial Groups. Seven members of the ALP were expelled from the party. They are listed separately below. All were defeated at the 1955 election called by Menzies to capitalise on the split.
There is just one member of the 21st Parliament still alive, the Liberal Party’s Henry George Pearce (Capricornia-Qld). He is currently 105. However, I am advised that Pearce’s whereabouts are unknown and it is likely that he is deceased.
Members of the 21st Parliament – 1954-1955 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 21st Parliament have been:
– 2014: Gough Whitlam (ALP)
– 2008: Frank Crean (ALP); Clyde Cameron (ALP)
– 2007: Kim Beazley, Sr. (ALP)
– 2006: Allen Fairhall (Lib); Reg Swartz (Lib)
– 2004: William Lawrence (Lib)
– 2003: Bill Wentworth (Lib)
– 2002: John Howse (Lib)
– 2001: Gordon Freeth (Lib)
– 2000: Harry Webb (ALP); Robert Lindsay (Lib); Ian Allan (CP)
The table below lists members by their party affiliation, seat, term and age.
Members of the 21st Parliament – 1954-1955 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Name | Party | Seat | Term Began | Term Ended |
Birth | Death | Age |
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY MEMBERS | ||||||||
Gordon Anderson | ||||||||
Lance Barnard | ||||||||
Kim Beazley | ||||||||
Alan Bird | ||||||||
Harry Bruce | MLA Tableland (Qld) Leichhardt (Qld |
11.06.1932 28.04.1951 |
11.06.1932 11.10.1958 |
|||||
Tom Burke | ||||||||
Arthur Calwell | ||||||||
Clyde Cameron | ||||||||
Cyril Chambers | ||||||||
Percy Clarey | Bendigo (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
17.05.1960 |
|||||
Joe Clark | ||||||||
James Cope | Watson (NSW) Sydney (NSW) |
10.12.1955 25.10.1969 |
25.10.1969 11.11.1975 |
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Dominic Costa | ||||||||
Wilfred Coutts | 09.12.1961 |
26.11.1966 |
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Frank Crean | MLA Prahran (Vic) Melbourne Ports (Vic) |
22.01.1949 28.04.1951 |
01.03.1951 10.11.1977 |
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Dan Curtin | Kingsford Smith |
10.12.1955 |
23.09.1969 |
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Fred Daly | Grayndler (NSW) |
10.12.1949 |
11.11.1975 |
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Billy Davies | ||||||||
Arthur Drakeford | Maribyrnong (Vic) |
15.09.1934 |
10.12.1955 |
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Gil Duthie | ||||||||
Bill Edmonds | ||||||||
Dr H. V. Evatt | Barton (NSW) Hunter (NSW) |
21.09.1940 22.11.1958 |
22.11.1958 10.02.1960 |
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Joe Fitzgerald | Senate (NSW) |
01.07.1962 |
11.04.1974 |
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Allan Fraser | 25.10.1969 |
02.11.1972 |
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Jim Fraser | ||||||||
Arthur Fuller | 28.04.1951 09.12.1961 |
10.12.1955 30.11.1963 |
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Pat Galvin | ||||||||
Arthur Greenup | Dalley (NSW) |
09.05.1953 |
04.11.1955 |
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Charles Griffiths | ||||||||
Eli James (Jim) Harrison | Blaxland (NSW) |
10.12.1949 |
29.09.1969 |
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Les Haylen | ||||||||
Rowley James | ||||||||
Herbert Johnson | ||||||||
George Lawson | Brisbane (Qld) |
19.12.1931 |
02.11.1961 |
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Nelson Lemmon | St George (NSW) |
29.05.1954 |
10.12.1955 |
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Tony Luchetti | ||||||||
Norman Makin | Sturt (SA) Bonython (SA) |
29.05.1954 10.12.1955 |
10.12.1955 01.11.1963 |
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Don McLeod | 28.04.1951 |
04.11.1955 |
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Dan Minogue | ||||||||
Charles Morgan | 10.12.1949 |
22.11.1958 |
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Jock Nelson | ||||||||
William O’Connor | Martin (NSW) Dalley (NSW) |
10.12.1949 10.12.1955 |
10.12.1955 29.09.1969 |
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Ted Peters | Scullin (Vic) |
10.12.1955 |
29.09.1969 |
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Reg Pollard | Lalor (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
26.11.1966 |
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Bill Riordan | ||||||||
Edgar Russell | ||||||||
Tom Sheehan | Lang (40-41) |
|||||||
Frank Stewart | Grayndler (NSW) |
10.12.1977 |
16.04.1979 |
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Albert Thompson | Port Adelaide (SA) |
10.12.1949 |
01.11.1963 |
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Eddie Ward | 06.02.1932 |
31.07.1963 |
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David Watkins | ||||||||
Harry Webb | Stirling (WA) Stirling (WA) |
10.12.1955 09.12.1961 |
22.11.1958 02.12.1972 |
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Gough Whitlam | ||||||||
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY (ANTI-COMMUNIST) MEMBERS | ||||||||
Tom Andrews | ||||||||
Bill Bourke | ||||||||
Bill Bryson | Wills (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
10.12.1955 |
|||||
Jack Cremean | ||||||||
Robert Joshua | ||||||||
Stan Keon | ALP (A-C) |
Yarra (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
10.12.1955 |
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Jack Mullens | Gellibrand (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
10.12.1955 |
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LIBERAL PARTY MEMBERS | ||||||||
Jeff Bate | ||||||||
Howard Beale | ||||||||
Francis Bland | ||||||||
William Bostock | ||||||||
Geoffrey Brown | ||||||||
Archie Cameron | UAP/Lib |
|||||||
Dr Donald Cameron | ||||||||
Richard Casey | La Trobe (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
10.02.1960 |
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(Sir) John Cramer | ||||||||
Frank Davis | ||||||||
Roger Dean | ||||||||
Aexander Downer | ||||||||
Nigel Drury | ||||||||
David Fairbairn | ||||||||
Allen Fairhall | ||||||||
Bill Falkinder | ||||||||
(Sir) Josiah Francis | Liberal |
|||||||
Gordon Freeth | ||||||||
Jo Gullett | ||||||||
(Sir) Eric Harrison | ||||||||
(Sir) Paul Hasluck | ||||||||
William Haworth | ||||||||
Harold Holt | Higgins (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
17.12.1967 |
|||||
John Howse | ||||||||
Alan Hulme | 09.12.1961 |
02.11.1972 |
||||||
William Jack | ||||||||
(Sir) Percy Joske | ||||||||
(Sir) Wilfrid Kent Hughes | ||||||||
William Lawrence | ||||||||
Robert Lindsay | ||||||||
Aubrey Luck | Braddon (Tas) |
10.12.1955 |
22.11.1958 |
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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 |
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Malcolm McColm | ||||||||
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 |
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Hubert Opperman | ||||||||
Frederick Osborne | ||||||||
Henry George Pearce | ||||||||
Reginald Swartz | ||||||||
Frank Timson | ||||||||
Athol Townley | ||||||||
Harry Turner | Bradfield (NSW) |
20.12.1952 |
11.04.1974 |
|||||
William C. Wentworth | ||||||||
Roy Wheeler | ||||||||
Bruce Wight | ||||||||
COUNTRY PARTY | ||||||||
Charles Adermann | Fisher (Qld) |
10.12.1949 |
02.11.1972 |
|||||
Ian Allan | ||||||||
Larry Anthony | ||||||||
George Bowden | ||||||||
(Sir) William Brand | MLA Isis (Qld) Wide Bay (Qld) |
11.06.1932 29.05.1954 |
29.04.1950 14.10.1958 |
|||||
Wilfred Brimblecombe | ||||||||
(Sir) Charles Davidson | Country |
Dawson (Qld) |
10.12.1949 |
01.11.1963 |
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David Drummond | Country Country |
MLA Armidale (NSW) New England (NSW) |
07.09.1927 10.12.1949 |
28.10.1949 01.11.1963 |
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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 | ||||||||
Winton Turnbull | Mallee (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
02.11.1972 |