Sen. Rex Patrick (NXT-SA) – Maiden Speech

Dec 04, 2017

Senator Rex Patrick has delivered his maiden speech to the Senate.

Patrick

Patrick, 50, was appointed to the Senate on …. to fill a casual vacancy left by the resignation of his party’s leader, Nick Xenophon.

  • Listen to Patrick’s speech (22m)
  • Watch Patrick’s speech (24m)

Hansard transcript of Senator Rex Patrick’s maiden speech.

The PRESIDENT (17:04): Pursuant to order, I now call Senator Patrick to make his first speech, and I ask honourable senators that the usual courtesies be extended to him.

Senator PATRICK (South Australia) (17:04): Over a quarter of a century ago, on 4 November 1992, an honourable member in the House of Representatives described the Senate as unrepresentative swill. I note with a touch of irony that the honourable member, someone who I admire greatly for his positive contributions to our nation, was at that time part owner in a piggery. His comments about the Senate nonetheless displayed a broader and cursory misconception in the community about the crucial role of the Senate in our parliamentary system and, while widely and repeatedly reported, the ‘swill’ comments have seldom been challenged. In this, my first speech, I hope I can counter those misconceptions, make some observations on what I think the Senate does well and what the Senate could do better, and, above all, why this matters in a practical sense for all Australians. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Maiden Speeches, NXT, S.A., Senate, Video Tagged With: , , ,

Women In The 45th Australian Parliament

May 10, 2017

Women make up one-third of the 45th Parliament of Australia.

There are now 75 women in both houses, representing 33.18% of the combined total of 226 members. It was 30.97% at the end of the 44th Parliament.

There are 43 women (28.66%) in the 150-member House of Representatives, and 32 (42.10%) in the 76-member Senate.

With 43 members in both chambers, the ALP has the largest number of women (45.26%) in the parliament. The Liberal Party and Nationals combined have 21 members (20%).

The Greens (10 members in both houses) and the Nick Xenophon Team (4 members in both houses) each have 50-50 male-female representation.

At the 2016 double dissolution election, 30 women were elected to the Senate. Following the resignation of the ALP’s Stephen Conroy, the Victorian casual vacancy was filled by Kimberley Kitching. Following the resignation of Family First’s Bob Day, the South Australian casual vacancy was filled by Lucy Gichuhi, who sits as an independent. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2016 Federal Election, A.L.P., Greens, House of Reps, Liberal National Party, Liberal Party, Members, NXT, One Nation, Senate, The Nationals, Women Tagged With: , , , , ,

Who’s Left – The Surviving Members Of Every House Of Representatives Since 1949

Apr 01, 2017

*** CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST UPDATED VERSION OF THIS PAGE ***

Detailed information on the surviving members of the House of Representatives since 1949 is now available on this site. They include the members’ seats, parties, terms, dates of birth, ages and deaths.

All members of parliament who served in the first 18 parliaments from 1901 until the end of 1949 are now deceased.

There are two surviving members of the 19th Parliament that was elected on December 10, 1949. Both “forty-niners” are in their late 90s. One, Henry Pearce, will turn 100 in September this year.

Just four members of the House during the 1950s are still living.

For the entire Menzies era (1949-1972), there are 29 surviving members. All but four of them served together in the 27th Parliament between 1969 and 1972.

The table below provides a summary of how many members have served in the 19th to 45th parliaments. It shows how many are still living and what parties they belong to. There are links to more detailed information on each parliament since 1972.

Note: The data is structured around the parliaments since 1949. The numbers cannot be aggregated. Most surviving members served in more than one parliament.

Disclaimer: I am confident that the data shown here is correct. However, I rely on media reports and announcements in parliament for information on deaths of former members. I sincerely hope I haven’t killed or resurrected anyone. I am happy to receive corrections from readers.

House of Representatives – Members Still Living Since 1949
(Listed by Parliament No. and Years)
No. Years Size Members
Still
Living		 % Oldest Surviving
Member		 ALP Lib CP/
Nat		 Oth
19th
1949-1951
121
2
1.65
 Henry Pearce (99)
–
2
–
–
20th
1951-1954
131
2
1.52
 Henry Pearce (99)
–
2
–
–
21st
1954-1955
122
1
0.81
 Henry Pearce (99)
–
1
–
–
22nd
1955-1958
127
3
2.36
 Henry Pearce (99)
–
2
1
–
23rd
1958-1961
128
3
2.34
 Henry Pearce (99)
–
2
1
–
24th
1961-1963
125
5
4.00
 Jim Forbes (93)
2
1
2
–
25th
1963-1966
129
9
6.97
 Wylie Gibbs (94)
2
4
3
–
26th
1966-1969
130
17
13.07
 Mervyn Lee (96)
5
9
3
–
27th
1969-1972
128
24
18.75
 Doug Everingham (93)
11
9
4
–
28th
1972-1974
126
33
26.19
 Doug Everingham (93)
17
10
6
–
29th
1974-1975
128
44
34.37
 Doug Everingham (93)
18
17
9
–
30th
1975-1977
128
57
44.53
 Clarrie Millar (91)
10
36
11
–
31st
1977-1980
126
66
52.38
 Doug Everingham (93)
18
38
11
–
32nd
1980-1983
131
81
61.83
 Doug Everingham (93)
33
35
13
–
33rd
1983-1984
131
90
68.70
 Doug Everingham (93)
57
21
12
–
34th
1984-1987
149
111
74.49
 Clarrie Millar (91)
64
31
16
–
35th
1987-1990
153
122
79.73
 Clarrie Millar (91)
74
33
15
–
36th
1990-1993
150
131
87.33
 Steele Hall (88)
72
44
13
–
37th
1993-1996
155
137
88.38
 Steele Hall (88)
75
44
16
–
38th
1996-1998
150
139
92.66
 Ian Sinclair (87)
49
69
18
–
39th
1998-2001
152
145
95.39
 Garry Nehl (83)
68
61
16
–
40th
2001-2004
151
146
96.68
 Frank Mossfield (81)
65
65
13
3
41st
2004-2007
151
147
97.35
 Wilson Tuckey (81)
61
72
12
2
42nd
2007-2010
155
153
98.70
 Wilson Tuckey (81)
83
56
11
3
43rd
2010-2013
150
148
98.66
 Bronywyn Bishop (74)
72
59
12
5
44th
2013-2016
153
152
99.34
 Bronwyn Bishop (74)
56
76
15
5
45th
2016-
150
150
100
 Warren Snowdon (67)
69
60
16
5

 

Filed Under: 1949 Federal Election, 1951 Federal Election, 1963 Federal Election, 1966 Federal Election, 1972 Federal Election, 1974 Federal Election, 1975 Federal Election, 1977 Federal Election, 1980 Federal Election, 1983 Federal Election, 1984 Federal Election, 1987 Federal Election, 1990 Federal Election, 1993 Federal Election, 1996 Federal Election, 1998 Federal Election, 2001 Federal Election, 2004 Federal Election, 2007 Federal Election, 2010 Federal Election, 2013 Federal Election, 2016 Federal Election, A.L.P., Abbott, Backbenchers, By-Elections, D.L.P., Fraser, Gillard, Greens, Hawke, House of Reps, Howard, Keating, Liberal National Party, Liberal Party, Members, NXT, One Nation, Palmer United Party, Rudd, The Nationals, Turnbull, Whitlam Tagged With:

Current Federal Parliamentary Leaders

Feb 07, 2017

Each political party represented in the Federal Parliament elects leaders in each house.

Just as the government is decided in the House of Representatives, so the parties elect their leaders and deputy leaders from amongst their representatives in the House. If the party is not represented in the lower house, its leader will be chosen from amongst its members in the Senate.

These tables are correct as of the first day of the 2017 sittings of the 45th Parliament. Following the retirement of Senator Stephen Conroy on September 30, 2016, the ALP elected Senator Don Farrell as its deputy leader in the Senate. [Read more…]

Filed Under: A.L.P., Greens, House of Reps, Leaders, Liberal Party, NXT, One Nation, Parliamentary People, Senate, The Nationals, Turnbull Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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