House of Representatives Members – 1st Parliament 1901-1903

This is the full list of members who served in the First House of Representatives from 1901 to 1903.

In a 75-member chamber, no party – Labor, Protectionist or Free Trade – secured an absolute majority of seats. The government of Prime Minister Edmund Barton was formed from the ranks of the Protectionists, supported in the House by the Labor Party. The Protectionists governed for most of the first decade of Federation, with only brief periods out of office. Succeeding Barton as PM, Alfred Deakin emerged as the dominant political figure of the period.

Four states elected members from single-member electorates: NSW (26), Vic (23), Qld (9) & WA (5). South Australia (7) and Tasmania (5) elected their representatives “at large” and introduced single-member electorates for the 1903 election.

Statistics vary on the party composition of the first parliament. For example, it is common to read that the ALP had 14 members, not 16. Some sources give the Free Traders 28 members, not 25. The Protectionists are often shown with 31 members, not 32. Not all members were able to run under the party banners they supported. Some members accepted ministries with their opponents. The lists below show the members according to which group they caucused with.

There were three by-elections during the first parliament. Following the death of William Groom, his son, Littleton Groom, was elected to replace him in Darling Downs. Following the death of Frederick Piesse, he was replaced by William Hartnoll in Tasmania. In East Sydney, the Leader of the Opposition, George Reid, won the the by-election caused by his own resignation. Accordingly, there are 77 members of the first parliament listed below.