House of Representatives Members – 24th Parliament 1961-1963

This is the full list of members of the House of Representatives (24th Parliament) elected on December 9, 1961.

The 1961 election was the sixth of nine victories for the coalition and the sixth of seven consecutive victories for Prime Minister Robert Menzies. It was the first defeat for the new ALP leader, Arthur Calwell. After increasing its majorities in the 1955 and 1958 elections, the Coalition came within one seat of losing in 1961, a near-defeat generally attributed to a credit squeeze and an increase in unemployment. For the ALP, it was the first sign of recovery from the 1955 Split.

In a 122-seat House of Representatives, the Liberal Party won 45 seats (-13) and the Country Party 17 (-2), for a coalition total of 62 (-15). The ALP won 60 seats (+15). The government secured a majority of 2 seats. After supplying a Speaker, the majority on the floor of the House was one.

The Liberal Party won 33.58% of the primary vote (-3.65%), the Country Party 8.51% (-0.81%) and the ALP 47.90% (+5.09%). The estimated two-party-preferred vote for the coalition was 49.50%, with the ALP on 50.50%, a swing against the Coalition of 4.60%.

The Democratic Labor Party polled 8.71% of the primary vote, its preferences contributing to the Coalition’s win, especially in Victoria, where they saved Billy Snedden in Bruce. In the Senate, the DLP now held just one seat.

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 three by-elections during the life of the 24th Parliament. They were in Batman, Grey and East Sydney, all held and won again by the ALP.

The most notable departure was the ALP’s Eddie Ward, in East Sydney. In Cowper, the former Country Party leader, Earle Page, was defeated in the general election, although he died shortly after the election without ever being aware he had been defeated. Page had held Cowper since 1919, the second-longest term ever in the House. He is remembered for his role as deputy and Treasurer in the Bruce-Page government 1923-1929.

The table below shows 127 members, reflecting all who served in the parliament.

There is one member of the 24th Parliament still alive:

• Peter Nixon, Country Party (Gippsland-Vic), 96

These are the most recent deaths of members of the 24th Parliament:

• 2024: Manfred Cross –second-last surviving member
• 2023: Bill Hayden
• 2020: Doug Anthony
• 2019: Dr Jim Forbes
• 2015: Malcolm Fraser, Les Johnson & Tom Uren
• 2014: Gough Whitlam
• 2009: John Armitage, Peter Howson & Neil McNeilly
• 2008: Clyde Cameron, Frank Crean & Len Devine
• 2007: Kim Beazley, Sr, Jim Killen & James Monaghan
• 2006: Don Chipp, Richard Cleaver, Allen Fairhall, Bert James & Reg Swartz
• 2004: Noel Beaton & Ted Harding
• 2003: Dr Jim Cairns, John Jess, Charlie Jones & Bill Wentworth
• 2002: Doug Cash & John Howse
• 2001: Fred Chaney Sr. & Gordon Freeth
• 2000: Ian Allan, Peter Browne, Robert Lindsay & Harry Webb

The table below lists members by their party affiliation, seat, term and age.

• Links to other Parliamentary Lists