This is the full list of members of the House of Representatives (27th Parliament) elected on October 25, 1969.
The 1969 election was the ninth consecutive victory for the coalition since 1949 and the second without its founding leader, Sir Robert Menzies. It was the last victory before Gough Whitlam led the ALP back into government in 1972.
The election was held after a period of turmoil for the coalition. Following the death of Harold Holt in 1967, the Liberal Party turned to its Senate leader, John Gorton. By 1969, there was criticism of Gorton’s personal and administrative style, as well as disquiet in the Liberal Party about his policy direction. Under Whitlam, the Opposition had become ascendant in parliament and Whitlam’s success in a number of by-elections had established his reputation as an electoral winner.
In a 125-seat House of Representatives, the Liberal Party won 46 seats (-15) and the Country Party 20 (-1), for a coalition total of 66 (-16). The ALP won 59 seats (+18). The government’s majority was reduced from 40 seats to 7.
The Liberal Party won 34.77% of the primary vote (-5.37%), the Country Party 8.56% (-1.28%) and the ALP 46.95% (+6.97%). The two-party-preferred vote for the coalition was 49.80%, with the ALP on 50.20%, a swing to the ALP of 7.10%, the largest swing before or since to an Opposition.
The Democratic Labor Party polled 6.02% of the primary vote (-1.29%), its preferences again contributing to the Coalition’s win, especially in Victoria. In the Senate, the DLP now held four seats.
There was no Senate election in 1969. Separate half-Senate elections were held in 1964, 1967 and 1970.
There were three by-elections during the life of the 27th Parliament.
Following the death of the ALP’s Jim Fraser in the Australian Capital Territory electorate, Kep Enderby, a future minister in the Whitlam government, won the by-election.
Following the death of the Liberal Party’s Wilfrid Kent Hughes, one of the original “forty-niners”, Tony Staley became the member for Chisholm. Staley would become one of the key members campaigning for Malcolm Fraser to become leader of the Liberal Party.
Sir John McEwen, the long-time leader of the Country Party, retired in February 1971. A month later, his ideological arch-rival, William McMahon, became prime minister. McEwen was replaced by Bruce Lloyd in the electorate of Murray.
The table below shows 128 members, reflecting all who served in the parliament.
Members of the 27th Parliament – 1969-1972 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Number of members | Died | Died % | Living | Living % |
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY | |||||
COALITION | |||||
TOTAL | |||||
— Liberal Party / LNP | |||||
— Country Party |
There are 19 surviving members of the 26th Parliament: 7 ALP, 8 Liberal Party and 4 Country Party.
The oldest living member of the 27th Parliament is the Liberal Party’s Tom Hughes, (Parkes/Berowra-Qld), 99. The oldest surviving Country Party member is Peter Nixon, (Gippsland-Vic), 95. The oldest surviving ALP member is Moss Cass, 96.
The youngest surviving member of the 27th Parliament is the ALP’s Paul Keating, 79. The future prime minister entered the parliament at the 1969 election.
The most recent deaths of members of the 26th Parliament were:
– 2019: Dr Jim Forbes;
– 2018: Joe Berinson, Gordon Scholes;
– 2017: Barry Cohen, Doug Everingham and Ian Robinson;
– 2016: Rex Patterson;
– 2015: Tom Uren, Malcolm Fraser, Les Johnson and Kep Enderby;
– 2014: Gough Whitlam;
– 2013: Bill Morrison.
The table below lists members by their party affiliation, seat, term and age.
Members of the 27th Parliament – 1969-1972 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Name | Party | Seat | Term Began | Term Ended |
Birth | Death | Age |
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY MEMBERS | ||||||||
John Armitage | Chifley (NSW) |
25.10.1969 |
04.02.1983 |
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Lance Barnard | ||||||||
Kim Beazley | ||||||||
Adrian Bennett | ||||||||
Joe Berinson | ||||||||
Fred Birrell | ||||||||
Lionel Bowen | ||||||||
Gordon Bryant | ||||||||
Dr. Jim Cairns | Lalor (Vic) |
25.10.1969 |
10.11.1977 |
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Arthur Calwell | ||||||||
Clyde Cameron | ||||||||
Moss Cass | ||||||||
Barry Cohen | ||||||||
Fred Collard | ||||||||
Rex Connor | ||||||||
James Cope | Watson (NSW) Sydney (NSW) |
10.12.1955 25.10.1969 |
25.10.1969 11.11.1975 |
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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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Manfred Cross | ||||||||
Fred Daly | Grayndler (NSW) |
10.12.1949 |
11.11.1975 |
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Ron Davies | ||||||||
Gil Duthie | ||||||||
Kep Enderby | Canberra (ACT) |
18.05.1974 |
13.12.1975 |
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Doug Everingham | 10.12.1977 |
26.10.1984 |
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John FitzPatrick | Riverina (NSW) |
10.12.1977 |
19.09.1980 |
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Norm Foster | MLC Southern (SA) |
12.07.1975 |
05.11.1982 |
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Allan Fraser | 25.10.1969 |
02.11.1972 |
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Jim Fraser | ||||||||
Bill Fulton | ||||||||
Horrie Garrick | ||||||||
Al Grassby | ||||||||
Charles Griffiths | ||||||||
Richard Gun | ||||||||
Brendan Hansen | MLA Maryborough (Qld) |
12.11.1977 |
22.10.1983 |
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Bill Hayden | ||||||||
Chris Hurford | ||||||||
Ralph Jacobi | ||||||||
Bert James | ||||||||
Dr. Harry Jenkins, Sr. | ||||||||
Keith Johnson | ||||||||
Les Johnson | 25.10.1969 |
19.12.1983 |
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Charles Jones | ||||||||
Paul Keating | ||||||||
David Kennedy | ||||||||
Len Keogh | 05.03.1983 |
05.06.1987 |
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Frank Kirwan | ||||||||
Dr. Richard Klugman | ||||||||
Tony Luchetti | ||||||||
Vince Martin | ||||||||
Hector McIvor | ||||||||
Bill Morrison | 18.10.1980 |
26.10.1984 |
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Martin Nicholls | ||||||||
Dr Rex Patterson | ||||||||
Len Reynolds | 25.10.1969 |
11.11.1975 |
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Gordon Scholes | ||||||||
Ray Sherry | ||||||||
Frank Stewart | Grayndler (NSW) |
10.12.1977 |
16.04.1979 |
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Tom Uren | ||||||||
Laurie Wallis | ||||||||
Harry Webb | Stirling (WA) Stirling (WA) |
10.12.1955 09.12.1961 |
22.11.1958 02.12.1972 |
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Gough Whitlam | ||||||||
LIBERAL PARTY MEMBERS | ||||||||
William Aston | 30.11.1963 |
02.12.1972 |
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Jeff Bate | ||||||||
Robert Bonnett | ||||||||
Nigel Bowen | ||||||||
Neil Brown | Diamond Valley (Vic) Menzies (Vic) |
13.12.1975 01.12.1984 |
05.03.1983 25.02.1991 |
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Alexander Buchanan | ||||||||
Les Bury | ||||||||
Kevin Cairns | 18.05.1974 |
18.10.1980 |
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Don Cameron | Fadden (Qld) Moreton (Qld) |
10.12.1977 05.11.1983 |
05.03.1983 24.03.1990 |
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Don Chipp | Hotham (Vic) Senate (Vic) |
25.10.1969 01.07.1978 |
10.11.1977 18.08.1986 |
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(Sir) John Cramer | ||||||||
Don Dobie | Cook (NSW) Cook (NSW) |
25.10.1969 13.12.1975 |
02.12.1972 29.01.1996 |
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Nigel Drury | ||||||||
Dudley Erwin | ||||||||
David Fairbairn | ||||||||
Dr Jim Forbes | ||||||||
Max Fox | ||||||||
Malcolm Fraser | ||||||||
Victor Garland | ||||||||
Geoffrey Giles | ||||||||
(Sir) John Gorton | Higgins (Vic) |
24.02.1968 |
11.11.1975 |
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Bill Graham | St George (NSW) North Sydney (NSW) |
10.12.1955 26.11.1966 |
22.11.1958 19.09.1980 |
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David Hamer | Isaacs (Vic) Senate (Vic) |
13.12.1975 01.07.1978 |
10.11.1977 30.06.1990 |
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Peter Howson | Casey (Vic) |
25.10.1969 |
02.12.1972 |
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Tom Hughes | Berowra (NSW) |
25.10.1969 |
02.11.1972 |
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Alan Hulme | 09.12.1961 |
02.11.1972 |
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Les Irwin | ||||||||
Alan Jarman | ||||||||
John Jess | ||||||||
Bert Kelly | ||||||||
(Sir) Wilfrid Kent Hughes | ||||||||
Jim Killen | ||||||||
Phillip Lynch | ||||||||
Dr Malcolm Mackay | ||||||||
Michael MacKellar | ||||||||
John McLeay, Sr. | ||||||||
William McMahon | ||||||||
Andrew Peacock | ||||||||
Len Reid | ||||||||
Billy Snedden | ||||||||
Dr Robert Solomon | ||||||||
Tony Staley | ||||||||
Tony Street | ||||||||
Reginald Swartz | ||||||||
Harry Turner | Bradfield (NSW) |
20.12.1952 |
11.04.1974 |
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William C. Wentworth | ||||||||
Ray Whittorn | ||||||||
COUNTRY PARTY | ||||||||
Charles Adermann | Fisher (Qld) |
10.12.1949 |
02.11.1972 |
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Doug Anthony | ||||||||
Charles Barnes | ||||||||
Sam Calder | ||||||||
James Corbett | ||||||||
John England | ||||||||
John Hallett | ||||||||
Mac Holten | ||||||||
Ralph Hunt | ||||||||
Bob Katter Sr. | ||||||||
Robert King | ||||||||
Bruce Lloyd | ||||||||
Philip Lucock | ||||||||
Don Maisey | ||||||||
John McEwen | Murray (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
20.03.1971 |
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Peter Nixon | ||||||||
Frank O’Keefe | ||||||||
John Pettitt | ||||||||
Ian Robinson | Page (NSW) |
01.12.1984 |
24.03.1990 |
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Ian Sinclair | New England (NSW) |
30.11.1963 |
31.08.1998 |
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Winton Turnbull | Mallee (Vic) |
10.12.1949 |
02.11.1972 |