This is the full list of senators who served between July 1, 1971 and May 18, 1974.
Half of these senators were chosen in 1967 and the other half in 1970. This occurred because the early 1963 federal election had broken the link between House and Senate elections. Separate half-Senate elections were held in 1964, 1967 and 1970.
When the Whitlam government was elected in December 1972, it faced a Senate that Whitlam claimed was not “contemporary”.
With 22 Liberal members and 5 from the Country Party, the Coalition commanded 27 of the 60 Senate seats. The support of the DLP’s 5 senators ensured an anti-government majority. During 1973 and 1974, the upper house became the most obstructive in the nation’s history.
A double dissolution of the parliament took place in April 1974. The election of May 18 removed the DLP senators but the Senate was evenly split between the government and the opposition.
There are just three of the 62 senators who served in this period still living, 4.83% of the total. They include one Liberal, one ALP and one independent.
The oldest former member is the ALP’s Doug McClelland. He is 98 and the last remaining of the original 27 ministers in the Whitlam government. He is a former President of the Senate.
| SENATORS – 1971-1974 |
| No. |
Name |
Party |
State |
Term Began |
Term Ended |
Born |
Died |
Age |
| AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY (ALP) MEMBERS (26) |
| 1. |
Reg Bishop |
ALP |
SA |
01.07.1962 |
30.06.1981 |
04.02.1913 |
03.07.1999 |
86 |
| 2. |
Bill Brown |
ALP |
Vic |
19.11.1969
01.07.1971 |
20.11.1970
30.06.1978 |
04.12.1920 |
26.06.2001 |
80 |
| 3. |
Don Cameron |
ALP |
SA |
25.10.1969 |
30.06.1978 |
13.01.1915 |
05.06.1998 |
83 |
| 4. |
Harry Cant |
ALP |
WA |
01.07.1959 |
11.04.1974 |
19.11.1907 |
03.03.1977 |
69 |
| 5. |
Jim Cavanagh |
ALP |
SA |
01.07.1962 |
30.06.1981 |
21.06.1913 |
19.08.1990 |
77 |
| 6. |
Don Devitt |
ALP |
Tas |
01.07.1965 |
30.06.1978 |
11.07.1921 |
10.07.2008 |
86 |
| 7. |
Arnold Drury |
ALP |
SA |
01.07.1959 |
11.11.1975 |
23.07.1912 |
10.10.1995 |
83 |
| 8. |
Joe Fitzgerald |
ALP |
Phillip
NSW |
10.12.1949
01.07.1962 |
10.12.1955
11.04.1974 |
06.02.1912 |
01.11.1985 |
73 |
| 9. |
George Georges |
ALP |
Qld |
01.07.1968 |
05.06.1987 |
15.04.1920 |
23.09.2002 |
82 |
| 10. |
Arthur Gietzelt |
ALP |
NSW |
01.07.1971 |
27.02.1989 |
28.12.1920 |
05.01.2014 |
93 |
| 11. |
Jim Keeffe |
ALP |
Qld |
01.07.1965 |
04.02.1983 |
20.08.1919 |
15.05.1988 |
68 |
| 12. |
Ron McAuliffe |
ALP |
Qld |
01.07.1971 |
30.06.1981 |
25.06.1918 |
16.08.1988 |
70 |
| 13. |
Doug McClelland |
ALP |
NSW |
01.07.1962 |
23.01.1987 |
05.08.1926 |
– |
98 |
| 14. |
Jim McClelland |
ALP |
NSW |
16.03.1971 |
21.07.1978 |
03.06.1915 |
16.01.1999 |
83 |
| 15. |
Geoff McLaren |
ALP |
SA |
01.07.1971 |
04.02.1983 |
01.02.1921 |
30.01.1992 |
70 |
| 16. |
Bertie Milliner |
ALP |
Qld |
01.07.1968 |
30.06.1975 |
17.07.1911 |
30.06.1975 |
63 |
| 17. |
Tony Mulvihill |
ALP |
NSW |
01.07.1965 |
04.02.1983 |
27.04.1919 |
10.12.2000 |
81 |
| 18. |
Lionel Murphy |
ALP |
NSW |
01.07.1962 |
09.02.1975 |
30.08.1922 |
21.10.1986 |
64 |
| 19. |
Justin O’Byrne |
ALP |
Tas |
01.07.1947 |
30.06.1981 |
01.06.1912 |
10.11.1993 |
81 |
| 20. |
Bob Poke |
ALP |
Tas |
01.07.1956 |
11.04.1974 |
16.02.1906 |
04.01.1989 |
82 |
| 21. |
George Poyser |
ALP |
Vic |
26.10.1966 |
11.11.1975 |
13.02.1915 |
05.08.1986 |
71 |
| 22. |
Cyril Primmer |
ALP |
Vic |
01.07.1971 |
30.06.1985 |
19.04.1924 |
01.11.2003 |
79 |
| 23. |
John Wheeldon |
ALP |
WA |
01.07.1965 |
30.06.1981 |
09.08.1929 |
24.05.2006 |
76 |
| 24. |
Laurie Wilkinson |
ALP |
WA |
26.11.1966 |
11.04.1974 |
12.11.1903 |
09.11.1991 |
87 |
| 25. |
Don Willesee |
ALP |
WA |
22.02.1950 |
11.11.1975 |
14.04.1916 |
09.09.2003 |
87 |
| 26. |
Ken Wriedt |
ALP |
Tas |
01.07.1968 |
25.09.1980 |
11.07.1927 |
18.10.2010 |
83 |
| LIBERAL PARTY MEMBERS (22) |
| 1. |
Sir Kenneth Anderson |
Liberal |
NSW |
01.07.1953 |
11.11.1975 |
11.10.1909 |
29.03.1985 |
75 |
| 2. |
Neville Bonner |
Liberal |
Qld |
11.06.1971 |
04.02.1983 |
28.03.1922 |
05.02.1999 |
76 |
| 3. |
Nancy Buttfield |
Liberal |
SA |
11.10.1955
09.12.1961
01.07.1968 |
08.12.1961
30.06.1965
11.04.1974 |
12.11.1912 |
04.09.2005 |
92 |
| 4. |
John Carrick |
Liberal |
NSW |
01.07.1971 |
05.06.1987 |
04.09.1918 |
18.05.2018 |
99 |
| 5. |
Sir Magnus Cormack |
Liberal |
Vic |
28.04.1951
01.07.1962 |
30.06.1953
30.06.1978 |
12.02.1906 |
26.11.1994 |
88 |
| 6. |
Bob Cotton |
Liberal |
NSW |
04.08.1965 |
13.07.1978 |
29.11.1915 |
25.12.2006 |
91 |
| 7. |
Gordon Davidson |
Liberal |
SA |
28.09.1961
08.02.1962
01.07.1965 |
08.12.1961
30.06.1962
30.06.1981 |
17.01.1915 |
25.11.2002 |
87 |
| 8. |
Peter Durack |
Liberal |
WA |
01.07.1970 |
30.06.1993 |
20.10.1926 |
13.07.2008 |
81 |
| 9. |
Ivor Greenwood |
Liberal |
Vic |
21.02.1968 |
13.10.1976 |
15.11.1926 |
13.10.1976 |
49 |
| 10. |
Margaret Guilfoyle |
Liberal |
Vic |
01.07.1971 |
05.06.1987 |
15.05.1926 |
11.11.2020 |
94 |
| 11. |
George Hannan |
Liberal
National Liberal |
Vic |
28.08.1956
21.11.1970 |
30.06.1965
18.05.1974 |
10.09.1910 |
01.05.2009 |
98 |
| 12. |
Don Jessop |
Liberal |
Grey
SA |
26.11.1966
01.07.1971 |
25.10.1969
05.06.1987 |
21.06.1927 |
21.05.2018 |
90 |
| 13. |
Sir Condor Laucke |
LCL
Liberal |
MLA
SA |
1956
02.11.1967 |
1965
30.06.1981 |
09.11.1914 |
30.07.1993 |
78 |
| 14. |
Elliot Lillico |
Liberal |
Tas |
01.07.1959 |
11.04.1974 |
05.09.1905 |
01.11.1994 |
89 |
| 16. |
John Marriott |
Liberal |
Tas |
03.03.1953
01.07.1953 |
08.05.1953
11.11.1975 |
16.02.1913 |
13.04.1994 |
81 |
| 17. |
Peter Rae |
Liberal |
Tas |
01.07.1968 |
16.01.1986 |
24.09.1932 |
– |
91 |
| 18. |
Peter Sim |
Liberal |
WA |
26.11.1964 |
30.06.1981 |
21.06.1917 |
29.07.2015 |
98 |
| 19. |
Reg Withers |
Liberal |
WA |
17.02.1966
01.07.1968 |
25.11.1966
06.06.1987 |
26.10.1924 |
15.11.2014 |
90 |
| 20. |
Ian Wood |
Liberal |
Qld |
22.02.1950 |
30.06.1978 |
31.01.1901 |
07.01.1992 |
90 |
| 21. |
Reg Wright |
Liberal |
Tas |
01.07.1950 |
30.06.1978 |
10.07.1905 |
10.03.1990 |
84 |
| 22. |
Harold Young |
Liberal |
SA |
01.07.1968 |
04.02.1983 |
30.06.1923 |
21.11.2006 |
83 |
| COUNTRY PARTY MEMBERS (6) |
| 1. |
Tom Drake-Brockman |
Country |
WA |
12.08.1958
01.07.1959 |
21.11.1958
30.06.1978 |
15.05.1919 |
28.08.1992 |
73 |
| 2. |
Ellis Lawrie |
Country |
Qld |
01.07.1965 |
11.11.1975 |
19.06.1907 |
13.12.1978 |
71 |
| 3. |
Ron Maunsell |
Country |
Qld |
01.07.1968 |
30.06.1981 |
08.05.1922 |
17.12.2010 |
88 |
| 4. |
Edgar Prowse |
Country |
WA |
01.07.1962 |
31.12.1973 |
22.03.1905 |
02.06.1977 |
72 |
| 5. |
David Reid |
Country |
WA |
16.01.1974 |
11.04.1974 |
10.05.1933 |
27.10.2017 |
84 |
| 6. |
James Webster |
Country |
Vic |
09.12.1964 |
28.01.1980 |
14.06.1925 |
03.04.2022 |
96 |
| DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PARTY (DLP) MEMBERS (5) |
| 1. |
Condon Byrne |
ALP/DLP
DLP |
Qld
Qld |
28.04.1951
01.07.1968 |
30.06.1959
18.05.1974 |
25.05.1910 |
25.11.1993 |
83 |
| 2. |
Vince Gair |
DLP |
MLA Qld
Qld |
11.06.1932
01.07.1965 |
28.05.1960
11.04.1974 |
25.02.1901 |
11.11.1980 |
79 |
| 3. |
Jack Kane |
DLP |
NSW |
21.11.1970 |
18.05.1974 |
23.07.1908 |
27.10.1988 |
80 |
| 4. |
Jack Little |
DLP |
Vic |
01.07.1968 |
18.05.1974 |
13.10.1914 |
25.11.1988 |
74 |
| 5. |
Frank McManus |
DLP |
Vic |
01.07.1956
01.07.1965 |
30.06.1962
18.05.1974 |
27.02.1905 |
28.12.1983 |
78 |
| INDEPENDENT MEMBERS (3) |
| 1. |
Syd Negus |
Independent |
WA |
01.07.1971 |
18.05.1974 |
12.03.1912 |
01.08.1986 |
74 |
| 2. |
Michael Townley |
Independent |
Tas |
01.07.1971 |
05.06.1987 |
04.11.1934 |
– |
89 |
| 3. |
Reg Turnbull |
ALP/Independent
Independent |
MHR Bass
Tas |
23.11.1946
01.07.1962 |
30.10.1961
11.04.1974 |
21.02.1908 |
17.07.2006 |
98 |