Members of the Australian Senate, 1950–1951

Senate composition at 1 July 1950
Government (26) - (5 seat minority)
  Liberal (21)
  Country Party (5)

Opposition (34)
  Labor (34)
 

This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1 July 1950 to 28 April 1951.[1] The Senate was expanded from 36 to 60 seats as a result of legislation passed in 1948, which came into effect on 22 February 1950.[2] The membership of the newly expanded Senate broke down as follows:

  • 18 of its members (3 for each state) were elected at the 28 September 1946 election, the last election under the plurality-at-large voting system where the Australian Labor Party had won 15 of the 18 seats. These senators had terms starting on 1 July 1947 and due to finish on 30 June 1953.
  • 42 of its members (7 for each state) were elected at the 10 December 1949 election, which was the first election conducted with a single transferable vote under a proportional voting system. The senators were divided into two classes:
    • 30 of its members (5 for each state) had terms starting on 1 July 1950 and due to finish on 30 June 1956. The 18 senators elected in the 21 August 1943 election served until their terms ended on 30 June 1950.
    • 12 of its members (2 for each state) had terms starting on 22 February 1950 (the day the term of the House of Representatives began) and due to finish on 30 June 1953.

Labor retained a Senate majority at the election. The Senate was dissolved for the 1951 election, which was a double dissolution. Labor has not held a Senate majority since.

Senator Party State Term ending Years in office
Stan Amour   Labor New South Wales 1953 1938–1965
John Armstrong   Labor New South Wales 1956 1938–1962
James Arnold   Labor New South Wales 1953 1941–1965
Bill Ashley   Labor New South Wales 1953 1938–1962
Bill Aylett   Labor Tasmania 1956 1938–1965
Fred Beerworth   Labor South Australia 1953 1946–1951
Archie Benn   Labor Queensland 1956 1950–1968
Gordon Brown [a]   Labor Queensland 1953 1932–1965
Don Cameron   Labor Victoria 1956 1938–1962
George Cole   Labor Tasmania 1953 [b] 1950–1965
Joe Cooke   Labor Western Australia 1953 1947–1951, 1952–1965
Walter Cooper   Country Queensland 1953 1928–1932, 1935–1968
Ben Courtice   Labor Queensland 1956 1937–1962
Jack Critchley   Labor South Australia 1953 1947–1959
Jack Devlin   Labor Victoria 1956 1946–1957
Alex Finlay   Labor South Australia 1956 1944–1953
James Fraser   Labor Western Australia 1956 1938–1959
John Gorton   Liberal Victoria 1956 [b] 1950–1968
Donald Grant   Labor New South Wales 1956 1944–1959
Allan Guy   Liberal Tasmania 1956 [b] 1950–1956
Clive Hannaford   Liberal South Australia 1953 [b] 1950–1967
John Harris   Labor Western Australia 1953 1947–1951, 1953–1959
Bert Hendrickson   Labor Victoria 1953 1947–1971
Denham Henty   Liberal Tasmania 1956 1950–1968
Fred Katz   Labor Victoria 1953 1947–1951
Roy Kendall   Liberal Queensland 1956 [b] 1950–1965
William Large   Labor New South Wales 1953 1941–1951
Ted Maher   Country Queensland 1956 [b] 1950–1965
Ted Mattner   Liberal South Australia 1956 [b] 1944–1946, 1950–1968
John McCallum   Liberal New South Wales 1956 [b] 1950–1962
Nick McKenna   Labor Tasmania 1956 1944–1968
George McLeay   Liberal South Australia 1956 [b] 1935–1947, 1950–1955
Bill Morrow   Labor Tasmania 1953 1947–1953
Reg Murray   Labor Tasmania 1953 1947–1951
Richard Nash   Labor Western Australia 1956 1943–1951
Theo Nicholls   Labor South Australia 1956 1944–1968
Justin O'Byrne   Labor Tasmania 1953 1946–1981
Sid O'Flaherty   Labor South Australia 1956 1944–1962
Neil O'Sullivan   Liberal Queensland 1953 1947–1962
Edmund Piesse   Country Western Australia 1956 [b] 1950–1952
Dame Annabelle Rankin   Liberal Queensland 1953 1947–1971
George Rankin   Country Victoria 1956 [b] 1950–1956
Albert Reid   Country New South Wales 1956 [b] 1950–1962
Agnes Robertson   Liberal Western Australia 1956 [b] 1950–1962
John Ryan   Labor South Australia 1953 [b] 1950–1959
Charles Sandford   Labor Victoria 1953 1947–1956, 1957–1966
Malcolm Scott   Liberal Western Australia 1953 [b] 1950–1971
Jim Sheehan   Labor Victoria 1953 1938–1940, 1944–1962
Wilfrid Simmonds   Liberal Queensland 1953 [b] 1950–1951
John Spicer   Liberal Victoria 1956 [b] 1940–1944, 1950–1956
Bill Spooner   Liberal New South Wales 1956 [b] 1950–1965
Dame Dorothy Tangney   Labor Western Australia 1953 1943–1968
John Tate   Liberal New South Wales 1953 [b] 1950–1953
Seddon Vincent   Liberal Western Australia 1956 1950–1964
Frederick Ward   Labor South Australia 1953 1947–1951
Dame Ivy Wedgwood   Liberal Victoria 1953 [b] 1950–1971
Don Willesee   Labor Western Australia 1953 [b] 1950–1975
Ian Wood   Liberal Queensland 1956 [b] 1950–1978
Robert Wordsworth   Liberal Tasmania 1953 [b] 1950–1959
Reg Wright   Liberal Tasmania 1956 [b] 1950–1978

Notes

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  1. ^ Father of the Senate
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Term commenced on 22 February 1950, with expansion of Parliament.

References

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  1. ^ "The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate 1950". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  2. ^ Representation Act 1948 (Cth).