Our History

This publication is designed to give you a brief introduction to and understanding of the National Party of Australia and its place in the Australian political system.

Australia is a democracy. It enjoys free and fair elections at all Federal, State and Local levels every three of four years. Governments may change at elections, and the people accept the verdict of the majority.

The National Party, commonly known as The Nationals, has been an important and influential part of Australian politics, Federal and State, since the early 1900s. It will celebrate its centenary on 22 January 2020.

The party’s primary political concentration has been on improving the services provided to and the lifestyles of the almost eight million people who live and work beyond the nation’s capital cities, as well as on increasing international trade opportunities for the country’s wealth producing agricultural and mining industries.

The party’s basic philosophy is conservative, in that it supports maximum development of private enterprise and minimum intervention by Government. It believes Australians should be able to manage their own affairs in a prospering private sector-led economy, enhanced by appropriate Government policies, especially for those in genuine need.

The Nationals believe the prime responsibility of the Commonwealth Government should be to ensure freedom of choice and opportunity for all citizens; to provide an economic framework that rewards individual effort; to preserve the family as the foundation of society; to guarantee freedom of speech, communication and assembly for all people; to promote loyalty to and pride in Australia, its Constitution, National Flag and National Anthem; to maximise international trade; to ensure modern and adequate defence structures that can interact with international partners; and to preserve democratic elections for Governments at Federal, State and Local levels.

Formative Years

The National Party is Australia’s second oldest political party.

Federally, it was created on 22 January 1920, when nine members of Parliament, elected in December 1919 supporting the objectives of the Australian Farmers’ Federal Organisation, agreed to form an independent political party, known as the Australian Country Party (ACP), which would act independently of all other political organisations. These nine members were joined by two more on 24 February, giving the Country Party a parliamentary strength of 11.

The party has maintained an unbroken presence in the Commonwealth Parliament to this day and, after almost 100 years, remains the most influential of all political parties in representing the needs and interests of Australians living and working beyond the capital cities.

In short, The Nationals are a specialist party, concentrating on improving the lifestyle and livelihood of people across regional Australia and increasing the competitiveness of regional business, industry and tourism, and the sustainable development of agriculture and mining.

If there is a stand out achievement of the party, it is that it has forced all other parties to pay greater attention to the development of non-metropolitan Australia than would otherwise have been the case.

Country parties were first established in the States by farm organisations to improve the lot of primary producers who were overburdened by taxes, tariffs, inadequate transport and other infrastructure, and a lack of local services.

The first Country Party was formed by the Farmers and Settlers’ Association of Western Australia in March 1913. It was followed by Country parties in Victoria in 1915, Queensland and South Australia in 1918, New South Wales, initially as the Progressive Party, in 1919, the ACP in Commonwealth Parliament in 1920, and Tasmania in 1922.

Early Influence in Canberra

The first ACP Federal parliamentarians elected the Tasmanian Member for Franklin, William McWilliams, as their Leader and agreed that, after a settling in period of about 12 months, new leadership elections would be held. McWilliams relinquished the position to the New South Wales Member for Cowper, Earle Page, on 5 April 1921. Page continued as Leader until 13 September 1939.

The Country Party won 14 seats at the elections on 16 December 1922 and held the balance of power. Page recognised that the best opportunity for the party to get its policy objectives on the statute books would be by being a partner in Government, while maintaining the party’s separate entity. But he refused overtures to form a Coalition with the Nationalists – forerunners of the United Australia Party and later Liberal Party – while Billy Hughes remained its Leader.

This resulted in Hughes standing aside for Stanley Bruce and paving the way for the first Coalition between the two non-Labor parties. Published on 9 February 1923, it became the foundation agreement upon which all others have been modelled to the present time. The separate identity of both parties was maintained, the composite Cabinet of 11 members saw the Country Party hold five portfolios, including that of Treasurer. Page took precedence in the ministry after the Prime Minister – effectively Deputy Prime Minister – and the administration was called the Bruce-Page ministry.

From that point, the Country/National Party has been a strong, reliable and trustworthy partner in Coalition Governments with the United Australia Party and subsequent Liberal Party of Australia for nearly 60 years, with its Federal Leader always being the Deputy Prime Minister and acting as Prime Minister during that person’s absence. The position of Deputy Prime Minister was not formalised in parliamentary records until established, at the behest of a former Country Party Leader, John McEwen, by Prime Minister John Gorton in January 1968.

During periods when the parties form a Coalition Opposition, which have been more often than not, the Country/National Party Leader has assumed the role of Opposition Leader during absences of the Opposition Leader.

More than a Farmers’ Party

While the Country Party was established to further the political interests of primary producers, it saw a broader role, to represent the ‘country townsman’ and, through that, fight for the betterment of services and facilities across regional Australia.

Over the years its parliamentary representatives have brought a deep knowledge of their communities – from the remotest outposts to the villages, towns and cities of regional Australia – to the Commonwealth Parliament, and have fought tenaciously for better services, schools, health services and hospitals, roads, railways and communications, throughout their electorates.

The party has never been encumbered with the sometimes conflicting interests of an organisation representing city as well as regional interests.

Explaining the party’s objectives to Parliament on 10 March 1920, its first Leader, William McWilliams, said the primary producer was determined that ‘he shall now take his proper place’ in the context of political consideration, adding that ‘we have no quarrel with the consumers in the cities. We regard them, in part, as our best customers’.

In the broader context, he said the party would fight the ‘cursed system of centralization, under which hundreds of thousands of pounds are squandered in our city Departments, whilst necessary adjuncts to civilization, in the way of telephonic communication and mail services are denied to the residents of our back-blocks’.

Arthur Fadden, who was Federal Leader from 1940 to 1958, saw the party’s role in the following terms in 1946:

Here, then, is the reason why the Country Party must maintain its separate entity as a force in the Australian political sphere. We maintain that the rural producer and every country dweller are entitled to fair prices, proper living conditions, adequate wages, and general improvement in amenities of country life. Other political parties, which draw their main political support either from the employer or the employee in secondary industry can be regarded as representing a section of the community, which, for a long time past, has participated unduly in the national income at the expense of the rural producer … What I have said indicates the line of cleavage between Australian political parties, and supplies the reason why the Australian Country Party will never be absorbed into other groups.

The combination of national interest and equality of services for country people was put in these terms by John McEwen, the Federal Leader from 1958 to 1971, in 1968:

The most important thing is that we have a total national concept of the Australian need. … So we conceive our role as a dual one of being at all times the specialist party with a sharp fighting edge, the specialists for rural industries and rural communities. At the same time we are the party which has the total co-ordinated concept of what is necessary for the growth and safety of the whole Australian nation. … Summed up, our philosophy and our intent are the determination to have a safe Australia and a secure Australia, a growing Australia, a rich Australia.

McEwen also noted that the Country Party was a middle party that attracted to its ranks ‘a tremendous number of people’ who had been shearers, share farmers or soldier settlers, many of whom had originally been Labor supporters:

They remained Labor people for a time, and then recognised that the Country Party had particular policies and they became Country Party. But they never lose something of a hankering for the Labor Party. I’m utterly sure that the Country Party could not carry all its membership into a merger [with the Liberals]. I’m absolutely sure that quite a sizeable chunk of the Country Party voters in those circumstances would revert to Labor. From the point of view of stable Government, we are carrying into the non-Labor side of the House a substantial proportion of voters who still have an affinity with Labor.

Coming to more recent times, John Anderson, Federal Leader from 1999 to 2005, highlighted that the party was still living up to its commitment to regional development and being influential in many policy outcomes of his Coalition Government with Prime Minister John Howard:

I don’t feel any need at all to be defensive about this party’s identity or its performance. We are dedicated to improving the lives of people who live outside the major cities. Each member of the [parliamentary] National Party team contributes to the Government team. Each player, whether ministers or members of backbench committees or whatever, pull their weight as part of the team – and I am proud of what we achieve.

Keeping the balance

Another key role of the party has been to keep the balance between political extremes. Doug Anthony, Federal Leader from 1971 to 1984, put it this way to the party’s Federal Council in October 1972:

A strong Country Party does keep the balance – the balance of stable Government, dependable Government; the balance of development between the city and the country areas; the balance of economic activity; a balance between the rural industries and the other sectors of the community. We went to see a balance of opportunity for education and employment; a balance of special justice between different sections of the community; a proper balance between the powers and responsibilities of the State Governments and the Commonwealth Government, with neither becoming over-dominant, but working in partnership. We keep a balance between extremes of political thought.

John Anderson articulated a similar view in June 2005:

We bring an earthiness to Cabinet because we know and understand how life outside the mad sophisticated cities works; we have practical experience … I’ve always seen my role, and that of our party, as being to support economic reforms that will bring national wealth and employment to the highest levels, but then to redistribute some of those gains to the people and communities who would otherwise miss out. And it’s imperative that we do this, because rural communities contribute more than what they are rewarded for.

The Party’s Prime Ministers

Three Country Party leaders have been commissioned as Prime Minister, all under difficult circumstances – Earle Page, on the death of Prime Minister Joe Lyons in April 1939, Arthur Fadden, on the resignation of Robert Menzies in August 1941, and John McEwen on the death of Harold Holt at the end of 1967.

They each held the office for brief periods, and none were elated by the circumstances that put them there. McEwen, however, expressed gratification that ‘once again a person in my position [Country Party Leader] was called upon to accept the position of head of the Australian Government’.

The Country Party prime ministers are often regarded as merely stop-gap, or caretaker leaders. But each was commissioned in his own right with full authority and led Governments that made decisions regarding foreign policy, legislation, and senior judicial or public service appointments – all of which went well beyond the traditional limits of caretaker conventions.

All Country and National Party leaders in Government have acted as Prime Minister for extensive periods during absences overseas or through illness of the Prime Minister. Page said he had been acting Prime Minister for 540 days during his 18 years as Country Party Leader. Fadden was acting Prime Minister for a total of 692 days and McEwen for 550 days. In addition to other periods as acting Prime Minister, Doug Anthony fulfilled the role for 76 consecutive days from November 1982 when the Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, was incapacitated with a back condition that required surgery.

How the Party works

The National Party is different from most others in that the State parties are autonomous organisations operating under their own constitutions. Each has its own governing body, generally known as the Central Council, supported by a State Secretariat.

The affiliated State parties are the National parties of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, and the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP), which was formed on 26 July 2008 as a result of a merger of the National and Liberal parties in that State.

The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party (CLP) is associated with both the National and Liberal parties in Canberra and its parliamentarians generally split themselves evenly between the two conservative parties in the Commonwealth Parliament.

Branch Members

Men and women who join these affiliated or associated parties pay an annual membership subscription and are allocated to a local branch, usually one nearest their place of residence. A primary strength of the State parties is the participation by branch members in all the processes of the organisations.

Members have the opportunity to be directly involved in the selection of candidates for election and in the development of party policy at Federal and State levels. They may stand for preselection themselves, or for elected office, and may also become directly involved in election campaigning.

Most branch members live and work in regional Australia, whereas the bulk of the Liberal and Labor parties’ members are in the capital cities.

The Federal Organisation

The Federal National Party organisation came into being in March 1926 with the adoption of the first Federal constitution. Originally known as the Australian Country Party Association, it is made up of delegates from the affiliated State parties, who come together to form what is today known as the Federal Council and is the supreme governing body of the Federal party. The CLP also has delegates, with limited voting rights, on the Federal Council.

Federal Council usually meets once a year in Canberra. It considers, among other issues, policy motions submitted from affiliated State party conferences, women’s sections and the Young Nationals, and also elects its office bearers and its Federal Management Committee, which meets as necessary between meetings of Federal Council to manage the day to day affairs of the organisation. Only Federal Council has the power to alter the party’s Federal constitution.

The party convenes a Federal Conference once in the life of each Commonwealth Parliament, or once every three years. Conference includes delegates from all the affiliated State party Federal Electorate Councils throughout Australia and specifically considers party policy matters.

Federal Parliamentary Party

The Federal Parliamentary National Party is made up of those people who have been preselected by their State organisations and have won election to the Senate or House of Representatives.

The parliamentary party operates under its own rules, providing they are not inconsistent with the party’s Federal constitution. It has the right if necessary to adopt policy positions that are different from those of Federal Council or Conference, providing the Federal Leader explains the reasons to the Federal Management Committee. It also has the right to decide whether or not to enter into, or terminate, a Coalition agreement, after consultation with the Federal Management Committee.

The entire parliamentary party (senators and members) elects its Federal Leader, Deputy Leader and parliamentary Whips for the House of Representatives. The party’s senators alone elect their Senate Leader, Deputy and Whip.

The total parliamentary strength of the National Party in Canberra in 2018 was 21 members and senators. The highest representation in the party’s history was 31 (23 members and 8 senators) after the December 1975 federal election.

Federal Secretariat

The party has a Federal Secretariat in Canberra, John McEwen House, named after the former Leader and the man who drove its establishment and opening by the Prime Minister, John Gorton, on 4 November 1968.

The Secretariat provides an additional policy research facility for the Federal Parliamentary Party, and co-ordinates and organises meetings of Federal Council and its standing committees, Federal Conference, Federal Management Committee, Women’s Federal Council, and the Young Nationals. During Federal election and referendum campaigns, the Secretariat co-ordinates the Federal Leader’s campaign and provides campaign material to State Secretariats and candidates throughout Australia.

The Party’s women pioneers

The first woman member of the Federal Parliamentary Party was Agnes Robertson from Western Australia. Originally elected to the Senate for the Liberal Party at the December 1949 election – becoming the fifth woman to enter the Commonwealth Parliament – she switched to the Country Party from 1955 until her retirement in June 1962.

Other party women elected to the Commonwealth Parliament have been Flo Bjelke-Petersen (Senate, Queensland), De-Anne Kelly (Dawson, Queensland), Kay Hull (Riverina, New South Wales), Fiona Nash (Senate, New South Wales), Bridget McKenzie (Senate, Victoria), and Michelle Landry (Capricornia, Qld).

At organisational level, the party has led the field. Shirley McKerrow became the first woman to lead a State political party as President of the Victorian party from 1976 to 1980. She then became the first female to head a party federally, as Federal President of the National Country/National Party from 1981 to 1987.

The first women chief executive officers of political organisations in Australia were Helen Tiller, State Director of the National Country Party in South Australia from 1978 to 1983; Jenny Gardiner, General Secretary of the New South Wales National Party from 1984 to 1991; and Cecile Ferguson, Federal Director of the National Party of Australia from 1992 to 1997. Another woman, Jenny Bailey, was acting Federal Director from 1977 to 1979, and Gaye White was Federal Director from 2000 to 2001.

Women’s Federal Council

At each annual meeting of their governing bodies, the affiliated State parties elect women delegates to represent their State on the Women’s Federal Council (WFC), which held its first formal meeting on 24 November 1960. This does not mean that women were ignored in party affairs before that time; far from it. The inaugural Federal party constitution of 1926 provided for a woman delegate from each State to be on the Australian Country Party Association, and the State parties involved women on their Central Councils from an early time. Today, the Federal and State party organisational bodies are strongly represented by women, including at executive level.

The former Federal Leader, Doug Anthony, pointedly highlighted the importance to the party – and indeed, to wider society – of recognising women more during his policy speech for the December 1972 Federal election:

The Country Party believes that there must be a fundamental reappraisal of the role of women in our society. This will mean looking harder at the opportunities provided for women to become more closely involved in the commercial, industrial, social and political life of the community. … In short, there must be a complete reshaping of some of our old thinking so that the women of our society have the chance to be what they should be – total women, totally involved.

The WFC today considers resolutions from State women’s organisations or delegates and undertakes research to help in the development of Federal party policy on a wide range of issues affecting women and families, notably in regional Australia, including on health services, education, drug and alcohol abuse, transport, domestic violence, and communications. The WFC President is a delegate to the Federal Management Committee and Federal Council and Conference.

Young Nationals

State National Party organisations, and the LNP in Queensland, strongly support the development of their ‘young party’ – youth, after all, are the future of the parties. Even in States where there is no formal Young Nationals body, younger members, generally aged up to 30, are encouraged to be active within the Federal Young Nationals.

Formed in 1967 as the Young Australian Country Party, its first President was Mike Ahern, who went on to become a prominent Queensland parliamentarian from 1968 to 1990 and was State Premier from 1987 to 1989.

The Young Nationals Federal President is a member of the Federal Management Committee and a delegate to Federal Council and Federal Conference. Each State National Party, either through its Young Nationals’ organisation, or through its Central Council, nominates further delegates to Federal Council and Federal Conference, so the younger party members are represented at all levels of the organisation.

Federally, the Young Nationals convene an annual conference to consider their own policy motions, as well as those submitted by the affiliated State Young National parties. These may then be submitted to the agenda for Federal Council or Federal Conference consideration.

The Challenge of Change

No other political organisation in Australia has had to grapple with the challenge of change as much as the National Party.

Economic and demographic changes, which in some areas have seen diminishing regional populations – meaning fewer country electorates – and huge advances in communications’ technology, have totally altered lifestyles, work opportunities and associated political challenges across regional Australia.

Almost from the day of its birth, the Country Party was written off by its detractors as an organisation that was unnecessary and that would die on the vine.

But it hasn’t. It has adapted to change and remains relevant, indeed, essential to the political framework of regional Australia.

To meet evolving challenges, it has changed its name a number of times and broadened its policy interests and activities so that they now cover the broad spectrum of all Government administrative areas.

Coalition

Despite extensive periods in partnership, the question of Coalition with another political organisation, particularly in Opposition, has been controversial from time to time within the Federal and State Country/National parties. There have been some spectacular ‘spats’ over Coalition:

• John McEwen, was famously expelled from the Victorian Country Party in 1937 for accepting the post of Minister for the Interior in the Coalition Government of Joe Lyons and Earle Page. The Victorian party at the time enforced a so-called ‘pledge’ under which parliamentarians were to refuse to join composite Governments unless the Country Party was the majority party. McEwen argued that the pledge only applied to State parliamentarians.
• Earle Page withdrew the Country Party from the Government in April 1939 because he would not work with Robert Menzies, who had been chosen by the United Australia Party as its Leader on the death of Prime Minister Joe Lyons.
• Arthur Fadden, as Prime Minister and Treasurer in 1941, lost office when his budget was voted down by two Victorian Independents, one of whom, Alexander Wilson, was a member of the Victorian Country Party and sat in Federal Parliament as an anti-Coalition Independent Country Party member.
• John McEwen threatened to break the Coalition after the death of Harold Holt in December 1967 if the Liberals elected Bill McMahon as their Leader and Prime Minister. Holt was replaced by John Gorton and the Coalition continued.
• The 1987 campaign by Queensland National Party Premier, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, to revolutionise conservative politics across Australia, broke the Coalition Opposition in Canberra of Ian Sinclair and John Howard for 100 days from 28 April 1987, seriously dividing the National Party at all State and Federal levels.

Despite these tensions, the Coalition between the non-Labor parties in Canberra has been enduring. It has only been broken for two short periods since December 1949 – by agreement between the party Leaders, Billy Snedden and Doug Anthony, in the Opposition period from December 1972 to May 1974, and from April to August 1987.

Amalgamation

Largely because of their successes in influencing Government policy, the State and Federal Country/National parties, have over the years come under pressure to amalgamate with the United Australia Party and subsequent Liberal Party.

Indeed, Liberals have from time to time pushed for amalgamation because they have been jealous of the party’s successes in Government – wielding more power than its numerical strength should warrant. Federally, The Nationals make no apology for such successes, and have rejected amalgamation overtures, choosing instead to maintain their position as an independent party, working positively to influence and enhance Coalition policy.

State National parties have generally done likewise. The exception has been Queensland, where political circumstances are markedly different. In Queensland, unlike other States, the Country/National Party was the senior of the two conservative parties for many years. There was an amalgamation between the then Country and Nationalist parties in 1929, forming the Country and Progressive National Party, which existed until 1936, when the two independent non-Labor parties re-emerged. Then, after many years of Labor Government, the National Party led successive Coalition governments from 1957 to 1989.

The Queensland Nationals, seeing amalgamation with the State Liberals as the best way to defeat incumbent Labor Governments, led the way to establish the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP), which was formed on 8 July 2008.

Amalgamation has been successful in the Northern Territory. The Federal Country Party, on the instigation of John McEwen and supported by the NSW party, formed the Australian Country Party – Northern Territory in 1966. In 1974, Country and Liberal Party interests in the Territory combined to form the Northern Territory Country Liberal Party (CLP), which exists to this day.

The Federal Party’s Landmark Achievements

The 1920s to 1950s

• The nation’s first radio broadcasting licences (1923)
• A restructured Commonwealth Bank as a central bank (1924)
• Chairing the first ever Cabinet meeting on federal territory, at Yarralumla homestead in the ACT (30 January 1924)
• Tax averaging for primary producers (1924)
• Department of Markets, forerunner of contemporary departments of primary industry and of agriculture, fisheries and forestry, to better market primary products overseas (1925)
• Rural Credits Department within the Commonwealth Bank (1925) and the Commonwealth Savings Bank (1927)
• Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – today’s CSIRO (1926)
• Commonwealth funding for roads through the Main Roads Development Act 1923 and the first Federal Aid Roads Agreement (1926)
• The first Commonwealth-state Transport Advisory Council (1929)
• New Commonwealth-State financial arrangements through the States Grants Act 1927
• Australian Agricultural Council (1935)
• Australian Trade Commissioner Service – now Austrade (1934)
• National Health and Medical Research Council (1936)
• Abolition of petrol rationing (1950)
• Free milk for children under 13 in schools (1950)
• Wool Sales Deduction Scheme (1950-51)
• Free medical treatment for pensioners (1951)
• 15-year Meat Agreement with Britain (1951)
• Beef Roads Development Program in Qld, NT, WA and northern SA (1949-74)
• The first medical benefits scheme (1953)
• Expanded non-metropolitan primary, secondary and tertiary education facilities, notably establishment of the University of New England (1954)
• Expansion of manufacturing and secondary industries (1955-65)
• Introduction of television (1956)
• Australia-Japan Agreement on Commerce (1957)
• Reserve Bank of Australia and Commonwealth Banking Corporation (1958).

The 1960s to 1980s

• The live sheep export trade (1960)
• Development of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme between 1963 and 1972
• State Aid to Independent schools (1964)
• Fluoridation of Canberra’s water supply (1964)
• Devaluation compensation for export industries (1967)
• Australian Design Rules for motor vehicle safety, quality and emission controls (1969)
• Australian Wool Commission and flexible wool reserve price scheme (1970)
• National campaign to eradicate brucellosis and tuberculosis from the nation’s cattle herd (BTEC) (1970)
• Standard gauge Indian Pacific railway between Sydney and Perth (1970)
• National Agricultural Outlook Conference, now including resources and known as the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences Outlook Conference (1971)
• Australian Industry Development Corporation – the ‘McEwen Bank’ (1971)
• Rural Reconstruction Scheme (1971)
• Won a revaluation of the $A of 6.3 per cent, rather than Treasury’s preferred 8.75 per cent following a devaluation of the $US (1971)
• Expansion of the Australian Trade Commissioner Service to 53 posts in 40 countries (1972)
• Australian Wool Corporation (1972)
• Diversification of Australia’s international trade with Britain joining the European Economic Community from January 1973
• Medibank Private (1976)
• National Marine Science Research Centre, Hobart (1976)
• Rural Adjustment Scheme (1976)
• Abolition of Commonwealth estate and gift duties (1977)
• Expansion of uranium mining and export (1977)
• National Water Resources Program (1977)
• Peaceful use of nuclear energy agreements with Finland, Sweden, the Philippines, South Korea, USA, UK, France, Canada, European Atomic Energy Community, and Japan (1977-82)
• Australian National Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria (1978)
• Self-government for the Northern Territory (1978)
• Primary Industry Bank of Australia (1978)
• Ban on commercial whaling in Australia (1978)
• Low cost advance early purchase (apex) international air fares (1978)
• 200-mile Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ) (1979)
• Ban on the exploration and drilling for oil on the Great Barrier Reef and declaration of the Capricornia section as the first stage of a protected Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (1979)
• AUSSAT, one of the world’s first national satellite telecommunications systems (1980-82)
• Burdekin River Dam, creating Queensland’s largest lake, Lake Dalrymple (1980)
• Ban on all whaling activities within the 200-mile AFZ (1980)
• Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1981)
• Australian Bicentennial Road Development Program (1982)
• Closer Economic Relations with New Zealand (1982)
• Bicentennial Water Resources Program (1983).

The 1990s

• Victoria Cross Memorial Rest Areas on Remembrance Drive (Hume and Federal highways) between Sydney and Canberra (1996)
• Supermarket to Asia (1996)
• National Rural Finance Summit and subsequent $525 million Agriculture – Advancing Australia package (1997)
• Prevented family trusts from being taxed in the same way as companies to protect the holding structure of family farms (1997)
• Natural Heritage Trust (1997)
• Their Service – Our Heritage Program to preserve the memory of veterans for future generations and Regional War Memorials Project to restore country and regional war memorials (1997)
• National Land and Water Resources Audit (1997)
• Centenary of Federation Community Projects Program (1998)
• New Australian war memorials, including at Hellfire Pass, Thailand (1998), Sandakan, Borneo (1999), and for the Gallipoli Dawn Service, Turkey (2000)
• Increased child care places from 306,000 to nearly 562,000 between 1996-97 and 2004-05
• Regional Australia Summit and Regional Solutions Program (1999)
• $1 billion from the partial sale of Telstra for social bonus initiatives to improve country and regional telecommunications’ services (1999)
• Rural Transaction Centres for smaller communities (1999).

2000 to 2010

• Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (2000)
• $1.78 billion for dairy deregulation adjustment (2000)
• Continuation of analogue mobile phone system beyond scheduled shut down until replaced with CDMA (2000)
• Telstra Country Wide (2000)
• Australia-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (2001)
• Sustainable Regions Program (2001)
• Roads to Recovery Program (2001)
• Besley inquiry (2000) and Estens inquiry (2002) resulting in further $344 million to improve country and regional telecommunications’ services
• $150 million for sugar industry deregulation adjustment (2002)
• Stronger Families and Communities Strategy, including $8.8 million for National Agenda for Early Childhood (2003)
• National Water Initiative, supported by $2 billion Australian Government Water Fund (2003)
• $1.1 billion Connect Australia package (2005)
• Free Trade Agreements with Thailand and the USA (2005)
• $2 billion for perpetual Communications Fund for regional telecommunications (2005)
• Drought assistance totalling $1.25 billion over five years to 2005-06
• Negotiations for Free Trade Agreements with China, Japan, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and between Australia, New Zealand and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) (2005-2007)
• $15 billion Auslink national land transport program (2005) and $22 billion Auslink 2 program (2007)
• Led fight to abolish Labor’s carbon and mining taxes (2009).

2010 and beyond

• Changed Liberal policy to tax family trusts in the same way as companies on return to office, to protect the holding structure of family farms (2011)
• Strongly supported stopping illegal immigrant boat arrivals (2013)
• Stabilised live cattle export trade to Indonesia (2013) following Labor’s 2011 suspension and limited re-opening
• $50 billion Infrastructure Development program – largest in Australia’s history – delivering 22 major works (2014) and 47 in 2015 ($6.7b Bruce Highway/$5.6b Pacific Highway/$565m Black Spots)
• $2.1 billion for Roads to Recovery (2014)
• Abolished Labor’s mining tax (2014)
• $15 million to help small exporters meet export charges and fees (2014)
• $1 billion for new National Stronger Regions Fund (2014)
• $100 million to further reduce mobile phone black spots (2014)
• $100 million extra for rural research and development (2014)
• $9.3 billion in untied Financial Assistance Grants to local councils (2014)
• $307 million for new Community Development Grants program (2014)
• Ensured maintenance of existing Coalition policies on climate change, carbon taxes and emissions reduction targets (2015)
• Secured responsibility for water policy from the environment to the agriculture portfolio (2015)
• Ensured maintenance of Coalition policy to hold a plebiscite on same sex marriage, rather than have a parliamentary vote (2015)
• White Paper on Agricultural Competitiveness – a $4 billion investment in farmers (2015)
• Free trade agreements signed with South Korea, Japan (2014) and China (2015); India under negotiation
• $100 million to upgrade northern Australia beef roads (2015)
• Additional $2.6 billion for Roads to Recovery and Black Spots programs (2015)
• New $300 million for Bridges Renewal Program (2015)
• Agreement with China that could see one million head of live cattle being exported annually within a decade, worth $2.5 billion to the Australian beef industry (2015)
• $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund (2016)
• $2.5 billion National Water Infrastructure Loan Facility for major projects over next 10 years (2016)
• $7 million to boost Rural Financial Counselling Services (2016)
• $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund resulting from the 2015 White Paper – Our North Our Future (2016)
• $9.3 billion for the Melbourne-Brisbane inland rail project with construction to begin in 2017 (2017)
• $4 billion for a new Regional Investment Corporation, $472 million to the Regional Growth Fund, and $22.5 million to continue the Stronger Communities Program (2017)
• $4.4 billion to continue the Roads to Recovery Program and $685 million to the Black Spots Road Program (2017)
• $220 million to continue the Mobile Phone Black Spots Program (2017)
• More than $1 billion between 2013 and 2017 for farmers and communities hit by drought (2017)
• $220 million over four years for a Regional Jobs and Investment Package (2017).
• largely through its backbenchers, led the debate leading to the establishment of the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry (2017)
• $3.9 billion for farmers and communities hit by drought and establishment of a Future Drought Fund to support drought resilience projects, estimated to grow to $5 billion by 2028-29 (2018)
• establishment of the Regional Investment Corporation (2018)
• $54 million boost to Youth Allowance scheme to give an extra 2300 country students access to tertiary education (2018)
• $1.2 billion in new funding for regional, rural and remote area non-government schools between 2020 and 2029 (2018)
• further boost to Black Spots funding taking total commitment to $1 billion from 2013/14 to 2022/23 (2019)
• $2.2 billion Local and State Government Road Safety Package (2019)
• $100 million boost to regional airport upgrades (2019)
• $1 billion to continue Roads of Strategic Importance (2019)
• $135 million to strengthen higher education in regional Australia (2019)
• nearly $450 million for the Better Regions, Stronger Communities, Mobile Black Spots and regional mobile and broadband services programs (2019)
• nearly $44 million for ABC regional services and programs (2019)
• $6.3 billion for farm, community and small business drought assistance, including increased access to Farm Household Allowance, concessional loans and incentives to increase on-farm water storage (2019)
• $32.4 million over four years for new initiatives to support exporters and modernise export systems (2019)
• $2 billion for fast train between Melbourne and Geelong and funding to investigate strategic fast rail corridors in NSW and Queensland (2019)
• $3.5 billion for new water infrastructure development (2019)
• establishment of the $100 million National Water Grid Authority to evaluate and recommend potential new water infrastructure projects (2019)
• $567 million to jointly fund with NSW a new Dungowan Dam and raise the wall of Wyangala Dam (2019)
• expanded access to the Farm Household Allowance (2019)
• redirected 100 gigalitres of Murray River water at discounted price for production of 120,000 tonnes of fodder to help maintain breeding flocks and herds (2019)
• provision of $1 billion new concessional loan program for farmers and small businesses dependent on agriculture, with no repayments for two years and interest only repayments for following three years (2019)

Presidents of Women’s Federal Council

Phyllis Innes (Qld) 1960-1961
Jessie Robertson (WA) 1961-1964
Freda Mott (NSW) 1964-1965
Dorothy Moss (Vic) 1965-1968
Alma McCormack (Qld) 1968-1969
Molly Piesse (WA) 1969-1970
Judy Hamersley (WA) 1970-1971
Freda Mott (NSW) 1971-1973
Vera Adamthwaite (Vic) 1973-1976
Shirley Bale (Qld) 1976-1979
Marie Dilley (WA) 1979-1982
Marjorie Sheil (Qld) 1982-1985
Jean McIntyre (Qld) 1985-1988
Virginia Armytage (NSW) 1988-1991
Helen Dickie (NSW) 1991-1994
Dianne Nesbitt (NSW) 1994-1997
Carolee Woolcott (Vic) 1997-1999
Pam Stallman (Qld) 1999-2002
Jenny Hawkins (NSW) 2002-2004
Christine Ferguson (NSW) 2004-2007
Cathy Wood (WA) 2007-2008
Ruth Strang (NSW) 2008-2011
Jacky Abbott (SA/Vic) 2011-2014
Terry Ann Cranwell (Qld) 2014-2017
Theresa Craig (Qld) 2017-current

Party Ministers 1923 to 2018

Bruce-Page Ministry – Nationalist/CP Coalition – 9 Feb 1923 to 22 Oct 1929
Earle Christmas Grafton Page Treasurer [Deputy Prime Minister] William Gerrand Gibson Postmaster-General
Minister for Works and Railways from 10 Dec 1928
Percy Gerald Stewart Minister for Works and Railways to 5 Aug 1924
William Caldwell Hill Minister for Works and Railways 8 Aug 1924 to 29 Nov 1928
Reginald Victor Wilson Honorary Minister to 16 Jan 1925
Minister for Markets and Migration 16 Jan 1925 to 18 June 1926
Llewellyn Atkinson Vice-President of Executive Council to 18 June 1926
Thomas Paterson Minister for Markets and Migration 18 June 1926 to 19 Jan 1928
Minister for Markets 19 Jan 1928 to 10 Dec 1928
Minister for Markets and Transport from 10 Dec 1928
Charles Lydiard Aubrey Abbott Minister for Home and Territories 29 Nov 1928 to 10 Dec 1928
Minister for Home Affairs from 10 Dec 1928

Lyons-Page Ministry – UAP/CP Coalition – 9 Nov 1934 to 7 Nov1938
Earle Christmas Grafton Page Minister for Commerce [Deputy Prime Minister] Minister for Health from 29 Nov 1937
Harold Victor Campbell Thorby Minister for Defence from 29 Nov 1937
Minister assisting Minister for Commerce 1 Sept 1935 to 29 Nov 1937
Minister assisting Minister for Repatriation to 1 Sept 1935
Minister without portfolio in charge of War Service Homes to 11 Sept 1936
Thomas Paterson Minister for the Interior to 29 Nov 1937
John McEwen Minister for the Interior from 29 Nov 1937
James Aitchison Johnston Hunter Minister without portfolio in charge of War Service Homes 11 Sept 1936 to 29 Nov 1937
Minister assisting Minister for Repatriation 1 Sept 1935 to 22 Nov 1937
Minister assisting Minister for Commerce 18 Mar 1937 to 25 Jul 1937
Minister assisting Minister for the Interior 23 Sept 1935 to 29 Nov 1937
Minister without portfolio representing Postmaster-General in House of Representatives to 1 Sept 1935
Victor Charles Thompson Minister assisting Treasurer from 29 Nov 1937
Minister assisting Minister for Interior from 1 Feb 1938
Archie Galbraith Cameron (LCL) Minister assisting Minister for Commerce from 29 Nov 1937

Lyons-Page Ministry – UAP/CP Coalition – 7 Nov 1938 to 7 Apr 1939
Earle Christmas Grafton Page Minister for Commerce [Deputy Prime Minister] Harold Victor Campbell Thorby Minister for Works
Minister for Civil Aviation
John McEwen Minister for the Interior
Archie Galbraith Cameron (LCL) Postmaster-General
Minister without portfolio administering External Territories
Victor Charles Thompson Minister assisting Minister for Commerce

Page Ministry – CP/UAP Coalition – 7 Apr 1939 to 26 Apr 1939
Earle Christmas Grafton Page Prime Minister
Minister for Commerce
Harold Victor Campbell Thorby Minister for Works
Minister for Civil Aviation
John McEwen Minister for the Interior
Archie Galbraith Cameron (LCL) Postmaster-General
Victor Charles Thompson Minister assisting Minister for Commerce

Menzies-Cameron Ministry – UAP/CP Coalition – 14 Mar 1940 to 28 Oct 1940
Archie Galbraith Cameron (LCL) Minister for Commerce [Deputy Prime Minister] Minister for the Navy
Harold Victor Campbell Thorby Postmaster-General
Minister for Health
John McEwen Minister for External Affairs
Arthur William Fadden Minister for Civil Aviation from 14 Aug 1940
Minister assisting Treasurer
Minister assisting Minister for Supply and Development
Horace Keyworth Nock Minister without portfolio in charge of External Territories
Minister assisting Prime Minister
Minister assisting Minister for Interior

Menzies-Fadden Ministry – UAP/CP Coalition – 28 Oct 1940 to 29 Aug 1941
Arthur William Fadden Treasurer [Deputy Prime Minister] Thomas Joseph Collins Postmaster-General from 26 June 1941
Minister assisting Prime Minister dealing with External Territories to 26 June 1941
Minister assisting Minister for Interior to 26 June 1941
Minister assisting Minister for Supply and Development from 26 June 1941
John McEwen Minister for Air
Minister for Civil Aviation
Earle Christmas Grafton Page Minister for Commerce
Hubert Lawrence Anthony Minister for Transport from 26 June 1941
Minister assisting Treasurer
Minister assisting Minister for Commerce
Joseph Palmer Abbott Minister for Home Security from 26 June 1941
Minister assisting Minister for Defence Co-ordination from 26 June 1941
Minister assisting Minister for Army from 26 June 1941

Fadden Ministry – CP/UAP Coalition – 29 Aug 1941 to 7 Oct 1941
Arthur William Fadden Prime Minister
Treasurer
John McEwen Minister for Air
Minister for Civil Aviation
Earle Christmas Grafton Page Minister for Commerce
Thomas Joseph Collins Postmaster-General
Hubert Lawrence Anthony Minister for Transport
Joseph Palmer Abbott Minister for Home Security

Menzies-Fadden Ministry – Lib/CP Coalition – 19 Dec 1949 to 11 May 1951
Arthur William Fadden Treasurer [Deputy Prime Minister] John McEwen Minister for Commerce and Agriculture
Earle Christmas Grafton Page Minister for Health
Hubert Lawrence Anthony Postmaster-General
Walter Jackson Cooper Minister for Repatriation

Menzies-Fadden Ministry – Lib/CP Coalition – 11 May 1951 to 11 Jan 1956
Arthur William Fadden Treasurer [Deputy Prime Minister] John McEwen Minister for Commerce and Agriculture
Earle Christmas Grafton Page Minister for Health
Hubert Lawrence Anthony Postmaster-General
Minister for Civil Aviation to 9 Jul 1954
Walter Jackson Cooper Minister for Repatriation

Menzies-Fadden Ministry – Lib/CP Coalition – 11 Jan 1956 to 10 Dec 1958
Arthur William Fadden Treasurer [Deputy Prime Minister] John McEwen Minister for Trade
Charles William Davidson Postmaster-General
Minister for the Navy from 24 Oct 1956
Walter Jackson Cooper Minister for Repatriation
Hugh Stevenson Roberton Minister for Social Services from 28 Feb 1956

Menzies-McEwen Ministry – Lib/CP Coalition – 10 Dec 1958 to 18 Dec 1963
John McEwen Minister for Trade [Deputy Prime Minister] Charles William Davidson Postmaster-General
Walter Jackson Cooper Minister for Repatriation to 29 Dec 1960
Harrie Walter Wade Minister for Air 29 Dec 1960 to 22 Dec 1961
Minister for Health from 22 Dec 1961
Hugh Stevenson Roberton Minister for Social Services
Charles Frederick Adermann Minister for Primary Industry

Menzies-McEwen Ministry – Lib/CP Coalition – 18 Dec 1963 to 26 Jan 1966
John McEwen Minister for Trade and Industry [Deputy Prime Minister] Charles Frederick Adermann Minister for Primary Industry
Harrie Walter Wade Minister for Health to 18 Nov 1964
John Douglas Anthony Minister for the Interior from 4 Mar 1964
Hugh Stevenson Roberton Minister for Social Services to 21 Jan 1965
Ian McCahon Sinclair Minister for Social Services from 22 Feb 1965
Gerald Colin McKellar Minister for Repatriation from 22 Dec 1964
Charles Edward Barnes Minister for Territories

Holt-McEwen Ministry – Lib/CP Coalition – 26 Jan 1966 to 14 Dec 1966
John McEwen Minister for Trade and Industry [Deputy Prime Minister] Charles Frederick Adermann Minister for Primary Industry
Charles Edward Barnes Minister for Territories
John Douglas Anthony Minister for the Interior
Gerald Colin McKellar Minister for Repatriation
Ian McCahon Sinclair Minister for Social Services

Holt-McEwen Ministry – Lib/CP Coalition – 14 Dec 1966 to 19 Dec 1967
John McEwen Minister for Trade and Industry [Deputy Prime Minister] John Douglas Anthony Minister for the Interior to 16 Oct 1967
Minister for Primary Industry from 16 Oct 1967
Charles Frederick Adermann Minister for Primary Industry to 16 Oct 1967
Charles Edward Barnes Minister for Territories
Gerald Colin McKellar Minister for Repatriation
Ian McCahon Sinclair Minister for Social Services
Minister assisting Minister for Trade and Industry
Peter James Nixon Minister for Interior from 16 Oct 1967

McEwen Ministry – CP/Lib Coalition – 19 Dec1967 to 10 Jan 1968
John McEwen Prime Minister
Minister for Trade and Industry
John Douglas Anthony Minister for Primary Industry
Ian McCahon Sinclair Minister for Social Services
Minister assisting Minister for Trade and Industry
Charles Edward Barnes Minister for Territories
Gerald Colin McKellar Minister for Repatriation
Peter James Nixon Minister for the Interior

Gorton-McEwen Ministry – Lib/CP Coalition – 10 Jan 1968 to 28 Feb 1968
John McEwen Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Trade and Industry
John Douglas Anthony Minister for Primary Industry
Ian McCahon Sinclair Minister for Social Services
Minister assisting Minister for Trade and Industry
Charles Edward Barnes Minister for Territories
Gerald Colin McKellar Minister for Repatriation
Peter James Nixon Minister for the Interior

Gorton-McEwen Ministry – Lib/CP Coalition – 28 Feb 1968 to 12 Nov 1969
John McEwen Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Trade and Industry
John Douglas Anthony Minister for Primary Industry
Ian McCahon Sinclair Minister for Shipping and Transport
Minister assisting Minister for Trade and Industry
Charles Edward Barnes Minister for External Territories
Gerald Colin McKellar Minister for Repatriation
Peter James Nixon Minister for the Interior

Gorton-McEwen-Anthony Ministry – Lib/CP Coalition – 12 Nov 1969 to 10 Mar 1971
John McEwen Deputy Prime Minister to 5 Feb 1971
Minister for Trade and Industry to 5 Feb 1971
John Douglas Anthony Minister for Primary Industry to Feb 5 1971
Deputy Prime Minister from 5 Feb 1971
Minister for Trade and Industry from 5 Feb 1971
Ian McCahon Sinclair Minister for Shipping and Transport to 5 Feb 1971
Minister assisting Minister for Trade and Industry to 5 Feb 1971
Minister for Primary Industry from 5 Feb 1971
Peter James Nixon Minister for the Interior to 5 Feb 1971
Minister for Shipping and Transport from 5 Feb 1971
Ralph James Dunnet Hunt Minister for the Interior from Feb 5 1971
Charles Edward Barnes Minister for External Territories
Thomas Charles Drake-Brockman Minister for Air
Rendle McNeilage Holten Minister for Repatriation

McMahon-Anthony Ministry – Lib/CP Coalition – 10 Mar 1971 to 5 Dec 1972
John Douglas Anthony Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Trade and Industry
Ian McCahon Sinclair Minister for Primary Industry
Peter James Nixon Minister for Shipping and Transport
Charles Edward Barnes Minister for External Territories to 25 Jan 1972
Thomas Charles Drake-Brockman Minister for Air
Rendle McNeilage Holten Minister for Repatriation
Minister assisting Minister for Trade and Industry from 20 Aug 1971
Robert Cummin Katter Minister for the Army from 2 Feb 1972
Ralph James Dunnet Hunt Minister for the Interior
Robert Shannon King Assistant Minister assisting Minister for Primary Industry from 5 Oct 1971
Ian Louis Robinson Assistant Minister assisting Postmaster-General from 20 Aug 1971

Fraser-Anthony Ministry – Lib/NCP Coalition – 11 Nov 1975 to 22 Dec 1975
John Douglas Anthony Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Overseas Trade
Minister for Minerals and Energy
Ian McCahon Sinclair Minister for Agriculture
Minister for Northern Australia
Peter James Nixon Minister for Transport
Postmaster-General
Thomas Charles Drake-Brockman Minister for Aboriginal Affairs

Fraser-Anthony Ministry – Lib/NCP Coalition – 22 Dec 1975 to 20 Dec 1977
John Douglas Anthony Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for National Resources
Minister for Overseas Trade
Ian McCahon Sinclair Minister for Primary Industry
Peter James Nixon Minister for Transport
Ralph James Dunnet Hunt Minister for Health
Albert Evan Adermann Minister for the Northern Territory
Minister assisting Minister for National Resources
James Joseph Webster Minister for Science

Fraser-Anthony Ministry – Lib/NCP Coalition 20 Dec1977 to 3 Nov 1980
John Douglas Anthony Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Trade and Resources
Ian McCahon Sinclair Minister for Primary Industry to 27 Sept 1979
Minister for Special Trade Representations from 19 Aug 1980
Peter James Nixon Minister for Transport to 8 Dec 1979
Minister for Primary Industry from 27 Sept 1979
Ralph James Dunnet Hunt Minister for Health to 8 Dec 1979
Minister for Transport from 8 Dec 1979
Albert Evan Adermann Minister for the Northern Territory to 28 Sept 1978
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs from 4 Jul 1978
Minister assisting Minister for Primary Industry
James Joseph Webster Minister for Science to 5 Dec 1978
Minister for Science and the Environment 5 Dec 1978 to 8 Dec 1979
David Scott Thomson Minister for Science and the Environment from 8 Dec 1979
Douglas Barr Scott Minister for Special Trade Representations from 8 Dec 1979 to 19 Aug 1980
Minister assisting Minister for Trade and Resources from 8 Dec 1979 to 19 Aug 1980

Fraser-Anthony Ministry – Lib/NCP Coalition – 3 Nov 1980 to 7 May 1982
John Douglas Anthony Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Trade and Resources
Ian McCahon Sinclair Minister for Communications
Peter James Nixon Minister for Primary Industry
Ralph James Dunnet Hunt Minister for Transport
David Scott Thomson Minister for Science and Technology
Daniel Thomas McVeigh Minister for Housing and Construction
Minister assisting Minister for Trade and Resources

Fraser-Anthony Ministry – Lib/NCP (NPA from 16 Oct 1982) Coalition – 7 May 1982 to
11 Mar 1983
John Douglas Anthony Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Trade and Resources
Ian McCahon Sinclair Minister for Defence
Peter James Nixon Minister for Primary Industry
Ralph James Dunnet Hunt Minister for Transport and Construction
David Scott Thomson Minister for Science and Technology
Daniel Thomas McVeigh Minister for Home Affairs and Environment
Minister assisting Minister for Trade and Resources

Howard-Fischer Ministry – Lib/NPA Coalition – 11 Mar 1996 to 21 Oct 1998
Timothy Andrew Fischer Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Trade
John Duncan Anderson Minister for Primary Industries and Energy
John Randall Sharp Minister for Transport and Regional Development to 25 Sept 1997
Mark Anthony James Vaile Minister for Transport and Regional Development from 9 Oct 1997
Peter John McGauran Minister for Science and Technology to 9 Oct 1997
Warren Errol Truss Minister for Customs and Consumer Affairs from 9 Oct 1997
Bruce Craig Scott Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
David Gordon Cadell Brownhill Parliamentary Secretary (Trade)
Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Primary Industries and Energy to 9 Oct 1997
Grant Ernest John Tambling (CLP) Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Transport and Regional Development to 14 Oct 1996
Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Social Security from 14 Oct 1996

Howard-Fischer-Anderson Ministry – Lib/NPA Coalition – 21 Oct 1998 to 26 Nov 2001
Timothy Andrew Fischer Deputy Prime Minister to 20 Jul 1999
Minister for Trade to 20 Jul 1999
John Duncan Anderson Deputy Prime Minister from 20 Jul 1999
Minister for Transport and Regional Services
Mark Anthony James Vaile Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to 20 Jul 1999
Minister for Trade from 20 Jul 1999
Warren Errol Truss Minister for Community Services to 20 Jul 1999
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry from 20 Jul 1999
Peter John McGauran Minister for the Arts and Centenary of Federation
Bruce Craig Scott Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
Minister assisting Minister for Defence
Lawrence James Anthony Parliamentary Secretary (Trade) to 20 Jul 1999
Minister for Community Services from 20 Jul 1999
Ronald Leslie Doyle Boswell Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Transport and Regional Services from 20 Jul 1999
Grant Ernest John Tambling (CLP) Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Health and Aged Care

Howard-Anderson Ministry – Lib/NPA Coalition – 26 Nov 2001 to 26 Oct 2004
John Duncan Anderson Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Transport and Regional Services
Mark Anthony James Vaile Minister for Trade
Warren Errol Truss Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Lawrence James Anthony Minister for Children and Youth Affairs
Peter John McGauran Minister for Science
Ronald Leslie Doyle Boswell Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Transport and Regional Services to 7 Oct 2003
De-Anne Margaret Kelly Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Transport and Regional Services from 7 Oct 2003
Parliamentary Secretary (Trade) from 7 Oct 2003

Howard-Anderson-Vaile Ministry – Lib/NPA (The Nationals from 14 Oct 2006) Coalition –
26 Oct 2004 to 3 Dec 2007
John Duncan Anderson Deputy Prime Minister to 6 Jul 2005
Minister for Transport and Regional Services to 6 Jul 2005
Mark Anthony James Vaile Deputy Prime Minister from 6 Jul 2005
Minister for Trade to 29 Sept 2006
Minister for Transport and Regional Services from 29 Sept 2006
Warren Errol Truss Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to 6 Jul 2005
Minister for Transport and Regional Services 6 Jul 2005 to 29 Sept 2006
Minister for Trade from 29 Sept 2006
Peter John McGauran Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs to 6 Jul 2005
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry from 6 Jul
2005
John Kenneth Cobb Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Transport and Regional Services to 6 Jul 2005
Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs 6 Jul 2005 to 27 Jan 2006
Minister for Community Services 27 Jan 2006 to 30 Jan 2007
Assistant Minister for the Environment and Water Resources from 30 Jan 2007
Nigel Gregory Scullion (CLP) Minister for Community Services from 30 Jan 2007
De-Anne Margaret Kelly Minister for Veterans’ Affairs to 27 Jan 2006
Minister assisting Minister for Defence 16 Nov 2004 to 27 Jan 2006
Parliamentary Secretary (Trade) 27 Jan 2006 to 29 Sept 2006
Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Transport and Regional Services from 29 Sept 2006
John Alexander Lindsay Macdonald Parliamentary Secretary (Trade) 7 July 2005 to 27 Jan 2006
Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Defence 27 Jan 2006 to 30 Jan 2007
Abbott-Truss Ministry – Lib/NPA (from 1 June 2013) Coalition – 18 Sept 2013 to 18 Mar 2014
Warren Errol Truss (LNP) Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce Minister for Agriculture
Nigel Gregory Scullion (CLP) Minister for Indigenous Affairs
Luke Hartsuyker Assistant Minister for Employment
Fiona Joy Nash Assistant Minister for Health
Darren Jeffrey Chester Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Defence
Michael McCormack Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Finance

Abbott-Truss Ministry – Lib/NPA Coalition – 19 Mar 2014 to 14 Sept 2015
Warren Errol Truss (LNP) Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development
Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce Minister for Agriculture
Nigel Gregory Scullion (CLP) Minister for Indigenous Affairs
Luke Hartsuyker Assistant Minister for Employment
Fiona Joy Nash Assistant Minister for Health
Darren Jeffrey Chester Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Defence
Michael McCormack Parliamentary Secretary to Minister for Finance

Turnbull-Truss-Joyce Ministry – Lib/NPA Coalition – 21 Sept 2015 to 13 Feb 2016
Warren Errol Truss (LNP) Deputy Prime Minister to 11 Feb 2016
Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development to 11 Feb 2016
Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce Deputy Prime Minister from 18 Feb 2016
Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources
Nigel Gregory Scullion (CLP) Minister for Indigenous Affairs
Fiona Joy Nash Minister for Rural Health
Minister for Regional Development from 18 Feb 2016
Minister for Regional Communications from 18Feb 2016
Minister for Local Government and Territories
Luke Hartsuyker ` Minister for Vocational Education and Skills to 18 Feb 2016
Matthew James Canavan (LNP) Minister for Northern Australia from 18 Feb 2016
Michael McCormack Assistant Minister to Deputy Prime Minister to 18 Feb 2016
Assistant Minister for Defence from 18 Feb 2016
Darren Jeffrey Chester Assistant Minister for Defence to 18 Feb 2016
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport from 18 Feb 2016

Turnbull-Joyce-McCormack Ministry – Lib/NPA Coalition – 19 July 2016 to 24 August 2018
Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce Deputy Prime Minister to 27 Oct 2017 and from 6 Dec 2017 to 26 Feb 2018*
Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources to 27 Oct 2017 and from 6 Dec 2017 to 20 Dec 2017*
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport from 20 Dec 2017
to 26 Feb 2018
Minister for Resources and Northern Australia from 27 Jul
2017 to 27 Oct 2017*
Michael McCormack Deputy Prime Minister from 26 Feb 2018
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport from 26 Feb 2018
Minister for Small Business to 20 Dec 2017
Minister for Veterans Affairs from 20 Dec 2017 to 5 Mar 2018
Minister for Defence Personnel from 20 Dec 2017 to
5 Mar 2018
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC from 20 Dec 2017 to 5 Mar 2018
Fiona Joy Nash Minister for Local Government and Territories to
27 Oct 2017*
Minister for Regional Development to 27 Oct 2017* Minister for Regional Communications to 27 Oct 2017*
Bridget McKenzie Minister for Regional Communications from 20 Dec 2017*
Minister for Rural Health from 20 Dec 2017
Minister for Sport from 20 Dec 2017
David Kelly Littleproud (LNP) Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources from
20 Dec 2017
Nigel Gregory Scullion (CLP) Minister for Indigenous Affairs
Interim Parliamentary Leader 27 Oct 2017 to 6 Dec 2017*
Darren Jeffrey Chester Minister for Infrastructure and Transport to 20 Dec 2017
Acting Minister for Local Government and Territories from
27 Oct 2017 to 20 Dec 2017*
Acting Minister for Regional Development from 27 Oct 2017 to 20 Dec 2017*
Minister for Veterans Affairs from 5 Mar 2018
Minister for Defence Personnel from 5 Mar 2018
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC from 5 Mar 2018
Matthew James Canavan (LNP) Minister for Resources and Northern Australia to 25 Jul 2017 and from 27 Oct 2017
Luke Hartsuyker Assistant Minister to Deputy Prime Minister to 20 Dec 2017
Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment from
20 Dec 2017 to 5 Mar 2018
Damian Kevin Drum Assistant Minister to Deputy Prime Minister from 20 Dec 2017 to 5 Mar 2018
Keith John Pitt (LNP) Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment to
20 Dec 2017
Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister from
5 Mar 2018
David Arthur Gillespie Assistant Minister for Health to 20 Dec 2017
Assistant Minister for Children and Families from 20 Dec 2017
Mark Maclean Coulton Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment from
5 Mar 2018.

Morrison-McCormack Ministry – Lib/NPA Coalition – 28 August 2018 to 18 May 2019
Michael Francis McCormack Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development
Bridget McKenzie Minister for Regional Services Minister for Local Government and Decentralisation Minister for Sport
Nigel Gregory Scullion Minister for Indigenous Affairs
David Kelly Littleproud Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources
Matthew James Canavan Minister for Resources and Northern Australia
Darren Jeffrey Chester Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
Minister for Defence Personnel
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Centenary of the ANZAC
Mark Maclean Coulton Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment
Andrew John Broad Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister to 17 Dec 2018
Andrew Gee Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister from 25 Jan 2019
Michelle Leanne Landry Assistant Minister for Children and Families

Morrison-McCormack Ministry – Lib/NPA Coalition – 29 May 2019 to date
Michael Francis McCormack Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development
David Kelly Littleproud Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management
Bridget McKenzie Minister for Agriculture
Matthew James Canavan Minister for Resources and Northern Australia
Mark Maclean Coulton Minister for Regional Services, Decentralisation and Local Government
Assistant Trade and Development Minister
Darren Jeffrey Chester Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
Minister for Defence Personnel
Andrew Gee Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister
Michelle Leanne Landry Assistant Minister for Children and Families

*The High Court of Australia sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns, ruled on 27/10/2017 that Joyce and Nash were ineligible to sit in Parliament as they each held dual citizenship at the time of the 2016 federal election. At the same time the court ruled that Canavan, whose mother had Italian heritage, was eligible to remain in Parliament. Having stood down from the Ministry on 25/7/2017, he was reinstated to his Resources and Northern Australia portfolio on 27/10/2017. Prime Minister Turnbull temporarily took over Joyce’s portfolios from 27/10/2017. Nash’s Regional Development and Local Government and Territories portfolios were taken over by Chester, while the Liberal Party assumed the Regional Communications portfolio. The National Party’s Senate Leader, Nigel Scullion, became Interim Parliamentary Leader, pending Joyce’s return to Parliament following a by-election on 2/12/2017 in his electorate of New England, NSW. Nash’s Senate position was filed by a Liberal from the NSW Joint Liberal/National Senate ticket for the 2016 election. Nash was replaced as Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Party by Victorian Senator Bridget McKenzie at a Party meeting on 7/12/2017. Having clarified his citizenship position, Joyce overwhelmingly retained New England. On the return of the by-election writ on 6/12/2017 Joyce returned to Parliament and resumed his portfolio and Deputy Prime Minister responsibilities. During the 40 days of Joyce’s absence from Parliament, the Liberal Party’s Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, was the Acting Deputy Prime Minister. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced a major reshuffle of his ministry on 19/12/ 2017. The ministry was sworn in on 20/12/2017. Joyce resigned to the backbench from 26/2/2018, with Michael McCormack (Riverina) becoming Party Leader and resulting in further ministerial rearrangements which were completed on 5/3/2018.

Party Senators and Members 1920 to 2018

The Senate

Name
(Born/Died) State Party Period of service
Abbott, Macartney
(3.7.1877–30.12.1960) NSW CP 1.7.35– defeated 30.6.41
Abbott, Percy Phipps
(14.5.1869–9.9.1940) NSW CP 14.11.25–defeated 30.6.29
Abbott, Richard Hartley Smith
(1859–28.2.1940) Vic CP *18.12.28–retired 30.6.29
Andrew, David
(10.11.1866–18.11.1928) Vic CP 14.11.25–died 18.11.28
Badman, Albert Oliver
(18.12.1885–24.4.1977) SA LCL, sitting with CP 1.7.32–resigned 30.9.37
Bjelke-Petersen, Florence Isabel
(11.8.1920–20.12.2017) Qld NCP; NPA from Oct 1982 *12.3.81–retired 30.6.93
Boswell, Ronald Leslie Doyle
(9.12.1940– ) Qld NPA; Nats from Oct 2006; NPA from June 2013 (LNP)# 5.3.83–retired 60.6.2014
Brownhill, David Gordon Cadell
(16.11.1935– ) NSW NPA 1.12.84–resigned 14.4.2000
Bull, Thomas Louis
(7.9.1905–11.8.1976) NSW CP 1.7.65–defeated 30.6.71
Carroll, William
(3.1.1872–30.5.1936)
Canavan, Matthew James
(17.12.80-) WA

Qld CP

NPA (LNP) 1.7.26–died 30.5.36

1.7.2014-
Chapman, John Hedley
(16.12.1879–14.3.1931) SA CP 1.7.26–died 14.3.31
Collard, Stanley James
(25.3.1936– ) Qld NCP; NPA from Oct 1982 13.12.75–retired 5.6.87
Cooper, Walter Jackson
(23.4.1891–22.7.1973) Qld NAT
CP 17.11.28–defeated 30.6.32
1.7.35–retired 30.6.68
Drake-Brockman, Thomas Charles
(15.5.1919–28.8.1992) WA CP; NCP from May 1975 *12.8.58–retired 30.6.78
Elliott, Robert Charles Dunlop
(28.10.1886–6.3.1950) Vic CP 1.7.29–defeated 30.6.35
Gibson, William Gerrand
(20.5.1869–22.5.1955) Vic CP (Excluded from Party Room until 1943) 1.7.35–retired 30.6.47
Hardy, Charles
(12.12.1898–27.8.1941) NSW CP 1.7.32–defeated 30.6.38
Johnston, Edward Bertram
(11.1.1880–6.9.1942) WA CP 1.7.29–died 6.9.42
Joyce, Barnaby Thomas Gerard
(17.4.1967– ) Qld NPA; Nats from Oct 2006; NPA from June 2013
(LNP)# 1.7.2005–resigned 8.8.2013
Kilgariff, Bernard Francis
(30.9.1923–13.4.2010 ) NT NT-CLP, sitting with NCP to March 1979, then LIB 13.12.75-retired 10.7.87
Latham, Charles George
(26.1.1882–26.8.1968) WA CP *8.10.42–defeated 20.8.43
Lawrie, Alexander Greig Ellis
(19.6.1907–13.12.1978) Qld CP; NCP from May 1975 1.7.65–retired 11.11.75
Macdonald, John Alexander Lindsay
(10.5.1954– ) NSW NPA; Nats from Oct 2006 1.7.93–defeated 30.6.99;
*4.5.2000–retired 30.6.2008
McGauran, Julian John James
(5.3.1957– ) Vic NPA; LIB from Feb 2006 11.7.87–defeated 30.6.90;
1.7.93–30.6.2011-defeated
McKellar, Gerald Colin
(29.5.1903–13.4.1970) NSW CP 22.11.58–died 13.4.70

McKenzie, Bridget
(27.12.1969-)

Maher, Edmund Bede
(8.6.1891–31.12.1982)
Vic

Qld
Nats; NPA from June 2013
CP
1.7.2011

22.2.50–retired 30.6.65
Marwick, Thomas William
(29.4.1895–3.4.1960) WA CP *19.8.36–defeated 22.10.37
Maunsell, Charles Ronald
(8.5.1922–17.12.2010) Qld CP; NCP from May 1975 1.7.68– defeated 30.6.81
Nash, Fiona Joy
(6.5.1965– ) NSW NPA; Nats from Oct 2006; NPA from June 2013 1.7.2005–ruled ineligible 27.10.2017##
Neal, Laurence William
(18.7.1947– ) Vic NCP *11.3.80–defeated 30.6.81
O’Chee, William George
(19.6.1965– )
O’Sullivan, Barry James
(24.3.1957-) Qld 11.2.2014–retired 30.6.2019

Qld NPA

NPA (LNP) *8.5.90–defeated 30.6.99

*11.2.2014-
Piesse, Edmund Stephen Roper
(5.1.1900–25.8.1952) WA CP 22.2.50–died 25.8.52
Prowse, Edgar Wylie
(22.3.1905–2.6.1977) WA CP 1.7.62–resigned 31.12.73
Rankin, George James
(1.5.1887–28.12.1957) Vic CP 22.2.50–retired 30.6.56
Reid, Albert David
(1887–22.5.1962) NSW CP 22.2.50–died 22.5.62
Reid, Donald David
(10.5.1933– )
Robertson, Agnes Robertson
(31.7.1882-29.1.1968) WA

WA CP

LIB; CP from 1955 *16.1.74–retired 11.4.74

22.2.50-retired 30.6.1962
Robinson, William Charles
(4.10.1907–21.1.1981) WA CP *30.9.52–defeated 8.5.53
Scott, Douglas Barr
(12.5.1920–12.3.2012)

Scullion, Nigel Gregory
(4.5.1956- ) NSW

NT CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
NT-CLP sitting with NPA; Nats from Oct 2006; NPA from June 2013 *6.8.70–defeated 20.11.70
18.5.74–retired 30.6.85

10.11.2001-
Seward, Harrie Stephen
(26.2.1884–23.7.1958) WA CP 28.4.51–died 23.7.58
Sheil, Glenister
(21.10.1929–29.9.2008 ) Qld CP; NCP from May 1975;
NPA from Oct 1982 18.5.74–resigned 6.2.81

1.12.84–defeated 30.6.90
Stone, John Owen
(31.1.1929– ) Qld NPA 11.7.87–resigned 1.3.90
Tambling, Grant Ernest John
(20.6.1943– ) NT NT-CLP, sitting with NPA 11.7.87–retired 9.11.2001
Tehan, Thomas Joseph
(18.1.1916–1.6.1996) Vic NCP 13.12.75–defeated 30.6.78
Wade, Harrie Walter
(10.1.1905–18.11.1964) Vic CP 1.7.56–died 18.11.64
Webster, James Joseph
(14.6.1925– )
Williams, John Reginald
(16.1.1955- )

Wilson, Reginald Victor
20.6.1877-13.7.1957
Vic

NSW

SA CP; NCP from May 1975
Nats; NPA from June 2013
CP (did not attend party meetings) *9.12.64–resigned 28.1.80

1.7.2008-

1.7.20-defeated 30.6.26

* Selected under section 15 of the Constitution to fill a casual Senate vacancy
# Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) from July 2008, following the merger of the National and Liberal parties in Queensland, and continuing to sit in the Commonwealth parliament with The Nationals.
##Nash was ruled ineligible to be a Senator by the High Court of Australia on 27/10/2017, due to her father’s British heritage.

House of Representatives

Name (Born/Died)
Division State/
Territory Date of election Date ceased to be a Member
Party
Abbott, Charles Lydiard Aubrey
(4.1.1886–30.4.1975) Gwydir

Gwydir NSW

NSW 14.11.25

19.12.31 Defeated 12.10.29
Resigned 28.3.37 CP

CP
Abbott, Joseph Palmer
(18.10.1891–7.5.1965) New England NSW 21.9.40 Retired 31.10.49 CP
Adermann, Albert Evan
(10.3.1927–3.11.2001) Fisher

Fairfax Qld

Qld 2.12.72

1.12.84 Until elected for Fairfax
Retired
19.2.90 CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
Adermann, Charles Frederick
(3.8.1896–9.5.1979) Maranoa

Fisher Qld

Qld 21.8.43

10.12.49 Until elected for Fisher
Retired
2.11.72 CP
CP
Allan, Archibald Ian
(3.1.1916–13.2.2000) Gwydir NSW 19.12.531 Resigned 30.4.69 CP
Anderson, Charles Groves Wright
(12.2.1897–11.11.1988) Hume

Hume NSW

NSW 10.12.49

10.12.55 Defeated 28.4.51
Defeated 9.12.61 CP

CP
Anderson, John Duncan
(14.11.1956– ) Gwydir NSW 15.4.891 Retired
24.11.2007 NPA; Nats from Oct 2006
Anthony, Hubert Lawrence
(12.3.1897–12.7.1957) Richmond NSW 23.10.37 Died
12.7.57 CP
Anthony, John Douglas
(31.12.1929– ) Richmond NSW 14.9.571 Resigned 18.1.84 CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
Anthony, Lawrence James
(17.12.1961– ) Richmond NSW 2.3.96 Defeated 9.10.2004 NPA
Armstrong, Adam Alexander
(1.7.1909–22.2.1982) Riverina NSW 27.2.651 Defeated 25.10.69 CP
Atkinson, Llewelyn
(18.12.1867–1.11.1945) Wilmot Tas 12.12.06 Defeated 12.10.29 ANTI-SOC; LIB from 1910; NAT from 1917; CP 1923–25; NAT from 1925
Badman, Albert Oliver
(18.12.1885–24.4.1977) Grey SA 23.10.37 Defeated 21.8.43 LCL, sitting with CP (IND CP Apr-Nov 1939)
Bandidt, Henry Norman Charles
(12.10.1906–6.1.1990) Wide Bay Qld 22.11.58 Defeated 9.12.61 CP
Barnes, Charles Edward
(13.11.1901–24.10.1998) McPherson Qld 22.11.58 Retired
2.11.72 CP
Blunt, Charles William
(19.1.1951– ) Richmond NSW 18.2.841 Defeated 24.3.90 NPA
Bowden, George James
(17.3.1888–8.6.1962) Gippsland Vic 21.8.43 Retired
2.11.61 CP
Braithwaite, Raymond Allen
(6.12.1933– ) Dawson Qld 13.12.75 Retired
29.1.96 NCP; NPA from Oct 82
Brand, William Alfred
(22.8.1888–26.10.1979) Wide Bay Qld 29.5.54 Retired 14.10.58 CP
Brimblecombe, Wilfred John
(6.2.1898–14.9.1973)
Broad, Andrew John
(2.7.1975-) Mallee Vic 7.9.2013–retired18.5.2019

Mallee Qld

Vic 28.4.51

7.9.2013 Retired 31.10.66 CP

NPA
Calder, Stephen Edward
(10.8.1916– 30.9.2008) Northern Territory NT 26.11.66 Retired
19.9.80 CP; NT-CLP from July 1974, sitting with CP, then NCP from May 1975
Cameron, Archie Galbraith
(22.3.1895–9.8.1956) Barker SA 15.9.34 Died
9.8.56 LCL, sitting with CP until 1940, then UAP and LIB
Cameron, Ian Milne Dixon
(8.3.1938– ) Maranoa Qld 18.10.80 Retired
19.2.90 NCP; NPA from Oct 1982
Carige, Colin Lawrence
(19.7.1938–14.5.2002) Capricornia Qld 13.12.75 Defeated 10.12.77 NCP
Causley, Ian Raymond
(19.10.1940– )

Chester, Darren Jeffrey
(13.9.1967- )
Christensen, George Robert
(30.6.1978-) Page

Gippsland

Dawson NSW

Vic

Qld 2.3.96

28.6.2008

21.8.2010 Retired
24.11.2007 NPA; Nats from Oct 2006

Nats; NPA from June 2013
Nats; NPA from June 2013 (LNP)
Cobb, John Kenneth
(11.2.1950– ) Parkes

Calare NSW

NSW 10.11.2001

24.11.2007 Until elected for Calare
Retired 2.7.2016 NPA; Nats from Oct 2006: NPA from June 2013
Cobb, Michael Roy
(16.3.1945– ) Parkes NSW 1.12.84 Retired
31.8.98 NPA
Collins, Maurice
(1878–9.8.1945) Wakefield SA 17.11.28 Defeated 12.10.29 CP
Collins, Thomas Joseph
(6.4.1886–15.4.1945) Hume NSW 19.12.31 Defeated 21.8.43 CP (IND CP Apr-Nov 1939)
Conquest, Bryan Joseph
(20.7.1930– ) Hinkler Qld 1.12.84 Defeated 11.7.87 NPA
Cook, Robert
(18.4.1868–21.5.1930) Indi Vic 13.12.19 Retired
9.10.28 VFU; CP from 1920
Corbett, James
(17.7.1908–3.3.2005) Maranoa Qld 26.11.66 Retired
19.9.80 CP; NCP from May 1975
Corser, Bernard Henry
(1882–15.12.1967) Wide Bay Qld 3.9.281 Retired
21.4.54 CP (IND CP Apr-Nov 1939)
Coulton, Mark Maclean
(3.2.1958- )
Cowan, David Bruce
(15.1.1926–7.4.2011 )
Crook, Anthony John
(23.6.1959-) Parkes

Lyne

O’Connor NSW

NSW

WA 24.11.2007

18.10.80

21.8.2010

Retired
8.2.93
Retired
5.8.2013 Nats; NPA from June 2013
NCP; NPA from Oct 1982
IND Nats-WA to 8 May 2012; Nats; NPA from June 2013

Davidson, Charles William
(14.9.1897–29.11.1985) Capricornia

Dawson Qld

Qld 28.9.46

10.12.49 Until elected for Dawson
Retired
1.11.63 CP

Drum, Damian Kevin
(28.6.1960-)
Drummond, David Henry
(11.2.1890–13.6.1965) Murray

New England
Vic

NSW 2.7.2016

10.12.49

Retired
1.11.63 NPA

CP
Eggins, Eldred James
(1898–28.1.1952) Lyne NSW 10.12.49 Died
28.1.52 CP
England, John Armstrong
(12.10.1911–18.6.1985) Calare NSW 5.11.601 Retired 11.11.75 CP; NCP from May 1975
Fadden, Arthur William
(13.4.1895–21.4.1973) Darling Downs
McPherson Qld

Qld 19.12.361

10.12.49 Until elected for McPherson
Retired 14.10.58 CP (IND CP Apr-Nov 1939)
Failes, Laurence John
(16.10.1899–7.7.1976) Lawson NSW 10.12.49 Retired
29.9.69 CP
Fischer, Timothy Andrew
(3.5.1946– ) Farrer NSW 1.12.84 Retired 8.10.2001 NPA
Fisher, Peter Stanley
(19.9.1936– ) Mallee Vic 2.12.72 Retired
8.2.93 CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
Fleming, William Montgomerie
(19.5.1874–30.7.1961) Robertson NSW 31.5.13 Defeated 16.12.22 LIB; NAT from 1917; NAT & FARMERS from 1919; CP from 1921
Forrest, John Alexander
(24.8.1949– )

Gee, Andrew Robert
(13.9.1968-) Mallee

Calare Vic

NSW 13.3.93

2.7.2016 Retired
5.8.2013 NPA; Nats from Oct 2006; NPA from June 2013
NPA
Gibson, William Gerrand
(20.5.1869–22.5.1955) Corangamite

Corangamite Vic

Vic 14.12.181

19.12.31 Defeated 12.10.29
Retired
7.8.34 VFU; CP from 1920
Gillespie, David Arthur
(20.12.1957-)
Gilmore, Thomas Vernon
(7.5.1908–15.11.1994) Lyne

Leichhardt NSW

Qld 7.9.2013

10.12.49

Defeated 28.4.51 NPA

CP
Green, Roland Frederick Herbert
(29.10.1885–27.4.1947) Richmond NSW 16.12.22 Defeated 23.10.37 CP
Gregory, Henry
(15.3.1860–15.11.1940) Dampier

Swan WA

WA 31.5.13

16.11.22 Until elected for Swan
Died
15.11.40 LIB; NAT from 1917
CP from 1920
Hallett, John Mead
(9.10.1917–9.8.1999) Canning WA 30.11.63 Defeated 18.5.74 CP
Hamilton, Leonard William
(7.7.1899–31.5.1987) Swan

Canning WA

WA 28.9.46

10.12.49 Until elected for Canning
Retired
2.11.61 CP
Hartsuyker, Luke
(28.4.1959– ) Cowper NSW 10.11.2001 NPA; Nats from Oct 2006; NPA from June 2013
Hay, Alexander
(8.1.1865–8.5.1941) New England NSW 13.12.19 Defeated 16.12.22 NAT & FARMERS; CP from 1920; IND from Oct 1921
Hewson, Henry Arthur
(31.12.1914–20.11.1999) McMillan Vic 2.12.72 Defeated 13.12.75 CP; NCP from May 1975
Hicks, Noel Jeffrey
(4.11.1940– ) Riverina

Riverina-Darling
Riverina NSW

NSW

NSW 18.10.80

1.12.84

13.3.93 Until elected for Riverina-Darling
Until elected for Riverina
Retired
31.8.98 NCP; NPA from Oct 1982
Hill, William Caldwell
(14.4.1866–15.11.1939) Echuca Vic 20.9.191 Retired
7.8.34 VFU; CP from 1920
Hogan, Kevin John
(11.8.1963- )
Holten, Rendle McNeilage
(29.3.1922–12.10.1996) Page

Indi NSW

Vic 7.9.2013

22.11.58

Defeated
10.12.77 NPA

CP; NCP from May 1975
Hull, Kay Elizabeth
(3.2.1954– ) Riverina NSW 3.10.98 Retired
19.7.2010 NPA; Nats from Oct 2006
Hunt, Ralph James Dunnet
(31.3.1928–21.5.2011) Gwydir NSW 7.6.691 Resigned 24.2.89 CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
Hunter, James Aitchison Johnston
(1882–26.10.1968) Maranoa Qld 30.7.211 Retired
27.8.40 CP
Jowett, Edmund
(6.1.1858–14.4.1936)

Joyce, Barnaby Thomas Gerard
(17.4.1967-) Grampians

New England

New England Vic

NSW

NSW 27.10.17

7.9.2013

6/12/2017##
Defeated 16.12.22

Ruled ineligible
27.10.2017## NAT; VFU from 1919; CP from 1920
Nats; NPA from June 2013

NPA
Katter, Robert Carl
(22.5.1945– ) Kennedy Qld 13.3.93 NPA; IND from July 2001
Katter, Robert Cummin
(5.9.1918–18.3.1990) Kennedy Qld 26.11.66 Retired
19.2.90 CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
Kelly, De-Anne Margaret
(21.3.1954– ) Dawson Qld 2.3.96 Defeated
24.11.2007 NPA; Nats from Oct 2006
Killen, William Wilson
(1860–20.2.1939) Riverina NSW 16.12.22 Retired 27.11.31 CP
King, Robert Shannon
(22.3.1920–30.6.1991)
Landry, Michelle Leanne
(15.10.1962-) Wimmera

Capricornia Vic

Qld 22.11.58

7.9.2013 Retired 10.11.77 CP; NCP from May 1975
NPA (LNP)
Lawler, Anthony John
(18.10.1961– ) Parkes NSW 3.10.98 Retired 8.10.2001 NPA
Leslie, Hugh Alan
(17.4.1900–2.9.1974)

Littleproud, David Kelly
(4.9.1976-) Moore

Moore

Maranoa WA

WA

Qld 10.12.49

9.12.61

2.7.2016 Defeated 22.11.58
Retired
1.11.63 CP

NPA (LNP)
Lloyd, Bruce
(24.2.1937– ) Murray Vic 20.3.711 Retired
29.1.96 CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
Lucock, Philip Ernest
(16.1.1916–8.8.1996) Lyne NSW 22.3.521 Retired
19.9.80 CP; NCP from May 1975
Lusher, Stephen Augustus
(18.10.1945– ) Hume NSW 18.5.74 Defeated 1.12.84 CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
MacKenzie, Alexander John
(29.8.1941– ) Calare
NSW
13.12.75
Defeated 5.3.83 NCP; NPA from Oct 1982
McClelland, Hugh
(27.12.1875–14.12.1958)
McCormack, Michael Francis
(2.8.1964-) Wimmera

Riverina Vic

NSW 19.12.31

21.8.2010 Defeated 23.10.37 CP

Nats; NPA from June 2013
McEwen, John
(29.3.1900–20.11.1980) Echuca

Indi

Murray Vic

Vic

Vic 15.9.34

23.10.37

10.12.49 Until elected for Indi
Until elected for Murray
Resigned 1.2.71 CP
McGauran, Peter John
(16.11.1955– ) Gippsland Vic 5.3.83 Resigned
9.4.2008 NPA; Nats from Oct 2006
McNicoll, Walter Ramsay
(27.5.1877–24.12.1947) Werriwa NSW 19.12.31 Resigned 2.8.34 CP
McVeigh, Daniel Thomas
(7.5.1930– ) Darling Downs
Groom Qld

Qld 2.12.72

1.12.84 Until elected for Groom
Resigned 29.2.88 CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
McWilliams, William James
(12.10.1856–22.10.1929) Franklin

Franklin Tas

Tas 16.12.03

17.11.28 Defeated 16.12.22

Died
22.10.29 REV TAR; ANTI-SOC from 1906; LIB from 1910; NAT from 1917; CP from 1920
IND from 1928
Maisey, Donald William
(6.5.1915–20.4.2005) Moore WA 30.11.63 Defeated 18.5.74 CP
Marek, Paul
(25.7.1964– ) Capricornia Qld 2.3.96 Defeated 3.10.98 NPA
Marwick, Thomas William
(29.4.1895–3.4.1960)
Swan WA 21.12.401 Defeated 21.8.43 CP
Millar, Percival Clarence
(15.6.1925– )
Wide Bay Qld 18.5.74 Retired
19.2.90 CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
Nehl, Garry Barr
(19.2.1934– ) Cowper NSW 1.12.84 Retired 8.10.2001 NPA
Neville, Paul Christopher
(28.3.1940– ) Hinkler Qld 13.3.93 Retired
5.8.2013 NPA; Nats from Oct 2006; NPA from June 2013 (LNP)#
Nixon, Peter James
(22.3.1928– ) Gippsland Vic 9.12.61 Retired
4.2.83 CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
Nock, Horace Keyworth
(26.10.1879–2.8.1958)
O’Brien, Llewellyn Stephen
(26.6.72-)
O’Dowd, Kenneth Desmond
(30.6.1950-) Riverina

Wide Bay

Flynn NSW

Qld

Qld 19.12.31

2.7.2016

21.8.2010 Defeated 21.9.40 CP

NPA (LNP)

Nats; NPA from June 2013 (LNP)
O’Keefe, Frank Lionel
(6.10.1912–21.4.1989) Paterson NSW 25.10.69 Retired 26.10.84 CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
Page, Earle Christmas Grafton
(8.8.1880–20.12.1961) Cowper NSW 13.12.19 Defeated 9.12.61 AFFO; CP from 1920
Paterson, Thomas
(20.11.1882–24.1.1952) Gippsland Vic 16.12.22 Retired
7.7.43 CP
Pettitt, John Alexander
(25.9.1910–25.12.1977)
Pitt, Keith John
(31.8.1969-) Hume

Hinkler NSW

Qld 30.11.63

7.9.2013 Defeated 2.12.72 CP

Nats; NPA from June 2013 (LNP)
Prowse, John Henry
(16.6.1871–20.5.1944) Swan

Forrest WA

WA 13.12.19

16.12.22 Until elected for Forrest
Defeated 21.8.43 CP
Rankin, George James
(1.5.1867–28.12.1957) Bendigo Vic 23.10.37 Retired 31.10.49 CP (withdrew from Party Room from 1939-43)
Roberton, Hugh Stevenson
(18.12.1900–13.3.1987) Riverina NSW 10.12.49 Resigned 21.1.65 CP
Robinson, Ian Louis
(27.3.1927– 23.3.2017) Cowper

Page NSW

NSW 30.11.63

1.12.84 Until elected for Page
Defeated 24.3.90 CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
Russell, Charles Wilfred
(24.4.1907–21.10.1977) Maranoa Qld 10.12.49 Defeated 28.4.51 CP
St Clair, Stuart Roy
(21.11.1949– ) New England NSW 3.10.98 Defeated 10.11.2001 NPA
Scott, Bruce Craig
(20.10.1943– ) Maranoa Qld 24.3.90 Retired
2.7.2016 NPA; Nats from Oct 2006; NPA from June 2013 (LNP)#
Sharp, John Randall
(15.12.1954– ) Gilmore

Hume NSW

NSW 1.12.84

13.3.93 Until elected for Hume
Retired
31.8.98 NPA
Shaw, George William
(28.7.1913–9.1.1966) Dawson Qld 30.11.63 Died
9.1.66 CP
Sinclair, Ian McCahon
(10.6.1929– ) New England NSW 30.11.63 Retired
31.8.98 CP; NCP from May 1975; NPA from Oct 1982
Slipper, Peter Neil
(14.2.1950– ) Fisher Qld 1.12.84 Defeated 11.7.87 NPA (Re-elected as LIB 13.3.93)
Stewart, Percy Gerald
(18.10.1885–14.10.1931) Wimmera Vic 13.12.19 Died
14.10.31 VFU; CP from 1920;
C PROG from 1926; CP from 1930
Sullivan, John William
(7.2.1929– ) Riverina NSW 18.5.74 Defeated 10.12.77 CP; NCP from May 1975
Tambling, Grant Ernest John
(20.6.1943– ) Northern Territory NT 18.10.80 Defeated 5.3.83 NT-CLP sitting with NCP; NPA from Oct 1982
Thompson, Victor Charles
(10.9.1885–11.5.1968) New England NSW 16.12.22 Defeated 21.9.40 CP
Thomson, David Scott
(21.11.1924–13.10.2013) Leichhardt Qld 13.12.75 Defeated 5.3.83 NCP; NPA from Oct 1982
Thorby, Harold Victor Campbell
(2.10.1888–1.1.1973) Calare NSW 19.12.31 Defeated 21.9.40 CP
Treloar, Thomas John
(1.8.1892–15.11.1953) Gwydir NSW 10.12.49 Died
15.11.53 CP
Truss, Warren Errol
(8.10.1948– ) Wide Bay Qld 24.3.90 Retired
2.7.2017 NPA; Nats from Oct 2006; NPA from June 2013 (LNP)#
Turnbull, Winton George
(13.12.1899–14.1.1980) Wimmera

Mallee Vic

Vic 9.2.461

10.12.49 Until elected for Mallee
Retired
2.11.72 CP
Vaile, Mark Anthony James
(18.4.1956– ) Lyne NSW 13.3.93 Resigned
30.7.2008 NPA; Nats from Oct 2006
Webster, Anne Elizabeth
(19.5.59– )
Whitsitt, Joshua Thomas Hoskins
(1870–14.9.1943) Darwin Tas 16.12.22 Retired
3.10.25 CP
Wienholt, Arnold
(25.11.1877–10.9.1940) Moreton Qld 13.12.19 Retired
6.11.22 NAT; CP from 1920
Wilson, Alexander
(7.6.1880–26.1.1954) Wimmera Vic 23.10.37 Resigned 31.12.45 IND CP; CP from 1943

1 By-election
# Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) from July 2008, following the merger of the National and Liberal parties in Queensland, and continuing to sit in the Commonwealth parliament with The Nationals.
##Joyce was ruled ineligible to sit in Parliament by the High Court of Australia on 27/10/2017 on the grounds that his father’s New Zealand heritage made him a dual citizen, in conflict with the Australian Constitution, at the time of the 2016 federal election. He resoundingly regained his electorate of New England at a by-election 36 days later, on 2 December 2017.

Abbreviations:
AFFO = Australian Farmers’ Federal Organization
ANTI-SOC = Anti-Socialist Party
AUST CP = Australian Country Party
CP = Australian Country Party
C PROG = Country Progressive Party (Victoria)
FSU = Farmers and Settlers Union
IND = Independent
IND CP = Independent Country Party
IND Nats-WA = Independent Western Australian Nationals
LCL = Liberal and Country League (South Australia)
LIB = Liberal Party of Australia
LNP = Liberal National Party of Queensland
NAT = Nationalist Party
NAT & FARMERS = Nationalist and Farmers
Nats = The Nationals
NCP = National Country Party
NPA = National Party of Australia
NT-CLP = Northern Territory Country Liberal Party
REV TAR = Revenue Tariff
UAP = United Australia Party
VFU = Victorian Farmers Union

Longest Serving Senators and Members

Five party senators and members are among the roll of parliamentarians who served more than 30 years in the Commonwealth Parliament:

• Earle Christmas Grafton Page (Cowper, NSW), 42 years
• Walter Jackson Cooper (Senate, Qld), 36 years 7 months
• John McEwen (Echuca, Indi, Murray, Vic) 36 years 5 months
• Ian McCahon Sinclair (New England, NSW) 34 years 9 months
• Ronald Leslie Doyle Boswell (Senate, Qld) 31 years 3 months.

Programs and Publications

Further information on various aspects of the National Party of Australia, its history and personalities, can be found in the following selection of programs and publications:

ABC Television, A Country Road – The Nationals, 2014
ABC Television, Dynasties, episode 6, The Anthonys, 14 December 2004
Anthony, D&M (eds), Letters Home – Diaries and letters of Sapper Hubert Anthony, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2009
Aitkin, DA, The Country Party in New South Wales – A study of Organisaton and Survival, Australian National University Press, Canberra, 1972
Botterill, LC, and Cockfield, G, (eds), The National Party of Australia: Prospects for the great survivors, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2009
Costar, B, and Woodward, D, (eds), Country to National, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1985
Crooke, K, Foundations for a New Era – The Road to Amalgamation, LNP, Brisbane, 2013
Davey, P, Joh for PM – the inside story of an extraordinary political drama, NewSouth Publishing, Sydney, 2015
Davey, P, Ninety Not Out – The Nationals 1920-2010, UNSW Press, Sydney, 2010
Davey, P, Politics in the Blood – The Anthonys of Richmond, UNSW Press, Sydney, 2008
Davey, P, The Country Party Prime Ministers – their trials and tribulations, Dobson’s Printing, Sydney, 2011
Davey, P, The Nationals – The Progressive, Country and National Party in New South Wales 1919 to 2006, The Federation Press, Sydney, 2006
Ellis, UR, A History of the Australian Country Party, Melbourne University Press, 1963
Ellis, UR, A Pen in Politics, Ginninderra Press, Canberra, 2007
Ellis, UR, New Australian States, The Endeavour Press, Sydney, 1933
Ellis, UR, The Country Party – a Political and Social History of the Party in New South Wales, FW Cheshire, Melbourne, 1958
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Authorised Ben Hindmarsh, National Party of Australia 7 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600.
January 2020.