Updated 11 July 2017
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Hannah Gobbett
Politics and Public Administration Section
This Quick Guide provides information about Indigenous
Australian federal and state parliamentarians, from the election of the first
Indigenous Australian to the Federal Parliament—former senator
Neville Bonner—until September 2016.
For the purposes of this Quick Guide, ‘Indigenous parliamentarian’
refers to a parliamentarian who identifies as Indigenous or as having
Indigenous ancestry. This Quick Guide lists the name, party, dates in office,
chamber, state/electorate and significant firsts.
The 45th Parliament currently includes five Indigenous parliamentarians—three
senators and two members of the House of Representatives. Ken
Wyatt AM, MP is the Member for Hasluck (WA) and Linda
Burney, MP is the Member for Barton (NSW), while the Senate includes senators
Patrick
(Pat) Dodson (ALP), Jacqui
Lambie (IND) and Malarndirri
McCarthy (ALP).
This information is compiled from a range of sources
including the Commonwealth Parliamentary
Handbook, The
Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate, state parliaments, political
websites and personal biographies. Where available, a hyperlink to biographies
has been included.
The Parliamentary Library would appreciate receiving
additional information or corrections that may assist in compiling future
updates.
Abbreviations
AD |
Australian Democrats |
LA |
Legislative Assembly |
ALP |
Australian Labor Party |
LC |
Legislative Council |
CLP |
Country Liberal Party |
HA |
House of Assembly |
IND |
Independent |
|
LIB |
Liberal Party of Australia |
The Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and
Queensland have unicameral parliaments. |
NP |
National Party |
PUP |
Palmer United Party |
|
Indigenous federal parliamentarians
-
Neville Bonner (Senate, Qld, LIB; IND) was the first Indigenous member
of parliament in 1971.
-
Ken Wyatt (House of Representatives, WA, LIB) is the first
Indigenous member of the House of Representatives, elected in 2010. He is also
the first Indigenous member of parliament to hold a ministerial position as the
Assistant Minister for Health from 30 September 2015.
-
Linda Burney (House of Representatives, NSW, ALP) is the first
Indigenous female member of the House of Representatives, elected in 2016. She
was also the first and only Indigenous member of the New South Wales
Parliament, having been elected in 2003.
-
Nova Peris, OAM (Senate, NT, ALP) was the first female Indigenous
senator, serving from 2013 to 2016.
-
Joanna Lindgren (Senate, Qld, LIB), who served from 2015 to 2016,
is the great-niece
of Neville Bonner.
-
David Kennedy was the first Indigenous individual to be elected
to both a state parliament and the Federal Parliament, having served as the ALP
Member for Bendigo (1969–1972) prior to entering the Victorian Parliament in
1982 (MLA, ALP). However, his Indigenous heritage was not known when he entered
both parliaments nor did he self-identify as Indigenous at that time.[1]
For these reasons Neville Bonner is recorded as the first Indigenous federal parliamentarian.
-
Linda Burney and Malarndirri McCarthy are the first Indigenous
women to be elected to both a state/territory parliament and the Federal
Parliament. They served in the New South Wales and Northern Territory
parliaments, respectively, prior to being elected to the Federal Parliament.
For further information see the ‘Indigenous state parliamentarians’ section below.
Name |
Party |
First |
Chamber |
State or electorate |
From |
To |
David Kennedy |
ALP |
|
House |
Bendigo (Vic.) |
*07.06.1969 |
02.12.1972 |
Neville Bonner |
LIB; IND from Feb. 1983 |
Indigenous member of parliament |
Senate |
Queensland |
*11.06.1971 |
04.02.1983 |
Aden Ridgeway |
AD |
|
Senate |
New South Wales |
01.07.1999 |
30.06.2005 |
Kenneth (Ken) Wyatt |
LIB |
Indigenous member of the House of Representatives |
House |
Hasluck (WA) |
21.08.2010 |
current |
Nova Peris |
ALP |
Female Indigenous senator |
Senate |
Northern Territory |
07.09.2013 |
09.05.2016 |
Jacqui Lambie |
PUP; IND from Nov. 2014 |
|
Senate |
Tasmania |
01.07.2014 |
current |
Joanna Lindgren |
LIB |
|
Senate |
Queensland |
*21.05.2015 |
02.07.2016 |
Patrick (Pat) Dodson |
ALP |
|
Senate |
Western Australia |
*28.04.2016 |
current |
Linda Burney |
ALP |
Female Indigenous member of the House of Representatives |
House |
Barton (NSW) |
02.07.2016 |
current |
Malarndirri McCarthy |
ALP |
|
Senate |
Northern Territory |
02.07.2016 |
current |
* Selected under Section
15 of the Australian Constitution in the
Senate or at a by-election in the House of Representatives.
Source: compiled by the Parliamentary Library.
Indigenous state parliamentarians
-
Hyacinth Tungutalum (Northern Territory Legislative Assembly,
CLP) was the first Indigenous person elected to any state/territory parliament,
in October 1974.
-
Adam Giles (Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, CLP), was
the first Indigenous head of government as the Chief Minister of the Northern
Territory from 14 March 2013 to 27 August 2016.
-
Ernie Bridge (Western Australian Legislative Assembly, ALP; IND)
was the first Indigenous Cabinet minister in any Australian government, as
Minister for Water Resources, the North-West and Aboriginal Affairs, a position
he held from July 1986 until February 1989.
-
Marion Scrymgour (Northern Territory Legislative Assembly) was
the first female Indigenous minister in 2003; she was later appointed as the
Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, becoming (at that time) the highest-ranked
Indigenous parliamentarian in Australian history.
-
Cyril and Andrew Kennedy were the first brothers of Indigenous
heritage to serve concurrently in any state parliament, having both served in
the Victorian Parliament from 1982 until 1992.
-
John Ah Kit and his daughter Ngaree Ah Kit are the first
Indigenous father and daughter to serve in any state parliament, having both
been elected to the Northern Territory Parliament.
Key
Δ First Indigenous parliamentarian in that state
Name |
State |
Party |
Chamber |
From |
To |
Linda BurneyΔ |
NSW |
ALP |
LA |
22.03.2003 |
06.05.2016 |
Jai Rowell |
NSW |
LP |
LA |
26.03.2011 |
current |
Eric DeeralΔ |
Qld |
NP |
LA |
07.12.1974 |
12.11.1977 |
Leeanne Enoch |
Qld |
ALP |
LA |
31.01.2015 |
current |
William (Billy) Gordon |
Qld |
ALP; IND from Mar. 2015 |
LA |
31.01.2015 |
current |
Cyril KennedyΔ |
Vic. |
ALP |
LC |
05.05.1979 |
2.10.1992 |
David (Andrew) Kennedy |
Vic. |
ALP |
LA |
03.04.1982
02.03.1985 |
01.03.1985
02.10.1992 |
Ernest (Ernie) BridgeΔ |
WA |
ALP; IND from Jul. 1996 |
LA |
23.02.1980 |
10.02.2001 |
Carol Martin |
WA |
ALP |
LA |
10.02.2001 |
09.03.2013 |
Benjamin (Ben) Wyatt |
WA |
ALP |
LA |
11.03.2006 |
current |
Josephine (Josie) Farrer |
WA |
ALP |
LA |
09.03.2013 |
current |
Hyacinth TungutalumΔ |
NT |
CLP |
LA |
19.10.1974 |
12.08.1977 |
Neville Perkins |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
13.08.1977 |
06.03.1981 |
Wesley Lanhupuy |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
03.12.1983 |
25.08.1995 |
Stanley Tipiloura |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
07.03.1987 |
20.09.1992 |
Maurice Rioli |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
07.11.1992 |
17.08.2001 |
John Ah Kit |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
07.10.1995 |
17.06.2005 |
Matthew Bonson |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
18.08.2001 |
08.08.2008 |
Elliot McAdam |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
18.08.2001 |
08.08.2008 |
Marion Scrymgour |
NT |
ALP; IND from June 2009; ALP from Aug. 2009 |
LA |
18.08.2001 |
24.08.2012 |
Alison Anderson |
NT |
ALP; IND from Aug. 2009; CLP from Sept. 2011; PUP from
Apr. 2014; IND from Nov. 2014 |
LA |
08.06.2005 |
27.08.2016 |
Malarndirri McCarthy |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
08.06.2005 |
24.08.2012 |
Karl Hampton |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
23.09.2006 |
24.08.2012 |
Adam Giles |
NT |
CLP |
LA |
09.08.2008 |
27.08.2016 |
Bess Price |
NT |
CLP |
LA |
25.08.2012 |
27.08.2016 |
Francis Kurrupuwu |
NT |
CLP; PUP from Apr. 2014; CLP from Sept. 2014 |
LA |
25.08.2012 |
27.08.2016 |
Larisa Lee |
NT |
CLP; PUP from May 2014; IND from Nov. 2014 |
LA |
25.08.2012 |
27.08.2016 |
Kenneth (Ken) Vowles |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
25.08.2012 |
current |
Ngaree Ah Kit |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
27.08.2016 |
current |
Lawrence Costa |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
27.08.2016 |
current |
Yingiya Mark Guyula |
NT |
IND |
LA |
27.08.2016 |
current |
Chansey Paeche |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
27.08.2016 |
current |
Selena Uibo |
NT |
ALP |
LA |
27.08.2016 |
current |
Christopher (Chris) Bourke Δ |
ACT |
ALP |
LA |
02.06.2011 |
current |
Paul HarrissΔ |
Tas. |
IND
LIB |
LC
HA |
25.05.1996
30.03.2014 |
24.02.2014
18.02.2016 |
Kathryn Hay |
Tas. |
ALP |
HA |
20.07.2002 |
18.03.2006 |
Source: compiled by the Parliamentary Library.
[1].
P Biongiourno, ‘Outgoing
ALP National President discusses the ALP and the ALP conference’, Meet
the Press, transcript, 30 July 2000, accessed 17 October 2016.
For copyright reasons some linked items are only available to members of Parliament.
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