8
April 2021
PDF version [352KB]
Nathan
Church
Politics and Public Administration Section
This Quick Guide provides information about the
youngest and oldest federal parliamentarians at the time of their
election/appointment to the Australian parliament and various offices including
as Prime Minister or Presiding Officers.
This paper lists parliamentarians by their age (in
years, months and days), political party affiliation (at the time of their
election/appointment if filling a casual vacancy), electorate (if applicable)
and the date of their initial election or appointment. The age of elected
Senators is calculated by their age at the date they were sworn-in as Senators,
not the date of their election. Links to each parliamentarian’s Parliamentary
Handbook biography are included.
Legally, the youngest a parliamentarian can be is 18
years of age, as legislated in section 163 of the Commonwealth
Electoral Act 1918. The Constitution
(section 34) initially set the minimum age at 21, but this was amended in 1973
to the current requirement. There is no maximum age enforced for
parliamentarians.
The following information is divided into Members of the House of
Representatives and Senators by state/territory and position (senior Government
and Opposition office holders). The lists include six parliamentarians serving
in the current 46th Parliament: Senators Jordon Steele-John, James Paterson,
Pat Dodson and Scott Ryan, and MPs David Smith and Richard Marles.
Youngest person elected to the
House of Representatives
Australia and Qld: Wyatt
Roy 20 years, 2 months, 30 days [Liberal Party, Longman, first elected
21.8.2010]
WA: Edwin
Corboy 22 years, 2 months, 2 days [Labor Party, Swan, first elected
26.10.1918]
SA: Andrew
Jones 22 years, 6 months [Liberal Party, Adelaide, first elected
26.11.1966]
Tas.: Charles
Falkinder 25 years, 30 days [Liberal Party, Franklin, first elected
28.9.1946]
NSW: Hubert
Lazzarini 25 years, 3 months, 5 days [Labor Party, Werriwa, first elected
13.12.1919]
Vic.: Christian
Zahra 25 years, 5 months, 25 days [Labor Party, McMillan, first elected
3.10.1998]
ACT: Steven
Dargavel 30 years, 7 months, 22 days [Labor Party, Fraser, first elected
1.2.1997]
NT: John
Reeves 31 years, 2 months, 3 days [Labor Party, Northern Territory, first
elected 5.3.1983]
Youngest person elected/appointed to
the Senate
Australia and WA: Jordon
Steele-John 23 years, 27 days [Australian Greens, first appointed
10.11.2017]
Qld: William
‘Bill’ O’Chee 24 years, 10 months, 19 days [Nationals, first appointed
8.5.1990]
SA: Natasha
Stott Despoja 26 years, 2 months, 20 days [Australian Democrats, first
appointed 29.11.1995]
ACT: Kate
Lundy 28 years, 2 months, 18 days [Labor Party, first elected 2.3.1996]
Vic.: James
Paterson 28 years, 3 months, 18 days [Liberal Party, first appointed
9.3.2016]
NSW: Kerry
Nettle 28 years, 6 months, 8 days [Australian Greens, first elected
1.7.2002]
Tas.: John
Keating 28 years, 9 months, 1 day [Protectionist, first elected 29.3.1901]
NT: Robert
‘Bob’ Collins 41 years, 5 months, 3 days [Labor Party, first elected
11.7.1987]
Oldest person elected to the House
of Representatives
Australia and Tas.: Edward
Braddon 71 years, 9 months, 18 days [Free Trade, Tasmania, first elected
29.3.1901]
NSW: John
Lang 69 years, 9 months, 7 days [Lang Labor Party, Reid, first elected
28.9.1946]
Qld: Francis
Baker 67 years, 3 months, 22 days [Labor Party, Maranoa, first elected
21.9.1940]
Vic.: Joseph
Brown 63 years, 10 months, 5 days [Anti-Socialist Party, Indi, first
elected 12.12.1906]
SA: Albert
Smith 62 years, 7 months, 19 days [Labor Party, Wakefield, first elected
21.8.1943]
ACT: Lewis
Nott 61 years, 9 months, 28 days [Independent, Australian Capital
Territory, first elected 10.12.1949]
WA: Elias
Solomon 61 years, 6 months, 27 days [Free Trade, Fremantle, first elected
29.3.1901]
NT: Nicholas
‘Nick’ Dondas 56 years, 4 months, 7 days [Country Liberal Party, Northern
Territory, first elected 2.3.1996]
Oldest person elected/appointed to
the Senate
Australia and SA: Frederick
Ward 75 years, 1 month, 21 days [Labor Party, first elected 1.7.1947]
NSW: Cleaver
Bunton 72 years, 9 months, 22 days [Independent, first appointed 27.2.1975]
Vic.: Derryn
Hinch 72 years, 4 months, 23 days [Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party, first
elected 2.7.2016]
Qld: John
Ferguson 71 years, 15 days [Free Trade, first elected 30.3.1901]
Tas.: Richard
Darcey 68 years, 4 months, 5 days [Labor Party, first elected 1.7.1938]
WA: Patrick
‘Pat’ Dodson 68 years, 2 months, 30 days [Labor Party, first appointed
28.4.2016]
NT: Bernard
Kilgariff 52 years, 2 months, 13 days [National Country Party, first
elected 13.12.1975]
ACT: David
Smith 48 years, 1 month, 29 days [Labor Party, first appointed 23.5.2018]
Youngest office holders at
appointment
Prime Minister: John
‘Chris’ Watson 37 years, 18 days [Labor Party, appointed 27.4.1904]
Deputy Prime Minister: John
‘Doug’ Anthony 41 years, 1 month, 5 days [Country Party, appointed
5.2.1971]
Opposition Leader: John
‘Chris’ Watson 37 years, 4 months, 9 days [Labor Party, appointed
18.8.1904]
Deputy Opposition Leader: Michael
Wooldridge 36 years, 4 months, 16 days [Liberal Party, appointed 23.3.1993]
President of the Senate: Scott
Ryan 44 years, 6 months, 1 day [Liberal Party, appointed 13.11.2017]
Speaker of the House of Representatives: Norman
Makin 40 years, 7 months, 20 days [Labor Party, appointed 20.11.1929]
Treasurer: John
‘Chris’ Watson 37 years, 18 days [Labor Party, appointed 27.4.1904]
Shadow Treasurer: Peter
Costello 36 years, 9 months, 12 days [Liberal Party, appointed 26.5.1994]
Cabinet Minister: Charles
Frazer 30 years, 3 months, 27 days [Labor Party, appointed 29.4.1910]
Member of Government Ministry: Wyatt
Roy 25 years, 3 months, 30 days [Liberal Party, appointed 21.9.2015]
Member of Shadow Ministry: Christian
Zahra 28 years, 7 months, 17 days [Labor Party, appointed 25.11.2001]
Leader of the Government in the Senate: John
Daly 37 years, 11 months, 12 days [Labor Party, appointed 22.10.1929]
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate: Gareth
Evans 42 years, 5 months, 12 days [Labor Party, appointed 17.2.1987]
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate: John
Daly 37 years, 7 months, 21 days [Labor Party, appointed 1.7.1929]
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate: John
Daly 37 years, 4 months, 11 days [Labor Party, appointed 21.3.1929]
Oldest office holders at appointment
Prime Minister: John
McEwen 67 years, 8 months, 21 days [Country Party, appointed 19.12.1967]
Deputy Prime Minister: John
McEwen 67 years, 9 months, 12 days [Country Party, appointed 10.1.1968]
Opposition Leader: Joseph
‘Ben’ Chifley 64 years, 4 months, 30 days [Labor Party, appointed
21.2.1950]
Deputy Opposition Leader: Richard
Marles 51 years, 10 months, 17 days [Labor Party, appointed 30.5.2019]
President of the Senate: John
Hayes 70 years, 2 months, 10 days [United Australia Party, appointed
1.7.1938]
Speaker of the House of Representatives: Bronwyn
Bishop 71 years, 24 days [Liberal Party, appointed 12.11.2013]
Treasurer: William
Lyne 63 years, 3 months, 24 days [Protectionist, appointed 30.7.1907]
Shadow Treasurer: Robert
‘Bob’ McMullan 53 years, 11 months, 15 days [Labor Party, appointed
25.11.2001]
Cabinet Minister: Joseph
Collings 76 years, 4 months, 27 days [Labor Party, appointed 7.10.1941]
Member of the Government Ministry: Joseph
Collings 76 years, 4 months, 27 days [Labor Party, appointed 7.10.1941]
Member of the Shadow Ministry: John
Leckie 70 years, 11 months, 8 days [United Australia Party, appointed
22.9.1943]
Leader of the Government in the Senate: Joseph
Collings 76 years, 4 months, 27 days [Labor Party, appointed 7.10.1941]
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate: Donald
Cameron 68 years, 4 months, 30 days [Labor Party, appointed 18.6.1946]
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate: Joseph
Collings 70 years, 1 month, 21 days [Labor Party, appointed 1.7.1935]
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate: John
Leckie 70 years, 11 months, 8 days [United Australia Party/Liberal Party,
appointed 22.9.1943]
Further Reading
For other
Parliamentary Library statistical publications regarding parliamentarians see:
For copyright reasons some linked items are only available to members of Parliament.
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