Members of the Australian Senate, 1956–1959

This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1956 to 1959.[1] Half of its members were elected at the 9 May 1953 election and had terms starting on 1 July 1953 and finishing on 30 June 1959; the other half were elected at the 10 December 1955 election and had terms starting on 1 July 1956 and finishing on 30 June 1962. The process for filling casual vacancies was complex. While senators were elected for a six-year term, people appointed to a casual vacancy only held office until the earlier of the next election for the House of Representatives or the Senate.[2]

Senator	Party		State	End term	Years in Office
Stan Amour		Labor	New South Wales	1959	1938–1965
Ken Anderson		Liberal	New South Wales	1959	1953–1975
Hon. John Armstrong		Labor	New South Wales	1962	1938–1962
James Arnold		Labor	New South Wales	1959	1941–1965
Hon. Bill Ashley [lower-alpha 1]		Labor	New South Wales	1962	1938–1958
Bill Aylett		Labor	Tasmania	1959	1938–1965
Archie Benn		Labor	Queensland	1962	1950–1968
George Branson [lower-alpha 2]		Liberal	Western Australia	1959	1958–1971
Hon. Gordon Brown [lower-alpha 3]		Labor	Queensland	1959	1932–1965
Nancy Buttfield		Liberal	South Australia	1962	1955–1965, 1968–1974
Condon Byrne		Labor/QLP [lower-alpha 4]	Queensland	1959	1951–1959, 1968–1974
Hon. Don Cameron		Labor	Victoria	1962	1938–1962
George Cole		ALP (A–C)/DLP [lower-alpha 5]	Tasmania	1959	1950–1965
Joe Cooke		Labor	Western Australia	1959	1947–1951, 1952–1965
Hon. Walter Cooper		Country	Queensland	1962	1928–1932, 1935–1968
Hon. Ben Courtice		Labor	Queensland	1962	1937–1962
Jack Critchley		Labor	South Australia	1959	1947–1959
Jack Devlin [lower-alpha 6]		Labor	Victoria	1959	1946–1957
Tom Drake-Brockman [lower-alpha 2]		Country	Western Australia	1958 [lower-alpha 7]	1958, 1959–1978
Hon. James Fraser		Labor	Western Australia	1959	1938–1959
Hon. John Gorton		Liberal	Victoria	1959	1950–1968
Donald Grant		Labor	New South Wales	1959	1944–1959
Clive Hannaford		Liberal	South Australia	1962	1950–1967
George Hannan [lower-alpha 8]		Liberal	Victoria	1958 [lower-alpha 7]	1956–1965, 1970–1974
John Harris		Labor	Western Australia	1959	1947–1951, 1953–1959
Bert Hendrickson		Labor	Victoria	1959	1947–1971
Hon. Denham Henty		Liberal	Tasmania	1962	1950–1968
Roy Kendall		Liberal	Queensland	1959	1950–1965
Pat Kennelly		Labor	Victoria	1959	1953–1971
Keith Laught		Liberal	South Australia	1959	1951–1969
Ted Maher		Country	Queensland	1959	1950–1965
John Marriott		Liberal	Tasmania	1959	1953–1975
Hon. Ted Mattner		Liberal	South Australia	1962	1944–1946, 1950–1968
John McCallum		Liberal	New South Wales	1962	1950–1962
Colin McKellar [lower-alpha 1]		Country	New South Wales	1962	1958–1970
Hon. Nick McKenna		Labor	Tasmania	1962	1944–1968
Frank McManus		ALP (A–C)/DLP [lower-alpha 5]	Victoria	1962	1956–1962, 1965–1974
Hon. Alister McMullin		Liberal	New South Wales	1959	1951–1971
Theo Nicholls		Labor	South Australia	1962	1944–1968
Justin O'Byrne		Labor	Tasmania	1959	1947–1981
Sid O'Flaherty		Labor	South Australia	1962	1944–1962
James Ormonde [lower-alpha 1]		Labor	New South Wales	1958 [lower-alpha 7]	1958, 1959–1970
Hon. Neil O'Sullivan		Liberal	Queensland	1962	1947–1962
Hon Shane Paltridge		Liberal	Western Australia	1962	1951–1966
Rex Pearson		Liberal	South Australia	1959	1951–1961
Bob Poke		Labor	Tasmania	1962	1956–1974
Dame Annabelle Rankin		Liberal	Queensland	1962	1947–1971
Albert Reid		Country	New South Wales	1962	1950–1962
Agnes Robertson		Country	Western Australia	1962	1950–1962
John Ryan		Labor	South Australia	1959	1950–1959
Charles Sandford [lower-alpha 6]		Labor	Victoria	1958,[lower-alpha 7] 1962	1947–1956, 1957–1966
Malcolm Scott		Liberal	Western Australia	1959	1950–1971
Harrie Seward [lower-alpha 2]		Country	Western Australia	1959	1951–1958
Jim Sheehan		Labor	Victoria	1962	1938–1940, 1944–1962
Hon. John Spicer [lower-alpha 8]		Liberal	Victoria	1962	1940–1944, 1950–1956
Hon. Bill Spooner		Liberal	New South Wales	1962	1950–1965
Dame Dorothy Tangney		Labor	Western Australia	1962	1943–1968
Jim Toohey		Labor	South Australia	1959	1953–1971
Seddon Vincent		Liberal	Western Australia	1962	1950–1964
Harrie Wade		Country	Victoria	1962	1956–1964
Robert Wardlaw		Liberal	Tasmania	1962	1953–1962
Dame Ivy Wedgwood		Liberal	Victoria	1959	1950–1971
Don Willesee		Labor	Western Australia	1962	1950–1975
Ian Wood		Liberal	Queensland	1959	1950–1978
Robert Wordsworth		Liberal	Tasmania	1959	1950–1959
Reg Wright		Liberal	Tasmania	1962	1950–1978

Senate composition at 1 July 1956

Government (30) - (1 seat minority)[lower-roman 1]
  Liberal (24)
  Country Party (6) [lower-roman 2]

Opposition (28)
  Labor (28) [lower-roman 1] [lower-roman 3]

Crossbench (2)
  ALP (Anti-Communist)/DLP (2) [lower-roman 4]
 
Changes in composition

1. At the November 1958 election Labor senator James Ormonde was elected to a full term seat, from 1 July 1959 to 30 June 1965 and Country Party candidate Colin McKellar was elected to fill the casual vacancy ending on 30 June 1962, giving the government a majority in the Senate.
2. At the November 1958 election Country Party Senator Tom Drake-Brockman was elected to a full term from 1 July 1959 to 30 June 1965 and Liberal candidate George Branson was elected to fill the balance of the casual vacancy ending on 30 June 1959.
3. Condon Byrne split from the Labor Party in 1957, joining the Queensland Labor Party.
4. The Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist) changed its name to the Democratic Labour Party in 1957.

Notes

1. Labor Senator Bill Ashley died on 27 June 1958; Labor member James Ormonde was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 30 July, expiring at the November 1958 election. At the 1958 election, Ormonde was elected to a full term seat, from 1 July 1959 to 30 June 1965 and Country Party candidate Colin McKellar was elected to fill the casual vacancy ending on 30 June 1962.
2. Country Party Senator Harrie Seward died on 23 July 1958; Country Party member Tom Drake-Brockman was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 12 August, expiring at the November 1958 election. Liberal candidate George Branson was elected to fill the balance of the casual vacancy ending on 30 June 1959. Drake-Brockman was elected to a full term from 1 July 1959 to 30 June 1965.
3. Father of the Senate
4. Condon Byrne split from the Labor Party in 1957, joining the Queensland Labor Party.
5. The Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist) changed its name to the Democratic Labour Party in 1957.
6. Labor Senator Jack Devlin died on 26 May 1957; former Labor Senator Charles Sandford was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 6 June, expiring at the November 1958 election, when he was elected to fill the balance of the vacancy ending on 30 June 1962.
7. Appointed to a casual vacancy and only held office until the earlier of the next election for the House of Representatives or the Senate.[2]
8. Liberal Senator John Spicer resigned on 13 August 1956 to be appointed to the Commonwealth Industrial Court; Liberal member George Hannan was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 28 August, expiring at the November 1958 election, when he was elected to fill the balance of the vacancy ending on 30 June 1962.

References

1. "The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate 1956". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
2. Evans, H. "Filling Casual Vacancies before 1977" (PDF). The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate, Volume 3. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 24 February 2017.

• Journals of the Senate. Parliament of Australia. 1959.
• "Members of the Senate since 1901". Parliamentary Handbook. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 28 November 2008.