List of Indigenous Australian politicians

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This is a list of Indigenous Australians who have been members of Australian legislatures—federal, state or territory. This list does not cover those elected to local councils (including mayors), Governors/Governors-General, leaders of political parties (outside of parliament), Indigenous Australians actively involved in political institutions and those who have run unsuccessfully for office.

There have been 33 Indigenous members of the ten Australian legislatures, beginning when Neville Bonner entered the Australian Senate on 15 August 1971. Of these, seventeen have been elected to the Northern Territory assembly, six to the Australian Federal Parliament, four to the parliament of Western Australia, three to the parliament of Queensland and one each to the parliaments of Tasmania and New South Wales and one to the Australian Capital Territory assembly.

Out of the 33 Indigenous Australians elected to any Australian Parliament, 12 have been women.

Nobody of acknowledged Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander ancestry has been a member of the parliaments of South Australia or Victoria or of the Norfolk Island assembly.[citation needed]

Note: There is considerable debate surrounding the complexity of Indigenous identity. Therefore, this list only includes those who identify themselves as Indigenous Australian. Also note that "origin" or "ancestry" refers to the Indigenous groups, communities, countries, place names or languages which that person identifies with. Some individuals do not have any specific Indigenous group identity and some have multiple identities.

Federal Parliament

Six Indigenous Australian people have been members of the Parliament of Australia (the Federal Parliament), five in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives.

№ Name Party Chamber Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Neville Bonner   Liberal Senate Queensland Jagera 15 August 1971 4 February 1983 [1]
2 Aden Ridgeway   Democrats Senate New South Wales Gumbaynggirr 1 July 1999 30 June 2005 [2]
3 Ken Wyatt   Liberal House Hasluck (WA) Noongar
Wangai
Yamatji		 21 August 2010 incumbent [3]
4 Nova Peris   Labor Senate Northern Territory Gija (WA)
Iwaidja
Yawuru (WA)		 7 September 2013 incumbent [4]
5 Joanna Lindgren   LNP Senate Queensland Jagera
Mununjali		 21 May 2015 incumbent [5]
6 Patrick Dodson   Labor Senate Western Australia Yawuru 28 April 2016 incumbent [6]

At least three other members of the Federal Parliament have had acknowledged Indigenous ancestry, but were not generally regarded as Indigenous themselves.

№ Name Party Chamber Constituency Ancestry Term start Term end Ref
1 David Kennedy   Labor House Bendigo (Vic.) Palawa 7 June 1969 2 December 1972 [7]
2 Mal Brough   Liberal House Longman (Qld.) unknown (WA) 2 March 1996 24 November 2007 [8]
  LNP Fisher (Qld.) 7 September 2013 incumbent
3 Jacqui Lambie   PUP Senate Tasmania Palawa 1 July 2014 24 November 2014 [9]
  Independent 24 November 2014 incumbent

Parliament of the Australian Capital Territory

One Indigenous Australian person has been a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, the single chamber of the unicameral Parliament of the Australian Capital Territory.

№ Name Party Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Chris Bourke   Labor Ginninderra 1 June 2011 incumbent [10]

Parliament of New South Wales

One Indigenous Australian person has been a member of the Parliament of New South Wales.

№ Name Party Chamber Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Linda Burney   Labor Legislative Assembly Canterbury Wiradjuri 22 March 2003 incumbent [11]

Parliament of the Northern Territory

Seventeen Indigenous Australian people have been members of the unicameral Parliament of the Northern Territory.

№ Name Party Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Hyacinth Tungutalum   CLP Tiwi Tiwi 19 October 1974 13 August 1977 [12]
2 Neville Perkins   Labor MacDonnell Arrernte 13 August 1977 6 March 1981
3 Wes Lanhupuy   Labor Arnhem Yolngu 3 December 1983 25 August 1995
4 Stanley Tipiloura   Labor Arafura Tiwi 7 March 1987 20 September 1992
5 Maurice Rioli   Labor Arafura Tiwi 7 November 1992 17 August 2001
6 Jack Ah Kit   Labor Arnhem Arrernte 7 October 1995 18 June 2005
7 Matthew Bonson   Labor Millner 18 August 2001 8 August 2008
8 Elliot McAdam   Labor Barkly Jingili 18 August 2001 8 August 2008
9 Marion Scrymgour   Labor Arafura Tiwi 18 August 2001 4 June 2009 [13]
  Independent 4 June 2009 4 August 2009
  Labor 4 August 2009 6 August 2012
10 Alison Anderson   Labor MacDonnell Arrernte 18 June 2005 4 August 2009
  Independent 4 August 2009 9 September 2011
  CLP 9 September 2011 25 August 2012
Namatjira 25 August 2012 4 April 2014
  Independent 4 April 2014 27 April 2014
  PUP 27 April 2014 29 November 2014
  Independent 29 November 2014 incumbent
11 Malarndirri McCarthy   Labor Arnhem Yanyuwa 18 June 2005 6 August 2012 [14]
12 Karl Hampton   Labor Stuart 23 September 2006 6 August 2012
13 Adam Giles   CLP Braitling Kamilaroi (NSW) 9 August 2008 incumbent
14 Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu   CLP Arafura Tiwi 25 August 2012 4 April 2014
  Independent 4 April 2014 27 April 2014
  PUP 27 April 2014 8 September 2014
  CLP 8 September 2014 incumbent
15 Larisa Lee   CLP Arnhem Jawoyn 25 August 2012 4 April 2014
  Independent 4 April 2014 27 April 2014
  PUP 27 April 2014 29 November 2014
  Independent 29 November 2014 incumbent
16 Ken Vowles   Labor Johnston 25 August 2012 incumbent
17 Bess Price   CLP Stuart Warlpiri 25 August 2012 incumbent

Parliament of Queensland

Three Indigenous Australian people have been members of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland.

№ Name Party Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Eric Deeral   Country Cook Guugu Yimithirr 7 December 1974 12 November 1977 [15]
2 Leeanne Enoch   Labor Algester Nunukul
Quandamooka		 31 January 2015 incumbent [16]
3 Billy Gordon   Labor Cook 31 January 2015 29 March 2015 [17]
  Independent 29 March 2015 incumbent

Parliament of Tasmania

One Indigenous Australian person has been a member of the Parliament of Tasmania.

№ Name Party Chamber Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Kathryn Hay   Labor House of Assembly Bass Noongar (WA) 20 July 2002 18 March 2006 [18]

At least one other member of the Parliament of Tasmania has acknowledged Indigenous ancestry, but is not generally regarded as Indigenous themselves.

№ Name Party Chamber Constituency Ancestry Term start Term end Ref
1 Paul Harriss   Independent Legislative Council Huon 25 May 1996 24 February 2014 [19]
  Liberal House of Assembly Franklin 15 March 2014 incumbent

Parliament of Victoria

No Indigenous Australians have been a member of the Parliament of Victoria. However, at least two members have had acknowledged Indigenous ancestry, but were not generally regarded as Indigenous themselves.

№ Name Party Chamber Constituency Ancestry Term start Term end Ref
1 Cyril Kennedy   Labor Legislative Council Waverley Palawa 5 May 1979 2 October 1992 [20]
2 David Kennedy   Labor Legislative Assembly Bendigo Palawa 3 April 1982 1 March 1985 [7]
  Bendigo West 1 March 1985 2 October 1992

Parliament of Western Australia

Four Indigenous Australian people have been members of the Parliament of Western Australia, all of whom were elected to the Legislative Assembly (the lower house).

№ Name Party Chamber Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Ernie Bridge   Labor Legislative Assembly Kimberley 23 February 1980 27 July 1996 [21]
  Independent 27 July 1996 10 February 2001
2 Carol Martin   Labor Legislative Assembly Kimberley 10 February 2001 9 March 2013 [22]
3 Ben Wyatt   Labor Legislative Assembly Victoria Park Yamatji 11 March 2006 incumbent [23]
4 Josie Farrer   Labor Legislative Assembly Kimberley 9 March 2013 incumbent

See also

References

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  4. ↑ Nova Peris elected as first Indigenous woman in Federal Parliament, ABC News, 9 September 2013.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kennedy, (Andrew) David – Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Labor's Leeanne Enoch to become one of two Indigenous MPs, ABC News, 1 February 2015.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Tasmanian Parliamentary History - FAQ – Tasmanian Parliamentary Library. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  20. ↑ Kennedy, Cyril James – Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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