Senate composition at 12 June 1951
Government (32) - (2 seat majority)
Liberal (26)
Country Party (6)
Opposition (28)
Labor (28)
This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1951 to 1953.[1] The 28 April 1951 election was a double dissolution called by Prime Minister of Australia Robert Menzies in an attempt to gain control of the Senate and to pass the Commonwealth Bank Bill,[2] if necessary at a joint sitting of both houses. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 60 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Menzies with coalition partner the Country Party led by Arthur Fadden defeated the Australian Labor Party led by Ben Chifley and gained control of the Senate with 32 seats to Labor's 28.
In accordance with section 13 of the Constitution,[3] terms for senators was taken to commence on 1 July 1950. The first five senators elected in each state were allocated the full six-year terms ending on 30 June 1956 while the other half were allocated three-year terms ending on 30 June 1953.[4]
The Commonwealth Bank Bill was presented to Parliament again on 26 June 1951 and passed both houses.[5][6]
Senator | Party | State | Term ending | Years in office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stan Amour | Labor | New South Wales | 1953 | 1938–1965 | |
John Armstrong | Labor | New South Wales | 1956 | 1938–1962 | |
James Arnold | Labor | New South Wales | 1953 | 1941–1965 | |
Bill Ashley | Labor | New South Wales | 1956 | 1938–1962 | |
Bill Aylett | Labor | Tasmania | 1953 | 1938–1965 | |
Archie Benn | Labor | Queensland | 1956 | 1950–1968 | |
Gordon Brown [a] | Labor | Queensland | 1953 | 1932–1965 | |
Condon Byrne | Labor | Queensland | 1953 | 1951–1959, 1968–1974 | |
Don Cameron | Labor | Victoria | 1956 | 1938–1962 | |
Jack Chamberlain [b] | Liberal | Tasmania | 1956 | 1951–1953 | |
George Cole | Labor | Tasmania | 1953 | 1950–1965 | |
Joe Cooke [c] | Labor | Western Australia | 1953 | 1947–1951, 1952–1965 | |
Walter Cooper | Country | Queensland | 1956 | 1928–1932, 1935–1968 | |
Magnus Cormack | Liberal | Victoria | 1953 | 1951–1953, 1962–1978 | |
Ben Courtice | Labor | Queensland | 1956 | 1937–1962 | |
Jack Critchley | Labor | South Australia | 1953 | 1947–1959 | |
Jack Devlin | Labor | Victoria | 1953 | 1946–1957 | |
Alex Finlay | Labor | South Australia | 1953 | 1944–1953 | |
James Fraser | Labor | Western Australia | 1953 | 1938–1959 | |
John Gorton | Liberal | Victoria | 1953 | 1950–1968 | |
Donald Grant | Labor | New South Wales | 1953 | 1944–1959 | |
Allan Guy | Liberal | Tasmania | 1956 | 1950–1956 | |
Clive Hannaford | Liberal | South Australia | 1956 | 1950–1967 | |
Bert Hendrickson | Labor | Victoria | 1953 | 1947–1971 | |
Denham Henty | Liberal | Tasmania | 1956 | 1950–1968 | |
Roy Kendall | Liberal | Queensland | 1953 | 1950–1965 | |
Keith Laught | Liberal | South Australia | 1953 | 1951–1969 | |
Ted Maher | Country | Queensland | 1953 | 1950–1965 | |
John Marriott [b] | Liberal | Tasmania | 1953,[d] 1959 | 1953, 1953–1975 | |
Ted Mattner | Liberal | South Australia | 1956 | 1944–1946, 1950–1968 | |
John McCallum | Liberal | New South Wales | 1956 | 1950–1962 | |
Nick McKenna | Labor | Tasmania | 1956 | 1944–1968 | |
George McLeay | Liberal | South Australia | 1956 | 1935–1947, 1950–1955 | |
Alister McMullin | Liberal | New South Wales | 1953 | 1951–1971 | |
Bill Morrow | Labor | Tasmania | 1953 | 1947–1953 | |
Richard Nash [c] | Labor | Western Australia | 1953 | 1943–1951 | |
Theo Nicholls | Labor | South Australia | 1956 | 1944–1968 | |
Justin O'Byrne | Labor | Tasmania | 1953 | 1947–1981 | |
Sid O'Flaherty | Labor | South Australia | 1956 | 1944–1962 | |
Neil O'Sullivan | Liberal | Queensland | 1956 | 1947–1962 | |
Shane Paltridge | Liberal | Western Australia | 1953 | 1951–1966 | |
Rex Pearson | Liberal | South Australia | 1953 | 1951–1961 | |
Edmund Piesse [e] | Country | Western Australia | 1956 | 1950–1952 | |
Dame Annabelle Rankin | Liberal | Queensland | 1956 | 1947–1971 | |
George Rankin | Country | Victoria | 1956 | 1950–1956 | |
Albert Reid | Country | New South Wales | 1956 | 1950–1962 | |
Agnes Robertson | Liberal | Western Australia | 1956 | 1950–1962 | |
Bill Robinson [e] | Country | Western Australia | 1953 [d] | 1952–1953 | |
John Ryan | Labor | South Australia | 1953 | 1950–1959 | |
Charles Sandford | Labor | Victoria | 1956 | 1947–1956, 1957–1966 | |
Malcolm Scott | Liberal | Western Australia | 1953 | 1950–1971 | |
Harrie Seward | Country | Western Australia | 1953 | 1951–1958 | |
Jim Sheehan | Labor | Victoria | 1956 | 1938–1940, 1944–1962 | |
John Spicer | Liberal | Victoria | 1956 | 1940–1944, 1950–1956 | |
Bill Spooner | Liberal | New South Wales | 1956 | 1950–1965 | |
Dame Dorothy Tangney | Labor | Western Australia | 1956 | 1943–1968 | |
John Tate | Liberal | New South Wales | 1953 | 1950–1953 | |
Seddon Vincent | Liberal | Western Australia | 1956 | 1950–1964 | |
Robert Wardlaw [b] | Liberal | Tasmania | 1956 | 1953–1962 | |
Dame Ivy Wedgwood | Liberal | Victoria | 1953 | 1950–1971 | |
Don Willesee | Labor | Western Australia | 1956 | 1950–1975 | |
Ian Wood | Liberal | Queensland | 1953 | 1950–1978 | |
Robert Wordsworth | Liberal | Tasmania | 1953 | 1950–1959 | |
Reg Wright | Liberal | Tasmania | 1956 | 1950–1978 |