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1953

This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1951 to 1953. 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 a bill to ban the Communist Party of Australia, 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, 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.

Senator Party State End term Years in Office
Stan Amour   Labor New South Wales 1953 1938–1965
Hon John Armstrong   Labor New South Wales 1956 1938–1962
James Arnold   Labor New South Wales 1953 1941–1965
Hon. Bill Ashley   Labor New South Wales 1956 1938–1962
Bill Aylett   Labor Tasmania 1953 1938–1965
Archie Benn   Labor Queensland 1956 1950–1968
Hon. Gordon Brown [a]   Labor Queensland 1953 1932–1965
Condon Byrne   Labor Queensland 1953 1951–1959, 1968–1974
Hon. 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
Hon. Walter Cooper   Country Queensland 1956 1928–1932, 1935–1968
Magnus Cormack   Liberal Victoria 1953 1951–1953, 1962–1978
Hon. 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
Hon. 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
John McCallum   Liberal New South Wales 1956 1950–1962
Hon. Nick McKenna   Labor Tasmania 1956 1944–1968
Hon. George McLeay   Liberal South Australia 1956 1935–1947, 1950–1955
Hon. Alister McMullin   Liberal New South Wales 1953 1951–1971
Ted Maher   Country Queensland 1953 1950–1965
John Marriott [b]   Liberal Tasmania 1953,[d] 1959 1953, 1953–1975
Hon. Ted Mattner   Liberal South Australia 1956 1944–1946, 1950–1968
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
Hon. Neil O'Sullivan   Liberal Queensland 1956 1947–1962
Hon 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
Hon. John Spicer   Liberal Victoria 1956 1940–1944, 1950–1956
Hon. 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

  1.  Father of the Senate
  2. ^ Jump up to:a b c Liberal Senator Jack Chamberlain died on 16 January 1953; Liberal member John Marriott was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 3 March, expiring at the May 1953 Senate election, when he was elected to a six year term expiring on 30 June 1959. Robert Wardlaw was elected to the vacancy expiring on 30 June 1956.
  3. ^ Jump up to:a b Labor Senator Richard Nash died on 12 December 1951; former Labor Senator Joe Cooke was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 7 February 1952.
  4. ^ Jump up to:a b Appointed to a casual vacancy and only held office until the earlier of the next election for the House of Representatives or the Senate.[4]
  5. ^ Jump up to:a b Country Party Senator Edmund Piesse died on 25 August 1952; Country Party member Bill Robinson was appointed to fill the ensuing vacancy on 30 September, but was fourth on the Coalition ticket at the 9 May 1953 election and was defeated for the seat by Liberal Senator Shane Paltridge.