Composition of Australian Parliaments by Party and Gender: a Quick Guide

RESEARCH PAPER SERIES, 2019–20 hWd1 JULY 2019

Composition of Australian parliaments by party and gender: a quick guide

Anna Hough Politics and Public Administration

This quick guide contains the most recent tables showing the composition of Australian parliaments by party and gender (see Tables 1 and 2 below). It takes into account changes to the Commonwealth and state/territory parliaments since the last published update on 15 January 2019. Commonwealth The figures reflect the results of the election held on 18 May.

x The proportion of women in the Commonwealth parliament is now 36.6 per cent, an increase of 4.3 per cent since the commencement of the previous parliament on 30 August 2016. This represents the largest single increase in the proportion of women from one parliament to another since 1996.

x The proportion of women in the Senate has increased to 48.7 per cent from 39.5 per cent at the commencement of the previous parliament, an increase of 9.2 per cent. The proportion of women in the House of Representatives has increased to 30.5 per cent from 28.7 per cent at the commencement of the previous parliament, an increase of 1.8 per cent. In the Senate, Cory Bernardi (SA) is sitting as an independent following his decision to deregister the Australian Conservatives party. The party was officially deregistered on 28 June. New South Wales The figures reflect the results of the election held on 23 March. Victoria The figures include a vacancy in the Legislative Council following the resignation of Philip Dalidakis (ALP, Southern Metropolitan) on 17 June. Queensland Jason Costigan (Whitsunday) is sitting as an independent following his expulsion from the Liberal National Party on 1 February.

ISSN 2203-5249 Western Australia In the Legislative Council, Charles Smith (East Metropolitan) announced on 12 June that he had resigned from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and would sit as an independent. South Australia Following the retirements of Jay Weatherill (ALP, Cheltenham) and John Rau (ALP, Enfield), both on 17 December 2018, by-elections were held on 9 February. In Cheltenham, the successful candidate was Joe Szakacs (ALP) while in Enfield the successful candidate was Andrea Michaels (ALP). Tasmania In the Legislative Council: Elections for the Legislative Council divisions of Montgomery, Nelson and Pembroke were held on 4 May 2019. Leonie Hiscutt (LIB) was elected in Montgomery, Meg Webb (IND) was elected in Nelson, and Jo Siejka (ALP) was elected in Pembroke. In the House of Assembly:

• Following the resignation of Adam Brooks (LIB, Braddon) on 10 February, a recount was held and the vacancy was filled by Joan Rylah (LIB).

• Following the resignation of Rene Hidding (LIB, Lyons) on 25 February, a recount was held and the vacancy was filled by John Tucker (LIB). Northern Territory Jeffrey Collins (Fong Lim) announced on 8 February that he had resigned from the ALP and would sit as an independent. On 19 February, Scott McConnell (Stuart) also announced that he had resigned from the ALP and would sit as an independent.

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Composition of Australian parliaments by party and gender: a quick guide 2 Table 1: Composition of Australian parliaments by party and gender (by chamber), as at 1 July 2019 (includes any by-election results and any casual vacancies filled since the most recent general election in each jurisdiction)

Cth (18.5.19) NSW (23.3.19) Vic. (24.11.18) Qld (25.11.17) WA (11.3.17) SA (17.3.18) Tas. (3.3.18) ACT (15.10.16) NT (27.8.16) Total MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F Lower House ALP 40 28 41.2 19 17 47.2 30 25 45.5 25 23 47.9 25 15 37.5 12 7 36.8 3770.0 5758.3 7956.3 166 138 45.4 LIB 48 13 21.3 25 10 28.6 17 4 19.0 11 3 21.4 21 4 16.0 8538.5 5654.5 135 45 25.0 NATS 14 2 12.5 10 3 23.1 4233.3 4120.0 32 8 20.0 LNP 32 6 15.8 32 6 15.8 CA 1 100.0 1 100.0 CLP 1150.0 11 50.0 GRN 1 0.0 1266.7 2133.3 1 0.0 2 100.0 1150.0 66 50.0 KAP 1 0.0 3 0.0 4 0.0 PHON 1 0.0 1 0.0 SFF 2 1 33.3 21 33.3 IND 1 2 66.7 3 0.0 1266.7 1150.0 2133.3 5228.6 13 8 38.1 Total 105 46 30.5 60 33 35.5 54 34 38.6 63 30 32.3 40 19 32.2 35 12 25.5 11 14 56.0 11 14 56.0 13 12 48.0 392 214 35.3

Upper House ALP 10 16 61.5 10 4 28.6 710 58.8 7750.0 5337.5 2250.0 41 42 50.6 LIB 20 10 33.3 8327.3 6440.0 8111.1 7222.2 2 100.0 49 22 31.0 NATS 1 3 75.0 4233.3 1 100.0 3125.0 87 46.7 CLP 1 100.0 1 100.0 GRN 4 5 55.6 1266.7 1 100.0 2250.0 1150.0 811 57.9 AJP 1 1 50.0 1 0.0 21 33.3 ASA 1 0.0 1 0.0 CA 2 0.0 2 0.0 CDP 1 0.0 1 0.0 DHJP 1 1 50.0 11 50.0 JLN 1 100.0 1 100.0 LDP 2 0.0 1 0.0 3 0.0 PHON 1 1 50.0 2 0.0 2 0.0 51 16.7 RV 1 100.0 1 100.0 SA 1 0.0 1 0.0 SAB 1150.0 11 50.0 SFF 2 0.0 1 0.0 1 0.0 4 0.0 TMP 1 0.0 1 0.0 IND 1 0.0 1 0.0 1 100.0 1 0.0 5444.4 85 38.5 Total 39 37 48.7 30 12 28.6 20 19 48.7 25 11 30.6 15 7 31.8 7853.3 136 94 40.9

Politics and Public Administration Section, Commonwealth Parliamentary Library. Compiled using data from state and territory parliament and electoral commission websites. Table 2: Composition of Australian parliaments by party and gender, as at 1 July 2019 (includes any by-election results and any casual vacancies filled since the most recent general election in each jurisdiction)

Cth (18.5.19) NSW (23.3.19) Vic. (24.11.18) Qld (25.11.17) WA (11.3.17) SA (17.3.18) Tas. (3.3.18) ACT (15.10.16) NT (27.8.16) Total MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F MF %F Total Parliament ALP 50 44 46.8 29 21 42.0 37 35 48.6 25 23 47.9 32 22 40.7 17 10 37.0 5964.3 5758.3 7956.3 207 180 46.5 LIB 68 23 25.3 33 13 28.3 23 8 25.8 19 4 17.4 28 6 17.6 8746.7 5654.5 184 67 26.7 NATS 15 5 25.0 14 5 26.3 4342.9 7222.2 40 15 27.3 LNP 32 6 15.8 32 6 15.8 CLP 1 0.0 1150.0 1266.7 GRN 5 5 50.0 2466.7 2250.0 1 0.0 2250.0 1150.0 2 100.0 1150.0 14 17 54.8 AJP 1 1 0.0 1 0.0 2133.3 ASA 1 0.0 1 0.0 CA 2 1 33.3 2133.3 CDP 1 0.0 1 0.0 DHJP 1 1 50.0 1150.0 JLN 1 100.0 1 100.0 KAP 1 0.0 3 0.0 4 0.0 LDP 2 0.0 1 0.0 3 0.0 PHON 1 1 50.0 2 0.0 1 0.0 2 0.0 6114.3 RV 1 100.0 1 100.0 SA 1 0.0 1 0.0 SAB 1150.0 1150.0 SFF 4 1 20.0 1 0.0 1 0.0 6114.3 TMP 1 0.0 1 0.0 IND 2 2 50.0 4 0.0 1375.0 1150.0 1 0.0 2133.3 5444.4 5228.6 21 13 38.2 Total 144 83 36.6 90 45 33.3 74 53 41.7 63 30 32.3 65 30 31.6 50 19 27.5 18 22 55.0 11 14 56.0 13 12 48.0 528 308 36.8

Politics and Public Administration Section, Commonwealth Parliamentary Library. Compiled using data from state and territory parliament and electoral commission websites.

NOTES (1) Date shown beside each jurisdiction is for the latest general election. (2) Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory do not have an Upper House. (3) The figures for Victoria include one vacancy in the Legislative Council following the resignation of Philip Dalidakis (ALP, Southern Metropolitan).

LEGEND ALP - Australian Labor Party; LIB - Liberal Party; NATS - Nationals; LNP - Liberal National Party (Qld); CLP - Country Liberal Party (NT); GRN - Greens; IND - Independents; AJP - Animal Justice Party; ASA - Advance SA; CA - Centre Alliance; CDP - Christian Democratic Party; DHJP - Derryn Hinch's Justice Party; JLN - Jacqui Lambie Network; KAP - Katter's Australian Party; LDP - Liberal Democratic Party; PHON - Pauline Hanson's One Nation; RV - Reason Victoria; SA - Sustainable Australia; SAB - SA Best; SFF - Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party; TMP - Transport Matters Party.