List of Indigenous Australian politicians

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Ken Wyatt cropped.jpg Linda Burney MP.jpg
The Coalition's Ken Wyatt (left) and the ALP's Linda Burney (right) are the first and only Indigenous Australian members of the Australian House of Representatives.

This list of Indigenous Australian politicians includes Indigenous Australians who have been members of Australian legislatures—federal, state or territory. It does not include 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 52 Indigenous members of the ten Australian legislatures, beginning when Neville Bonner entered the Australian Senate on 15 August 1971. Of these, 23 have been elected to the Northern Territory assembly, ten to the Australian Federal Parliament, six to the parliament Western Australia, five to the parliament of Queensland, two each to the parliaments of Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales, and one each to the parliament of South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory assembly. Three have served in multiple parliaments.

Out of the 52 Indigenous Australians elected to any Australian Parliament, 23 have been women.

Nobody of acknowledged Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander ancestry has yet been a member of the Norfolk Island assembly.

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[]

Ten Indigenous Australian people have been members of the Parliament of Australia (the Federal Parliament), eight in the Senate and two in the House of Representatives. Six of them are in it today.

No. 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 9 May 2016 [4]
5 Joanna Lindgren   LNP Senate Queensland Jagera
Mununjali		 21 May 2015 2 July 2016 [5]
6 Pat Dodson   Labor Senate Western Australia Yawuru 28 April 2016 incumbent [6]
7 Linda Burney   Labor House Barton (NSW) Wiradjuri 2 July 2016 incumbent
8 Malarndirri McCarthy   Labor Senate Northern Territory Yanyuwa 2 July 2016 incumbent
9 Lidia Thorpe   Greens Senate Victoria Gunai
Gunditjmara		 4 September 2020 incumbent [7]
10 Dorinda Cox   Greens Senate Western Australia Yamatji
Noongar		 14 September 2021 incumbent [8]

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

No. Name Party Chamber Constituency Ancestry Term start Term end Ref
1 David Kennedy   Labor House Bendigo (Vic.) Palawa 7 June 1969 2 December 1972 [9]
2 Mal Brough   Liberal House Longman (Qld) unknown (WA) 2 March 1996 24 November 2007 [10]
Fisher (Qld) 7 September 2013 9 May 2016
3 Kerry Rea   Labor House Bonner (Qld) not stated 24 November 2007 21 August 2010 [11]
4 Jacqui Lambie   PUP Senate Tasmania Palawa 1 July 2014 14 November 2017 [12]
  Independent
  JLN
  1 July 2019 present

Timeline[]

Lidia ThorpeMalarndirri McCarthyLinda BurneyPat DodsonJoanna LindgrenNova PerisKen WyattAden RidgewayNeville Bonner

Parliament of the Australian Capital Territory[]

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

No. Name Party Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Chris Bourke   Labor Ginninderra 1 June 2011 15 October 2016 [13]

Parliament of New South Wales[]

Two Indigenous Australians have been a members of the Parliament of New South Wales.

No. Name Party Chamber Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Linda Burney   Labor Legislative Assembly Canterbury Wiradjuri 22 March 2003 6 May 2016 [14]
2 Jai Rowell   Liberal Legislative Assembly Wollondilly 26 March 2011 17 December 2018 [15]

At least two other members of the Parliament of New South Wales have acknowledged Indigenous ancestry, but are not generally regarded as Indigenous themselves.

No. Name Party Chamber Constituency Ancestry Term start Term end Ref
1 Linda Voltz   Labor Legislative Assembly Auburn 23 March 2019 incumbent [16]
2 Greg Warren   Labor Legislative Assembly Cambelltown Tharawal 28 March 2015 incumbent [16]

Parliament of the Northern Territory[]

Twenty-three Indigenous Australian people have been members of the unicameral Parliament of the Northern Territory.

No. Name Party Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Hyacinth Tungutalum   CLP Tiwi Tiwi 19 October 1974 13 August 1977 [17]
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 Stan 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 [18]
  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 8 August 2016
11 Malarndirri McCarthy   Labor Arnhem Yanyuwa 18 June 2005 6 August 2012 [19]
12 Karl Hampton   Labor Stuart Warlpiri, Ngulikan and Mara 23 September 2006 6 August 2012
13 Adam Giles   CLP Braitling Kamilaroi (NSW) 9 August 2008 27 August 2016
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 27 August 2016
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 27 August 2016
16 Ken Vowles   Labor Johnston 25 August 2012 31 January 2020
17 Bess Price   CLP Stuart Warlpiri 25 August 2012 27 August 2016
18 Lawrence Costa   Labor Arafura Tiwi 27 August 2016 incumbent
19 Selena Uibo   Labor Arnhem Nunggubuyu, Warnindhilyagwa[20] 27 August 2016 incumbent
20 Ngaree Ah Kit   Labor Karama 27 August 2016 incumbent
21 Chansey Paech   Labor Namatjira Eastern Arrernte/Gurindji[20] 27 August 2016 incumbent
22 Yingiya Mark Guyula   Independent Nhulunbuy Yolngu 27 August 2016 incumbent
23 Dheran Young   Labor Daly Yaegl (NSW)[21] 11 September 2021 incumbent

Parliament of Queensland[]

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

No. Name Party Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Eric Deeral   Country Cook Guugu Yimithirr 7 December 1974 12 November 1977 [22]
2 Leeanne Enoch   Labor Algester Nunukul
Quandamooka		 31 January 2015 incumbent [23]
3 Billy Gordon   Labor Cook 31 January 2015 29 March 2015 [24]
  Independent 29 March 2015 25 November 2017
4 Cynthia Lui   Labor Cook Torres Strait Islanders 25 November 2017 incumbent [25]
5 Lance McCallum   Labor Bundamba Gubbi Gubbi 28 March 2020 incumbent [26]

Parliament of South Australia[]

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

No. Name Party Chamber Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Kyam Maher   Labor Legislative Council Statewide 17 October 2012 incumbent [27]

Parliament of Tasmania[]

Two Indigenous Australian people have been a member of the Parliament of Tasmania.

No. 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 [28]
2 Jennifer Houston   Labor House of Assembly Bass Palawa 3 March 2018 13 May 2021 [29][30][31]

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

No. Name Party Chamber Constituency Ancestry Term start Term end Ref
1 Paul Harriss   Independent Legislative Council Huon 25 May 1996 24 February 2014 [32]
  Liberal House of Assembly Franklin 15 March 2014 incumbent

Parliament of Victoria[]

Two Indigenous Australian people have been members of the Parliament of Victoria.

No. Name Party Chamber Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Lidia Thorpe   Greens Legislative Assembly Northcote Gunnai-Gunditjmara 18 November 2017 24 November 2018 [33]
2 Sheena Watt   Labor Legislative Council Northern Metropolitan Yorta Yorta 13 October 2020 incumbent [34]

At least two members have had acknowledged Indigenous ancestry, but were not generally regarded as Indigenous themselves.

No. Name Party Chamber Constituency Ancestry Term start Term end Ref
1 Cyril Kennedy   Labor Legislative Council Waverley Palawa 5 May 1979 2 October 1992 [35]
2 David Kennedy   Labor Legislative Assembly Bendigo Palawa 3 April 1982 1 March 1985 [9]
  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 until Rosetta Sahanna was elected to the Legislative Council in 2021.

No. Name Party Chamber Constituency Origin Term start Term end Ref
1 Ernie Bridge   Labor Legislative Assembly Kimberley 23 February 1980 27 July 1996 [36]
  Independent 27 July 1996 10 February 2001
2 Carol Martin   Labor Legislative Assembly Kimberley 10 February 2001 9 March 2013 [37]
3 Ben Wyatt   Labor Legislative Assembly Victoria Park Yamatji 11 March 2006 13 March 2021 [38]
4 Josie Farrer   Labor Legislative Assembly Kimberley Gija 9 March 2013 13 March 2021
5 Divina D'Anna   Labor Legislative Assembly Kimberley Yawuru
Nimanburru
Bardi		 13 March 2013 incumbent [39]
6 Rosetta Sahanna   Labor Legislative Council Mining and Pastoral Wilinggin 22 May 2021 incumbent [40]

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

No. Name Party Chamber Constituency Ancestry Term start Term end Ref
1 Zak Kirkup   Liberal Legislative Assembly Dawesville Yamatji 11 March 2017 13 March 2021 [1]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "CONDOLENCES Bonner, Mr Neville Thomas, AO". Parliament of Australia. 1999. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  2. ^ "Biography for RIDGEWAY, Aden Derek". Parliament of Australia. 2005. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  3. ^ "Ken Wyatt makes Australian political history". Special Broadcasting Service. 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  4. ^ Nova Peris elected as first Indigenous woman in Federal Parliament, ABC News, 9 September 2013.
  5. ^ "Neville Bonner's great-niece Joanna Lindgren appointed Queensland senator by LNP". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Pat Dodson elected WA's newest senator". ABC News. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  7. ^ Vic confirms Thorpe as new Senator, Canberra Times, 4 September 2019.
  8. ^ Motivated to make change, National Indigenous Times, 14 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b Kennedy, (Andrew) David – Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  10. ^ Nick Bryant (September 2013). "Mal Brough crashes through". The Monthly. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  11. ^ "Kerry Rea". Women in Federal Parliament. Department of the Senate. Retrieved 3 May 2020. In her first speech Rea referred to her Aboriginal great-grandmother and the importance and poignancy of the prime minister’s 2008 apology to the stolen generations
  12. ^ "Jacqui Lambie talks about Indigenous heritage". SBS. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  13. ^ "Bourke to be first indigenous MLA". Canberra Times. 2011. Archived from the original on 18 August 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  14. ^ "The Hon. Linda Jean BURNEY, HonDEd, DipEd MP". Parliament of New South Wales. 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  15. ^ https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/macarthur/wollondilly-mp-jai-rowell-farewells-nsw-parliament/news-story/76cf46fb8211c3be8bd3b177a67ff1c0. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ^ a b Richards, Lisa (15 June 2021). "Indigenous Australian parliamentarians in federal and state/territory parliaments: a quick guide". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  17. ^ "First Aboriginal politician in NT dies". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  18. ^ "Marion Scrymgour - Member for Arafura". Australian Labor Party. 2006. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  19. ^ "Malarndirri McCarthy - Member for Arnhem". Australian Labor Party. 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  20. ^ a b "Meet the Indigenous candidates in the NT election". NITV. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  21. ^ Green, Antony. "Daly by-election 2021". ABC Elections. ABC News. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  22. ^ "Biography of First Indigenous State Member" (PDF). Queensland Parliament. 2008. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  23. ^ Labor's Leeanne Enoch to become one of two Indigenous MPs, ABC News, 1 February 2015.
  24. ^ "Newman gone: Labor surges in Queensland". Yahoo! 7 News. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  25. ^ Moore, Tony (28 November 2017). "Labor one seat closer as first Torres Strait Islander woman elected to Parliament". The Age. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  26. ^ Smith, Douglas (20 May 2020). "Three Indigenous Queensland MP's hold seats at the same time in historical milestone". NITV News. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  27. ^ "Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation Minister Kyam Maher starting to reconnect with indigenous heritage". Sunday Mail (SA). 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  28. ^ "Hay, Kathryn Isobel". Parliament of Tasmania. 2006. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  29. ^ Baker, Emily (22 June 2019). "Bass Labor MP Jennifer Houston says representation matters". The Mercury. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  30. ^ "Jennifer Houston MP - Inaugural Speech". Parliament of Tasmania. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  31. ^ "Bass results - 2021 State election Tasmania".
  32. ^ Tasmanian Parliamentary History - FAQ – Tasmanian Parliamentary Library. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  33. ^ "Greens' Lidia Thorpe makes history after Northcote by-election win". NITV. 18 November 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  34. ^ Kolovos, Benita (13 October 2020). "Sheena Watt makes Victorian Labor history". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  35. ^ Kennedy, Cyril James – Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  36. ^ "Hon. Ernest Francis Bridge OAM, MLA JP". Parliament of Western Australia. 2005. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  37. ^ "Mrs Carol Anne Martin MLA BA". Parliament of Western Australia. 2005. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  38. ^ "Mr Benjamin (Ben) Sana Wyatt MLA LLB, MSc". Parliament of Western Australia. 2011. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  39. ^ "2021 Western Australia Election Candidates". EMILY's List Australia. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  40. ^ "Massive swing to Labor delivers first Indigenous member to WA's Upper House". ABC News. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
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