List of Indigenous Australians in politics and public service

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Numerous Indigenous Australians have been notable for their contributions to politics, including participation in governments and activism in Australia. Others are noted for their public service, generally and in specific areas like law and education.

Politics and government[]

By 1962–65 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were granted universal suffrage.

Vice-regal[]

Sir Douglas Nicholls was the first and so far the only Indigenous Australian Governor of an Australian state (Governor of South Australia, 1976–77).

Politicians[]

There have been 52 Indigenous members of the ten Australian legislatures. 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.^[1]

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.

Neville Bonner was the first Indigenous man to become a member of the Federal Parliament, when he was appointed to fill a casual Senate vacancy in 1971. In 1972 he was the first Indigenous man to (successfully) run for an election. Pat Eatock was the first Indigenous woman to (unsuccessfully) run for an election, in 1972.^[2]

Neville Perkins was the first Indigenous Leader of the Opposition in the Northern Territory, as the leader of the Labour Party from 1977-1971.

Aden Ridgeway was elected to the Australian Senate in 1998 and served until 2005, and was the only First Nations person serving in Federal Parliament during this time, serving on a number of parliamentary and Senate committees.^[3] He was the first Aboriginal person to be selected as deputy leader of the Australian Democrats, and was in this role from April 2001–October 2002.^[4] Ridgeway was the first Indigenous person to use an Indigenous language in Federal Parliament.^[5] On August 25 in 1999 in his first speech to the Senate, he stated:

"On this special occasion, I make my presence known as an Aborigine and to this chamber I say, perhaps for the first time: Nyandi baaliga Jaingatti. Nyandi mimiga Gumbayynggir. Nya jawgar yaam Gumbayynggir. Translated, it means: My father is Dhunghutti. My mother is Gumbayynggir. And, therefore, I am Gumbayynggir."^[6]

Ernie Bridge was the first Indigenous Australian to become a minister in a government.

Marion Scrymgour was the first Indigenous woman to become a minister and has to date been the highest ranked Indigenous woman in a government, when she became Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from 2007 until 2009. Adam Giles was the first Indigenous Australian to lead a government as Chief Minister of the Northern Territory in 2013.

Pat Dixon was the first Aboriginal woman elected to Local Government in Australia.

Party leaders[]

This section only includes those who held party leadership positions outside of a parliament.

Warren Mundine was the first Indigenous Australian to become National President of the Australian Labor Party.

There have been various leaders of the Australia's First Nations Political Party, however no candidate from this party has been successful in an election.

Public servants[]

Activists[]

• Faith Bandler
• Gordon Briscoe
• Robert Bropho
• Burnum Burnum
• Kevin Buzzacott
• Joyce Clague
• Paul Coe
• Essie Coffey
• Ken Colbung
• Marlene Cummins
• Megan Davis
• Chicka Dixon
• Mick Dodson
• Pat Dodson
• Gladys Elphick
• Gary Foley
• Pearl Gibbs
• Jacqui Katona
• Marcia Langton
• Yami Lester
• Vincent Lingiari
• Michael Mansell
• Yvonne Margarula
• Graeme Mundine - Inaugural Chair and Executive officer of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council. Co-authored the Catholic Church’s response to the 1997 Bringing Them Home Report on the Stolen Generations. Sentenced to three years in prison with an 18 month non-parole period for offences relating to five male victims in the 1980s.^[8]
• Jack Patten
• Noel Pearson
• Mum (Shirl) Smith
• Harold Thomas – designer of Aboriginal flag
• Denis Walker
• Galarrwuy Yunupingu

Educators[]

• Megan Davis
• Mick Dodson
• Marcia Langton
• Larissa Behrendt
• Jakelin Troy (University of Sydney)
• John Maynard (University of Newcastle)
• Irene Watson (University of South Australia)

Lawyers and judges[]

• Lloyd McDermott – first Indigenous lawyer
• Bob Bellear – first Indigenous judge
• Sue Gordon – magistrate
• Tony McAvoy – barrister (senior counsel)
• Linda Lovett – barrister
• Pat O'Shane – magistrate
• Matthew Myers – Judge, ALRC Commissioner and Adjunct Professor of Law UNSW
• Nathan Jarro – Judge of the District Court of Queensland^[9]
• Irene Watson – lawyer and academic
• Larissa Behrendt - AO FASSA FAAL

Humanities[]

See also[]

• List of Indigenous Australian politicians
• Māori politics

References[]