Members_of_the_Australian_Senate,_1914–1917

Members of the Australian Senate, 1914–1917

Members of the Australian Senate, 1914–1917

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This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1914 to 1917.[1] The 5 September 1914 election was a double dissolution called by Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Cook in an attempt to gain control of the Senate. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Commonwealth Liberal Party was defeated by the opposition Australian Labor Party led by Andrew Fisher, who announced with the outbreak of World War I during the campaign that under a Labor government, Australia would "stand beside the mother country to help and defend her to the last man and the last shilling."[2]

Composition 1914-1916
Government (31) - (12 seat majority)
  Labor (31)

Opposition (5)
  Liberal (5)

Composition 1917
Government (17) - (2 seat minority)
  Nationalist (17)

Opposition (19)
  Labor (19)

In accordance with section 13 of the Constitution,[3] terms for senators was taken to commence on 1 July 1914. The Senate resolved that in each State the three senators who received the most votes would sit for a six-year term, finishing on 30 June 1920 while the other half would sit for a three-year term, finishing on 30 June 1917.[4]

In September 1916, 24 Labor members of the House of Representatives and the Senate—including Prime Minister Billy Hughes—were expelled for their support of conscription during World War I and later formed the National Labor Party, which merged with the Commonwealth Liberal Party in February 1917 to form the Nationalist Party (Australia).

More information Senator, Party ...

Notes

  1. Labor senator Rudolph Ready resigned on 1 March 1917; on the same day Nationalist John Earle was appointed to replace him.
  2. Appointed to a casual vacancy and only held office until the earlier of the next election for the House of Representatives or the Senate.[5]
  3. Nationalist senator William Story resigned on 24 April 1917 to run successfully for the House of Representatives seat of Boothby; on 24 May 1917 Nationalist James Rowell—who had been elected at the 5 May 1917 election for a term commencing on 1 July 1917—was appointed to replace him.

References

  1. [1]
    "The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate 1915". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  2. [2]
    Murphy, D. J. "Fisher, Andrew (1862-1928)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  3. [3]
    Constitution (Cth) s 13.
  4. [4]
    "Rotation of Senators" (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Commonwealth of Australia: Senate. 9 October 1914. p. 41.
  5. [5]
    Evans, H. "Filling Casual Vacancies before 1977" (PDF). Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
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