Gender composition of Australian parliaments by party: a quick guide

Updated 23 January 2024

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Excel version of tables [50 KB]

Kate Laing and Cathy Madden
Politics & Public Administration Section

This Quick Guide updates tables that show the composition of Australian parliaments by party and gender (see Tables 1 and 2 of the spreadsheet linked above) since the last version was published on 1 May 2023.

Commonwealth

House of Representatives

The Fadden (Qld) by-election was held on 15 July 2023 following the resignation of Stuart Robert (LIB) on 18 May 2023. Liberal candidate Cameron Caldwell won the seat and was sworn in on 31 July 2023.

On 14 November 2023 Russell Broadbent (Ind; Monash, Vic) resigned from the Liberal Party and moved to the crossbench.

Peta Murphy (ALP; Dunkley, Vic) died in office on 4 December 2023. The vacancy will be filled at an upcoming by-election on 2 March 2024.

Senate

Jim Molan (LIB, NSW) died in office on 16 January 2023. The casual vacancy was filled by Maria Kovacic (LIB, NSW) who was sworn in on 13 June 2023.

On 19 June 2023 Senator David Van (Ind, Vic) resigned from the Liberal Party to sit as an Independent.

Marise Payne (LIB, NSW) resigned from the Senate on 30 September 2023. Former Member for Wentworth Dave Sharma (LIB, NSW) was selected to fill the casual vacancy and was sworn in on 4 December 2023.

New South Wales

Legislative Council

Mark Latham (PHON) resigned from his seat before being re-elected at the NSW state election in March 2023. The casual vacancy triggered by Mr Latham’s resignation was filled by Tania Mihailuk (PHON) on 10 May 2023.

In August 2023, Mark Latham and Rod Roberts resigned from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party to sit as Independents.

Victoria

Legislative Assembly

Ryan Smith (LIB, Warrandyte) resigned on 7 July 2023. The Liberal candidate Nicole Werner won the subsequent by-election on 26 August 2023.

Daniel Andrews (ALP) resigned as Premier and Member for Mulgrave on 27 September 2023. Jacinta Allan (ALP, Bendigo East) replaced Mr Andrews as the Victorian Premier. The subsequent by-election for the seat of Mulgrave was won by the Labor candidate, Eden Foster, on 17 November 2023. With Ms Foster’s election the state parliament has reached gender parity.

Legislative Council

Matthew Bach (LIB, North-Eastern Metropolitan) resigned from Parliament on 7 December 2023. Richard Welch (LIB) has been chosen to fill the casual vacancy, but has not yet been sworn in.

Western Australia

Legislative Assembly

Mark McGowan (ALP, Rockingham) resigned as Premier and from Parliament on 8 June 2023. Magenta Marshall retained the seat for Labor at the subsequent by-election held on 29 July 2023. Roger Cook (ALP, Kwinana) replaced Mr McGowan as WA Premier.

Mrs Marshall’s win means the Assembly now has 30 women and 29 men, which effectively achieves gender parity for the first time.

On 7 November 2023, North West Central MLA Merome Beard resigned from the Nationals to join the Liberal Party.

Legislative Council

Following his criminal conviction, James Hayward (Ind, South West Region) was disqualified from Parliament on 28 August 2023. Louise Kingston (NATS, South West Region) was elected to the Legislative Council via a recount on 19 September 2023 to replace Mr Hayward.

After the Daylight Saving Party was deregistered on 20 February 2023, Wilson Tucker (Mining and Pastoral Region) continued to sit in Parliament as an Independent.

South Australia

House of Assembly

Nick McBride (MacKillop) left the Liberal Party to sit as an Independent on 6 July 2023.

Legislative Council

Irene Pnevmatikos (ALP) resigned due to ongoing health issues on 10 October 2023. Her vacancy has been filled by Mira El Dannawi (ALP).

Tasmania

House of Assembly

Bass MHA Lara Alexander and Lyons MHA John Tucker quit the Liberal Party on 12 May 2023 to sit as Independents.

Elise Archer (LIB, Clark) resigned from the Liberal Party on 29 September 2023 and resigned from Parliament on 4 October 2023. She was replaced by Simon Behrakis (LIB) as the Member for Clark via a recount.

Cassie O’Connor (GRN, Clark) resigned as leader of the Greens and from Parliament on 13 July 2023. Vica Bayley (GRN) was elected by a recount to fill the vacancy. Rosalie Woodruff (GRN) became leader of the Tasmanian Greens.

Queensland

Annastacia Palaszczuk (ALP, Inala) announced her retirement on 10 December 2023 and resigned as Premier on 15 December 2023. She was replaced as Premier by Steven Miles (ALP, Murrumba). The seat of Inala remains vacant pending a 2024 by-election.

Australian Capital Territory

Johnathan Davis (GRN, Brindabella) resigned on 12 November 2023 following allegations of misconduct. He was replaced by Laura Nuttall (GRN, Brindabella) by a countback on 27 November 2023.

Northern Territory

Member for Blain Mark Turner was expelled from the Labor Party on 8 June 2023 and now sits as an Independent.

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