RESEARCH PAPER SERIES, 2020–21   8 april 2021

Youngest and oldest parliamentarians: a quick guide

Nathan Church

Politics and Public Administration Section

This Quick Guide provides information about the youngest and oldest federal parliamentarians at the time of their election/appointment to the Australian parliament and various offices including as Prime Minister or Presiding Officers.

This paper lists parliamentarians by their age (in years, months and days), political party affiliation (at the time of their election/appointment if filling a casual vacancy), electorate (if applicable) and the date of their initial election or appointment. The age of elected Senators is calculated by their age at the date they were sworn-in as Senators, not the date of their election. Links to each parliamentarian’s Parliamentary Handbook biography are included.

Legally, the youngest a parliamentarian can be is 18 years of age, as legislated in section 163 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918. The Constitution (section 34) initially set the minimum age at 21, but this was amended in 1973 to the current requirement. There is no maximum age enforced for parliamentarians.

The following information is divided into Members of the House of Representatives and Senators by state/territory and position (senior Government and Opposition office holders). The lists include six parliamentarians serving in the current 46th Parliament: Senators Jordon Steele-John, James Paterson, Pat Dodson and Scott Ryan, and MPs David Smith and Richard Marles.

1 Youngest person elected to the House of Representatives

Australia and Qld: Wyatt Roy 20 years, 2 months, 30 days [Liberal Party, Longman, first elected 21.8.2010]

WA: Edwin Corboy 22 years, 2 months, 2 days [Labor Party, Swan, first elected 26.10.1918]

SA: Andrew Jones 22 years, 6 months [Liberal Party, Adelaide, first elected 26.11.1966]

Tas.: Charles Falkinder 25 years, 30 days [Liberal Party, Franklin, first elected 28.9.1946]

NSW: Hubert Lazzarini 25 years, 3 months, 5 days [Labor Party, Werriwa, first elected 13.12.1919]

Vic.: Christian Zahra 25 years, 5 months, 25 days [Labor Party, McMillan, first elected 3.10.1998]

ACT: Steven Dargavel 30 years, 7 months, 22 days [Labor Party, Fraser, first elected 1.2.1997]

NT: John Reeves 31 years, 2 months, 3 days [Labor Party, Northern Territory, first elected 5.3.1983]

2 Youngest person elected/appointed to the Senate

Australia and WA: Jordon Steele-John 23 years, 27 days [Australian Greens, first appointed 10.11.2017]

Qld: William ‘Bill’ O’Chee 24 years, 10 months, 19 days [Nationals, first appointed 8.5.1990]

SA: Natasha Stott Despoja 26 years, 2 months, 20 days [Australian Democrats, first appointed 29.11.1995]

ACT: Kate Lundy 28 years, 2 months, 18 days [Labor Party, first elected 2.3.1996]

Vic.: James Paterson 28 years, 3 months, 18 days [Liberal Party, first appointed 9.3.2016]

NSW: Kerry Nettle 28 years, 6 months, 8 days [Australian Greens, first elected 1.7.2002]

Tas.: John Keating 28 years, 9 months, 1 day [Protectionist, first elected 29.3.1901]

NT: Robert ‘Bob’ Collins 41 years, 5 months, 3 days [Labor Party, first elected 11.7.1987]

3 Oldest person elected to the House of Representatives

Australia and Tas.: Edward Braddon 71 years, 9 months, 18 days [Free Trade, Tasmania, first elected 29.3.1901]

NSW: John Lang 69 years, 9 months, 7 days [Lang Labor Party, Reid, first elected 28.9.1946]

Qld: Francis Baker 67 years, 3 months, 22 days [Labor Party, Maranoa, first elected 21.9.1940]

Vic.: Joseph Brown 63 years, 10 months, 5 days [Anti-Socialist Party, Indi, first elected 12.12.1906]

SA: Albert Smith 62 years, 7 months, 19 days [Labor Party, Wakefield, first elected 21.8.1943]

ACT: Lewis Nott 61 years, 9 months, 28 days [Independent, Australian Capital Territory, first elected 10.12.1949]

WA: Elias Solomon 61 years, 6 months, 27 days [Free Trade, Fremantle, first elected 29.3.1901]

NT: Nicholas ‘Nick’ Dondas 56 years, 4 months, 7 days [Country Liberal Party, Northern Territory, first elected 2.3.1996]

4 Oldest person elected/appointed to the Senate

Australia and SA: Frederick Ward 75 years, 1 month, 21 days [Labor Party, first elected 1.7.1947]

NSW: Cleaver Bunton 72 years, 9 months, 22 days [Independent, first appointed 27.2.1975]

Vic.: Derryn Hinch 72 years, 4 months, 23 days [Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party, first elected 2.7.2016]

Qld: John Ferguson 71 years, 15 days [Free Trade, first elected 30.3.1901]

Tas.: Richard Darcey 68 years, 4 months, 5 days [Labor Party, first elected 1.7.1938]

WA: Patrick ‘Pat’ Dodson 68 years, 2 months, 30 days [Labor Party, first appointed 28.4.2016]

NT: Bernard Kilgariff 52 years, 2 months, 13 days [National Country Party, first elected 13.12.1975]

ACT: David Smith 48 years, 1 month, 29 days [Labor Party, first appointed 23.5.2018]

5 Youngest office holders at appointment

Prime Minister: John ‘Chris’ Watson 37 years, 18 days [Labor Party, appointed 27.4.1904]

Deputy Prime Minister: John ‘Doug’ Anthony 41 years, 1 month, 5 days [Country Party, appointed 5.2.1971]

Opposition Leader: John ‘Chris’ Watson 37 years, 4 months, 9 days [Labor Party, appointed 18.8.1904]

Deputy Opposition Leader: Michael Wooldridge 36 years, 4 months, 16 days [Liberal Party, appointed 23.3.1993]

President of the Senate: Scott Ryan 44 years, 6 months, 1 day [Liberal Party, appointed 13.11.2017]

Speaker of the House of Representatives: Norman Makin 40 years, 7 months, 20 days [Labor Party, appointed 20.11.1929]

Treasurer: John ‘Chris’ Watson 37 years, 18 days [Labor Party, appointed 27.4.1904]

Shadow Treasurer: Peter Costello 36 years, 9 months, 12 days [Liberal Party, appointed 26.5.1994]

Cabinet Minister: Charles Frazer 30 years, 3 months, 27 days [Labor Party, appointed 29.4.1910]

Member of Government Ministry: Wyatt Roy 25 years, 3 months, 30 days [Liberal Party, appointed 21.9.2015]

Member of Shadow Ministry: Christian Zahra 28 years, 7 months, 17 days [Labor Party, appointed 25.11.2001]

Leader of the Government in the Senate: John Daly 37 years, 11 months, 12 days [Labor Party, appointed 22.10.1929]

Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate: Gareth Evans 42 years, 5 months, 12 days [Labor Party, appointed 17.2.1987]

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate: John Daly 37 years, 7 months, 21 days [Labor Party, appointed 1.7.1929]

Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate: John Daly 37 years, 4 months, 11 days [Labor Party, appointed 21.3.1929]

6 Oldest office holders at appointment

Prime Minister: John McEwen 67 years, 8 months, 21 days [Country Party, appointed 19.12.1967]

Deputy Prime Minister: John McEwen 67 years, 9 months, 12 days [Country Party, appointed 10.1.1968]

Opposition Leader: Joseph ‘Ben’ Chifley 64 years, 4 months, 30 days [Labor Party, appointed 21.2.1950]

Deputy Opposition Leader: Richard Marles 51 years, 10 months, 17 days [Labor Party, appointed 30.5.2019]

President of the Senate: John Hayes 70 years, 2 months, 10 days [United Australia Party, appointed 1.7.1938]

Speaker of the House of Representatives: Bronwyn Bishop 71 years, 24 days [Liberal Party, appointed 12.11.2013]

Treasurer: William Lyne 63 years, 3 months, 24 days [Protectionist, appointed 30.7.1907]

Shadow Treasurer: Robert ‘Bob’ McMullan 53 years, 11 months, 15 days [Labor Party, appointed 25.11.2001]

Cabinet Minister: Joseph Collings 76 years, 4 months, 27 days [Labor Party, appointed 7.10.1941]

Member of the Government Ministry: Joseph Collings 76 years, 4 months, 27 days [Labor Party, appointed 7.10.1941]

Member of the Shadow Ministry: John Leckie 70 years, 11 months, 8 days [United Australia Party, appointed 22.9.1943]

Leader of the Government in the Senate: Joseph Collings 76 years, 4 months, 27 days [Labor Party, appointed 7.10.1941]

Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate: Donald Cameron 68 years, 4 months, 30 days [Labor Party, appointed 18.6.1946]

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate: Joseph Collings 70 years, 1 month, 21 days [Labor Party, appointed 1.7.1935]

Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate: John Leckie 70 years, 11 months, 8 days [United Australia Party/Liberal Party, appointed 22.9.1943]

7 Further Reading

For other Parliamentary Library statistical publications regarding parliamentarians see:

• Selected political records of the Commonwealth Parliament (Updated 5 March 2014)

• First, most and more: facts about the Federal Parliament (updated 7 May 2019)

The Forty-Sixth Parliament – Statistical information [Part 2C of the Parliamentary Handbook]

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