This Quick Guide provides information about parliamentarians who identify as having non-English speaking ancestry and who have served in the current, 47th, Parliament (26 July 2022–). This paper aims to provide only an approximation of the cultural diversity of the Australian Parliament, as ancestry does not necessarily equate to cultural or ethnic identity.

For the purposes of this paper, ‘non-English speaking’ ancestry excludes parliamentarians with only Australian (except Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parliamentarians are included), English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Canadian, American, or New Zealander ancestry. Parliamentarians with ancestral ties to any indigenous peoples are included.

The information in this Quick Guide is compiled from a range of sources including the Library’s Parliamentary Handbook, biographies, Senators and Members qualification registers that contain parents/grandparents country of birth information, and statements by parliamentarians.

See the Library’s Parliamentary Handbook: Overseas born website for available data on federal parliamentarians’ country of birth.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this Quick Guide, it cannot be guaranteed to be comprehensive.

Party abbreviations

Non-English speaking ancestry

Of the 230 parliamentarians (153 Members and 77 Senators) who have served in the 47th Parliament to date, 59 parliamentarians have identified as having at least one non-English speaking ancestry (26%).

Table 1: Number and percentage of 47th Parliament parliamentarians with non-English speaking ancestry, by party and chamber

Source: Compiled by the Australian Parliamentary Library.
Note 1: Percentages are rounded and are based on the number of parliamentarians serving in that party currently or as of their last day in the 47th Parliament (i.e. current Independents who started the 47th Parliament in a party have been counted as Independents).
Note 2: Federal parliamentarians from the Liberal National Party (LNP) and Country Liberal Party (CLP) are listed under the Coalition party room they sit in (LIB or NATS).

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (8 Members and 3 Senators) and Italian (9 Members and 2 Senators) are the equal most common non-English speaking ancestries among 47th Parliament parliamentarians. The second most common is Greek (4 Members).

At the 2021 Census, 3.2% of the Australian population identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander in total (2.9% Aboriginal, 0.1% Torres Strait Islander, and 0.1% both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander). In comparison, 4.8% of the 47th Parliament identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander or as having Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander ancestry.

Italian is the seventh largest ancestry in Australia. 4.4% of the Australian population identified as having Italian ancestry at the 2021 Census, compared to 4.8% of the 47th Parliament’s MPs and Senators.

1.7% of both the Australian population (ABS, 2021 Census) and 47th Parliament MPs and Senators identify as Greek or as having Greek ancestry.

Chinese is the most common non-English-speaking ancestry and the fifth most common ancestry in Australia (after English, Australian, Irish and Scottish). 5.5% of Australians identified as Chinese or as having Chinese ancestry at the 2021 Census. In comparison, only 1.3% of the 47th Parliament or 3 parliamentarians have Chinese ancestry: ALP MP for Reid NSW Sally Sitou (Chinese-Lao), ALP MP for Tangney WA Sam Lim (Chinese/Malay) and ALP Senator for SA Penny Wong (Malaysian, Malaysian-Chinese).

1.3% of the Australian population identified as having Vietnamese ancestry at the last Census. Independent MP for Fowler Dai Le is the only parliamentarian with Vietnamese ancestry (0.4% of the 47th Parliament). Of note, the most common ancestry in the Fowler electorate is Vietnamese, with 18.9% of individuals residing in Fowler (NSW) identifying as Vietnamese.

Table 2: 47th Parliament parliamentarians with non-English speaking ancestry

• References
  This Quick Guide provides information about parliamentarians who identify as having non-English speaking ancestry and who have served in the current, 47th, Parliament (26 July 2022–). This paper aims to provide only an approximation of the cultural diversity of the Australian Parliament, as ancestry does not necessarily equate to cultural or ethnic identity.

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