List of Indigenous Australian politicians

This is a list of Indigenous Australians who have been members of Australian legislatures—federal, state or territory. This list does not cover those elected to local councils (including mayors), Governors/Governors-General, leaders of political parties (outside of parliament), Indigenous Australians actively involved in political institutions and those who have run unsuccessfully for office.

There have been 32 Indigenous members of the ten Australian legislatures, beginning when Neville Bonner entered the Australian Senate on 15 August 1971. Of these, seventeen have been elected to the Northern Territory assembly, five to the Australian Federal Parliament, four to the parliament of Western Australia, three to the parliament of Queensland and one each to the parliaments of Tasmania and New South Wales and one to the Australian Capital Territory assembly.

Out of the 32 Indigenous Australians elected to any Australian Parliament, 12 have been women.

Nobody of acknowledged Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander ancestry has been a member of the parliaments of South Australia or Victoria or of the Norfolk Island assembly.

Note: There is considerable debate surrounding the complexity of Indigenous identity. Therefore this list only includes those who identify themselves as Indigenous Australian. Also note that Indigenous nation/s refer to the Indigenous groups, communities, countries, place names or languages which that person identifies with. Some individuals do not have any specific Indigenous group identity and some have multiple identities.

Full List

Member Party Parliament Constituency Indigenous Nation/s Took Office Left Office Notes refs
Neville Bonner Liberal Commonwealth Senator for Queensland Jagera 15 August 1971 4 February 1983 First Indigenous politician [1]
Hyacinth Tungutalum CLP Northern Territory Tiwi Tiwi 19 October 1974 13 August 1977 [2]
Eric Deeral Country Queensland Cook Guugu Yimithirr 7 December 1974 12 November 1977 [3]
Neville Perkins ALP Northern Territory MacDonnell Arrernte 13 August 1977 6 March 1981 [4]
Ernie Bridge ALP/Ind Western Australia Kimberley 23 February 1980 10 February 2001 First Indigenous person to become a minister in a Government [5]
Wes Lanhupuy ALP Northern Territory Arnhem Yolngu 3 December 1983 25 August 1995 [4]
Stanley Tipiloura ALP Northern Territory Arafura Tiwi 7 March 1987 20 September 1992 [4]
Maurice Rioli ALP Northern Territory Arafura Tiwi 7 November 1992 17 August 2001 [4]
John Ah Kit ALP Northern Territory Arnhem Arrernte 7 October 1995 18 June 2005 [4]
Aden Ridgeway Democrats Commonwealth Senator for New South Wales Gumbaynggirr 1 July 1999 30 June 2005 [6]
Carol Martin ALP Western Australia Kimberley 10 February 2001 9 March 2013 First Indigenous woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament [7]
Matthew Bonson ALP Northern Territory Millner 18 August 2001 8 August 2008 [4]
Elliot McAdam ALP Northern Territory Barkly Jingili 18 August 2001 8 August 2008 [4]
Marion Scrymgour ALP/Ind/ALP Northern Territory Arafura Tiwi 18 August 2001 6 August 2012 First Indigenous Australian woman to become a Minister in a government; 11th Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory [8]
Kathryn Hay ALP Tasmania Bass Noongar 20 July 2002 18 March 2006 Former Miss Australia [9]
Linda Burney ALP New South Wales Canterbury Wiradjuri 22 March 2003 incumbent [10]
Alison Anderson ALP/Ind/CLP/Ind/PUP/Ind Northern Territory MacDonnell/Namatjira Arrernte 18 June 2005 incumbent speaks 6 Indigenous Australian Languages [4]
Malarndirri McCarthy ALP Northern Territory Arnhem Yanyuwa 18 June 2005 6 August 2012 [11]
Ben Wyatt ALP Western Australia Victoria Park Yamatji 11 March 2006 incumbent [12]
Karl Hampton ALP Northern Territory Stuart 23 September 2006 6 August 2012 [13]
Adam Giles CLP Northern Territory Braitling Kamilaroi 9 August 2008 incumbent First Indigenous Australian head of government; 10th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory [14]
Ken Wyatt Liberal Commonwealth Hasluck Noongar,Yamatji,Wongi 21 August 2010 incumbent First Indigenous Australian elected to the Australian House of Representatives [15]
Chris Bourke ALP Australian Capital Territory Ginninderra 1 June 2011 incumbent [16]
Larisa Lee CLP/Ind/PUP/Ind Northern Territory Arnhem Jawoyn 25 August 2012 incumbent [17]
Bess Price CLP Northern Territory Stuart Arrernte 25 August 2012 incumbent [18]
Ken Vowles ALP Northern Territory Johnston 25 August 2012 incumbent
Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu CLP/Ind/PUP/CLP Northern Territory Arafura Tiwi 25 August 2012 incumbent [19]
Josie Farrer ALP Western Australia Kimberley 9 March 2013 incumbent
Nova Peris ALP Commonwealth Senator for the Northern Territory Gija, Yawuru, Iwatja 7 September 2013 incumbent First Indigenous Australian woman elected to Federal Parliament [20]
Jacqui Lambie PUP/Ind Commonwealth Senator for Tasmania Plangermaireener 1 July 2014 incumbent [21]
Leeanne Enoch ALP Queensland Algester Nunukul-Nughi/Quandamooka 31 January 2015 incumbent [22]
Billy Gordon ALP/Ind Queensland Cook 31 January 2015 incumbent [23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "CONDOLENCES Bonner, Mr Neville Thomas, AO". Parliament of Australia. 1999. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  2. ↑ "First Aboriginal politician in NT dies". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  3. ↑ "Biography of First Indigenous State Member". Queensland Parliament. 2008. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 "Members of the Legislative Assembly". Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory. 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  5. ↑ "Hon. Ernest Francis Bridge OAM, MLA JP". Parliament of Western Australia. 2005. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  6. ↑ "Biography for RIDGEWAY, Aden Derek". Parliament of Australia. 2005. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "Mrs Carol Anne Martin MLA BA". Parliament of Western Australia. 2005. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  8. ↑ "Marion Scrymgour - Member for Arafura". Australian Labor Party. 2006. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  9. ↑ "Hay, Kathryn Isobel". Parliament of Tasmania. 2006. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  10. ↑ "The Hon. Linda Jean BURNEY, HonDEd, DipEd MP". Parliament of New South Wales. 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  11. ↑ "Malarndirri McCarthy - Member for Arnhem". Australian Labor Party. 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  12. ↑ "Mr Benjamin (Ben) Sana Wyatt MLA LLB, MSc". Parliament of Western Australia. 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  13. ↑ "Karl Hampton - Member for Stuart". Australian Labor Party. 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  14. ↑ "NORTHERN TERRITORY LEGISLATIVE ELECTION OF 10 AUGUST 2008". Adam Carr. 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  15. ↑ "Ken Wyatt makes Australian political history". Special Broadcasting Service. 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  16. ↑ "Bourke to be first indigenous MLA". Canberra Times. 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  17. ↑ Larisa Lee, Country Liberal Party, 2012.
  18. ↑ Bess Price, Country Liberal Party, 2012.
  19. ↑ Francis Xavier Maralampuwi, Country Liberal Party, 2012.
  20. ↑ Nova Peris elected as first Indigenous woman in Federal Parliament, ABC News, 9 September 2013.
  21. ↑ , SBS NEWS , 5 September 2014.
  22. ↑
  23. ↑ "Newman gone: Labor surges in Queensland". Yahoo! 7 News. 2015-02-01. Retrieved 1 February 2015.