Members of the Australian Senate, 1987–1990

This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1987 to 1990.^[1] It consisted of twelve senators for each of the six states of Australia and two senators representing each of the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. All members were elected at the 1987 election following a double dissolution of both houses of parliament, rather than the normal case of only half of the state senators facing election.

Senate composition at 14 September 1987
Government (32)
  Labor (32) – (7 seat minority)

Opposition (34)
  Liberal (27)
  National Party (6)
  Country Liberal (1)

Crossbench (10)
  Democrats (7)
  Nuclear Disarmament Party (1) ^[i]
  Independent (2)
 
Changes in composition

1. The election of NDP Senator Robert Wood was void. Irina Dunn was elected in his place but was expelled from the NDP & served out the remainder of her term as an independent.

In accordance with section 13 of the Constitution,^[2] following a double dissolution of Parliament, the terms for senators commence on 1 July preceding the election – i.e., on 1 July 1987. The Senate decides which senators were allocated the full six-year terms ending on 30 June 1993 and which senators were allocated three-year terms ending on 30 June 1990. In 1983 the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 had been amended to include provision for a recount of ballot papers to determine the senators to get the long term vacancies.^[3] This was the result of a unanimous recommendation from the Joint Select Committee on Electoral Reform.^[4] Despite the unanimous recommendation for reform, Labor and the Democrats maintained the previous system where the first six senators elected in each state were allocated the full six-year terms ending on 30 June 1993 while the other half were allocated three-year terms ending on 30 June 1990. The effect of this system was that Democrat Senators Paul McLean and Janet Powell got a long term instead of National Senators David Brownhill and Julian McGauran. There was no net effect on Labor and Liberal in that in South Australia, Labor Senator Graham Maguire got a long term instead of Liberal Senator Robert Hill, while in Queensland, Liberal Senator Warwick Parer got a long term instead of Labor Senator Gerry Jones.^[5][6] Senators took their seats immediately following the election on 11 July 1987. The four territory senators were elected in July 1987 and their terms ended at the next federal election, which was March 1990.

Senator	Party		State	Term ending	Years in office
Richard Alston		Liberal	Victoria	1990	1986–2004
Brian Archer		Liberal	Tasmania	1993	1975–1994
Terry Aulich		Labor	Tasmania	1993	1984–1993
Michael Baume		Liberal	New South Wales	1993	1984–1996
Peter Baume		Liberal	New South Wales	1993	1974–1991
Michael Beahan		Labor	Western Australia	1990	1987–1996
Robert Bell [a]		Democrats	Tasmania	1990	1990–1996
Bronwyn Bishop		Liberal	New South Wales	1990	1987–1994
Florence Bjelke-Petersen		National	Queensland	1993	1980–1993
John Black		Labor	Queensland	1990	1984–1990
Nick Bolkus		Labor	South Australia	1993	1981–2005
Ron Boswell		National	Queensland	1990	1983–2014
David Brownhill		National	New South Wales	1990	1984–2000
Bryant Burns		Labor	Queensland	1990	1987–1996
John Button		Labor	Victoria	1993	1974–1993
Paul Calvert		Liberal	Tasmania	1990	1987–2007
Ian Campbell [b]		Liberal	Western Australia	1993	1990–2007
Fred Chaney [b]		Liberal	Western Australia	1993	1974–1990
Grant Chapman		Liberal	South Australia	1990	1987–2008
Bruce Childs		Labor	New South Wales	1990	1980–1997
John Coates		Labor	Tasmania	1993	1980–1996
Bob Collins		Labor	Northern Territory	1990 [c]	1987–1998
Mal Colston		Labor	Queensland	1993	1975–1999
Peter Cook		Labor	Western Australia	1993	1983–2005
Barney Cooney		Labor	Victoria	1990	1984–2002
John Coulter		Democrats	South Australia	1990	1987–1995
Noel Crichton-Browne		Liberal	Western Australia	1990	1980–1996
Rosemary Crowley		Labor	South Australia	1990	1983–2002
John Devereux		Labor	Tasmania	1990	1987–1996
Ray Devlin		Labor	Tasmania	1990	1984–1990
Irina Dunn [d]		Nuclear Disarmament/Independent	New South Wales	1990	1988–1990
Peter Durack [e]		Liberal	Western Australia	1993	1970–1993
Gareth Evans		Labor	Victoria	1993	1977–1996
John Faulkner [f]		Labor	New South Wales	1993	1989–2015
Dominic Foreman		Labor	South Australia	1993	1980–1997
Arthur Gietzelt [e][f]		Labor	New South Wales	1993	1970–1989
Patricia Giles		Labor	Western Australia	1993	1980–1993
Janine Haines [g]		Democrats	South Australia	1993	1977–1978, 1980–1990
David Hamer		Liberal	Victoria	1990	1977–1990
Brian Harradine		Independent	Tasmania	1993	1975–2005
Robert Hill		Liberal	South Australia	1990	1981–2006
Jean Jenkins		Democrats	Western Australia	1990	1987–1990
Gerry Jones		Labor	Queensland	1990	1980–1996
Sue Knowles		Liberal	Western Australia	1993	1984–2005
Meg Lees [g]		Democrats	South Australia	1993	1990–2005
Austin Lewis		Liberal	Victoria	1993	1976–1993
David MacGibbon		Liberal	Queensland	1993	1977–1999
Michael Macklin		Democrats	Queensland	1990	1980–1990
Graham Maguire		Labor	South Australia	1993	1983–1993
Julian McGauran		National	Victoria	1990	1987–1990, 1993–2011
Jim McKiernan		Labor	Western Australia	1990	1984–2002
Paul McLean		Democrats	New South Wales	1993	1987–1991
Bob McMullan [h]		Labor	Australian Capital Territory	1990 [c]	1988–1996
Tony Messner [i]		Liberal	South Australia	1993	1975–1990
John Morris		Labor	New South Wales	1990	1984–1990
Jocelyn Newman		Liberal	Tasmania	1990	1986–2002
Bill O'Chee [j]		National	Queensland	1993	1990–1999
John Olsen [i]		Liberal	South Australia	1993	1990–1992
John Panizza		Liberal	Western Australia	1990	1987–1997
Warwick Parer		Liberal	Queensland	1993	1984–2000
Kay Patterson		Liberal	Victoria	1990	1987–2008
Janet Powell		Democrats	Victoria	1993	1986–1993
Chris Puplick		Liberal	New South Wales	1990	1978–1980, 1984–1990
Robert Ray		Labor	Victoria	1990	1981–2008
Margaret Reid		Liberal	Australian Capital Territory	1990 [c]	1981–2003
Margaret Reynolds		Labor	Queensland	1993	1983–1999
Graham Richardson		Labor	New South Wales	1993	1983–1994
Susan Ryan [h]		Labor	Australian Capital Territory	1990 [c]	1975–1988
Norm Sanders [a]		Democrats	Tasmania	1990	1984–1990
Chris Schacht		Labor	South Australia	1990	1987–2002
Glen Sheil		National	Queensland	1990	1974–1981, 1984–1990
Jim Short		Liberal	Victoria	1993	1984–1997
Kerry Sibraa		Labor	New South Wales	1993	1975–1978, 1978–1994
John Stone [j]		National	Queensland	1993	1987–1990
Grant Tambling		Country Liberal	Northern Territory	1990 [c]	1987–2001
Michael Tate		Labor	Tasmania	1993	1977–1993
Baden Teague		Liberal	South Australia	1990	1977–1996
Jo Vallentine		Independent	Western Australia	1990	1984–1992
Amanda Vanstone		Liberal	South Australia	1993	1984–2007
Peter Walsh		Labor	Western Australia	1993	1974–1993
Shirley Walters		Liberal	Tasmania	1993	1975–1993
John Watson		Liberal	Tasmania	1990	1978–2008
Robert Wood [d]		Nuclear Disarmament	New South Wales	1990	1987–1988
Olive Zakharov		Labor	Victoria	1993	1983–1995

Notes

1. Tasmanian Democrat Senator Norm Sanders resigned on 1 March 1990. Robert Bell was appointed as his replacement on 9 March.
2. Western Australian Liberal Senator Fred Chaney resigned on 27 February 1990. Ian Campbell was appointed as his replacement on 16 May.
3. The term of a territory senator ends at the dissolution of the House of Representatives, which was March 1990.
4. The election of New South Wales NDP Senator Robert Wood was declared void by the Court of Disputed Returns on 12 May 1988, after it was discovered that he was not an Australian citizen. The High Court had previously held that the presence of a person whose election was void did not invalidate the proceedings of the Senate.^[7] Irina Dunn, who had been the second candidate for the NDP on the Senate ballot paper, was elected on a re-count on 21 July. Dunn refused a request from the NDP to step down when Wood became a citizen (and thus eligible for appointment to the Senate), and was expelled from the party. Dunn served out the remainder of her term as an independent.
5. Father of the Senate
6. New South Wales Labor Senator Arthur Gietzelt resigned on 27 February 1989. John Faulkner was appointed as his replacement on 4 April.
7. South Australian Democrat Senator Janine Haines resigned on 1 March 1990. Meg Lees was appointed as her replacement on 4 April.
8. Australian Capital Territory Labor Senator Susan Ryan resigned on 29 January 1988. Bob McMullan was appointed as her replacement on 16 February.
9. South Australian Liberal Senator Tony Messner resigned on 17 April 1990. John Olsen was appointed as his replacement on 7 May.
10. Queensland National Senator John Stone resigned on 1 March 1990. Bill O'Chee was appointed as his replacement on 8 May.