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Political families of Australia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Political families of Australia
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A political family of Australia (also called a political dynasty) is a family in which multiple members are involved in Australian politics, particularly electoral politics. Members may be related by blood or marriage; often several generations or multiple siblings may be involved.[1] Like comparable liberal democracies in the United States, Japan, Canada and The United Kingdom, Australia is susceptible to the phenomenon of political dynasties.[2][3] There have been many instances where members of the same family have been elected to the same state or federal electoral district, sometimes immediately succeeding a family member.

The following families have had two or more members serve as premier of an Australian state:

The following families have had two or more members serve in the same federal cabinet position:

The following families have had two or more members serve in vice-regal positions:

The following families have had three or more members elected to the same district:

The following families have had two or more members serve as mayor of an Australian capital city:

The following families had two members elected to the same district:

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A

Abbott

Abetz

Adermann

Ah Kit

Aldred

Allen

Anderson

Anthony

Archer (Queensland)

Archer (Tasmania)

Archer (Calder, Tasmania)

Aston

Aylett

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B

à Beckett

Bacon

Badgery

Baillieu

Baird

Baker (Queensland)

Baker (South Australia)

Barnard

Barnes

Basedow[14]

Baume[15]

Beale[16]

Beazley[17]

Beerworth

Bell (Queensland)[18]

Bell (New South Wales)

Berry[19]

Best[20]

Birney[21]

Blaxland

Blyth

Booth

Bowman

Braid

Brennan

Briskey

Brown/Hoare

Brown/Ritchie

Broughton

Broun

Bruxner

Bull

Burdekin

Burke

Bushby

Butler

Buzacott

Byrnes

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C

Cain

Cameron (Queensland)

Cameron (South Australia)

Cameron (Tasmania)

Camm

Campbell

Cann

Casey

Catania

Chaffey

Chaney

Chanter

Chapman

Chataway

Clark

Clarke

Corcoran

Corrigan

Corser

Court

Courtice

Cowan (South Australia)

Cowan (Western Australia)

Cowper

Crean

Cremean

Cribb

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D

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Darling

Dawkins

Davies

Delahunty

Dick[36]

Dobson

Douglas[37]

Alex Douglas is also a nephew of Bob Katter and cousin of Rob Katter (see Katter family below)

Downer[38]

Duncan

Dunn[39]

Dutton

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E

Emerson

Evans

Ewing

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F

Fairbairn

Farrell (Tasmania)

Farrell (Queensland)

Ferguson

Fitzgerald

Fitzgibbon

Fisken/Ronaldson

Fong Lim

Foote

Fraser (ACT)

Fraser (Victoria)

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G

Garran

Gibson

Gilmore

Goldsworthy

Grimwade

Groom (Queensland)

Groom (Tasmania)

  • Ray Groom was a Member of the House of Representatives 1975–1984, a Minister in the Fraser government, a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly 1986–2001, then Premier of Tasmania 1992–1996; his son,
    • Matthew Groom was a Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly 2010–2018 and a minister in the Tasmanian Government 2014–2018.

Gullett

Guy

  • James Guy was an ALP Senator for Tasmania from 1914 to 1920 and his son
    • James Allan Guy was ALP and later Nationalist Member for Bass and a Senator for Tasmania.
    • George McElwee, Member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council from 1940 to 1946, was James Guy's brother-in-law.[40]
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H

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Hamer

Candidate for Malvern in 2026 state election in Victoria.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-23/amelia-hamer-wins-preselection-for-malvern/106042776

Hanlon

Hannaford

Hargrave

Harrison/Walters

  • Eric Harrison was a Member of the House of Representatives seat of Wentworth from 1931 to 1956, the first Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia (1944 to 1956) and held several major portfolios. His daughter

Hawke

Henderson

Henty

Heydon

Higham

Hiscutt

Hodgman

Holland

Hood

Horne

Hughes

The Hughes family has a long history in both New South Wales and Federal politics.

Hunt

  • Alan Hunt was a member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1961–1992. His son,
    • Greg Hunt, is the federal member for Flinders, was Minister for the Environment in the Abbott and Turnbull governments.

Hunter

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J

James

Jamison

Jenkins

Jones

Jones

K

Katter

Kennedy

King

Kingston

Kneebone

Knowles

Knox

Knuth

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L

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Lamb

Laming

Lang

Lawlor/France

Lawrie

Lawson

Lazzarini

Leake

Lee Steere

Lefroy

Lemmon

Lewis

Brothers

  • Sandy Lewis (1931–2016), MP for Blackwood, Western Australia 1972–1989
  • Tom Lewis (1922 –2016), 33rd Premier of New South Wales 1975 – 1976

their grandfather

Littleproud

Lyne

Lyons

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M

Macarthur

Macleay

Macrossan

Mann

Marmion

Marwick

McClelland

McColl

McGirr

McIntyre/Fletcher

McKechnie

McLachlan

McLarty

  • John McLarty (1842–1909), MLA in Western Australia 1904–1909; brother of Edward
  • Edward McLarty (1848–1917), MLC in Western Australia 1894–1916; brother of John
  • Ross McLarty (1891–1962), MLA in Western Australia 1930–1962, Premier 1947–1953; son of Edward

McLaurin

McLeod (Daylesford, Victoria)

McLeod (Portland, Victoria)

McMahon/Walder

McVeigh

Melloy/Darling

Menzies/Leckie

Miles/Vallentine/Fisher

Morgan

Morrison

Morris

Morris/Wilson

Muller

Murphy

Murray

Murray-Prior

Mutton

N

Nalder

  • Sir Crawford Nalder was Deputy Premier of Western Australia from 1962 to 1971. His son
  • Cambell Nalder, was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1986 to 1987. His son
  • Dean Nalder, was a member of the Legislative Assembly from 2013 to 2021 and was the Transport minister in the Western Australian Government.

Newman

Nicholls

Nott

O

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O'Byrne

O'Connell

Sir Maurice Charles O'Connell's maternal grandfather was William Bligh, Governor of New South Wales (1806–1808).

Ogilvie

Oldfield

O'Sullivan/MacGroarty

Osborne

P

Page

  • Sir Earle Page was Prime Minister of Australia in 1939 and a Country Party Member of the House of Representatives from 1919 to 1961. His grandson
    • Donald Page was a member of the NSW Legislative Assembly from 1988 to 2015 and a minister in the NSW Government from 2011 to 2014.

Palaszczuk

Palmer

Parker

Pearsall

Perrett

Pickard

Piesse

  • Frederick Piesse (1853–1912), MLA in Western Australia 1890–1909; brother of Alfred, Arnold, and Charles
  • Charles Piesse (1855–1914), MLC in Western Australia 1894–1914; brother of Alfred, Arnold, and Frederick
  • Alfred Piesse (1866–1939), MLA in Western Australia 1911–1924; brother of Arnold, Charles, and Frederick
  • Arnold Piesse (1872–1935), MLA in Western Australia 1909–1914 and 1930–1935; brother of Alfred, Charles, and Frederick
  • Harold Piesse (1884–1944), MLC in Western Australia 1932–1944; son of Frederick
  • Edmund Piesse (1900–1952), Senator for Western Australia 1950–1952; son of Arnold
  • Winifred Piesse (1923–2017), MLC in Western Australia 1977–1983; daughter-in-law of Charles

Pitt

Playfair

Playford

Plunkett

Porter

Polley

  • Michael Polley was a member for Wilmot/Lyons from 1972 to 2014 and a Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. His sister

Pratten

Price/Hampton

Prowse/Herbert

Purich/Purick

  • Noel Padgham-Purich was a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for Tiwi 1977–1983; Koolpinyah 1983–1990; and Nelson 1990–1997. Her daughter,

R

Rankin

Rattray

Reynolds

Riley

Riordan

Row

Ruddock

Rusden

Russell

S

Sargood

Shakespeare

Shannon

Shenton

Smith (Victoria)

Snodgrass

Solomon

Spender

Stephen

Stephens

Strangways

Street

Sullivan

Suttor

T

Tanner

Teague

Tehan

  • Marie Tehan was a Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1987 to 1992 and of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1992 to 1999. She was a minister in the Victorian Government. Her son
    • Dan Tehan has been a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives since 2010.

Theodore

Theophanous

Thompson

  • Lindsay Thompson was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1955 to 1970 and of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1970 to 1982. He was the 40th Premier of Victoria. His son
    • Murray Thompson has been a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 1992.

Thorn/Harris/Hill/Casey

Toohey

Townley

Tozer

Turnbull

V

Vale

Valentine

Vardon

Venning

Veryard

W

Walker

  • James Thomas Walker (1841–1923), original senator from New South Wales (1901–1913);
  • his older cousin was Thomas Walker (1804–1886), member of NSW Legislative Council for Port Philip Bay (1843–1845)

Want

Watkins

Weatherill

Webster

Wentworth/Hill/Griffiths/Scott/Cooper

Whan

White

Whitlam

Wienholt

Willesee

Willmott

  • F. E. S. Willmott (1870–1941), MLA in Western Australia 1914–1921, MLC in Western Australia 1921–1926; father of F. D.
  • Edmund Brockman (1882–1938), MLA in Western Australia 1933–1934; brother-in-law of F. E. S.
  • William Willmott (1895–1947), MLA in Western Australia 1938–1947; nephew of F. E. S.
  • F. D. Willmott (1904–2004), MLA in Western Australia 1955–1974; son of F. E. S.

Wills

Wilshire

Wilson

  • Sir Keith Wilson was Senator for South Australia from 1938 to 1944 and MHR for Sturt from 1949–1954 and 1955–1966. His son
  • Ian represented Sturt from 1966–1969 and 1972–1993 and was a minister in the Fraser government. Ian was also great-grandson of Sir John Langdon Bonython MHR for South Australia 1901–1906 and great-great grandson of Sir John Cox Bray, the first native born premier of South Australia

Windeyer

Wise

Wood

Woolcott

Wooldridge

  • Michael Wooldridge was a Member of the House of Representatives, and Minister for Health 1996–2001 in the Howard government. His sister,
  • Mary Wooldridge, has been a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 2006 and a minister in the Victorian Government.

Wordsworth

Wriedt

Wright

Wyatt

Spouses

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There have been several instances of married couples being individually elected or appointed to office in Australian federal and state politics. In some cases, male politicians have died in office and were succeeded by their wives. (Millie Peacock won the by-election for the Electoral district of Allandale, replacing her husband Alexander Peacock) and Fanny Brownbill succeeded her husband William Brownbill in the Electoral district of Geelong following his death.

In other cases the couples represented the same geographic areas but in different electoral districts (Carmel Tebbutt represented the state Electoral district of Marrickville at the same time her husband Anthony Albanese represented the overlapping federal Division of Grayndler, Carryn Sullivan represented the state Electoral district of Pumicestone while her husband Jon Sullivan represented the federal Division of Longman), or similar geographic areas but at different times (Linda Lavarch represented the state Electoral district of Kurwongbah shortly after her husband Michael Lavarch failed to win re-election as the federal Member for Dickson).

Anthony Albanese and Carmel Tebbutt

Florence and Joh Bjelke-Petersen

Steele Hall and Joan Bullock

Bob and Brenda Gibbs

Linda and Michael Lavarch

Mary and Michael Easson

Joseph and Enid Lyons

Jocelyn and Kevin Newman

Alexander and Millie Peacock

Jane and Ian Prentice

Carryn and Jon Sullivan

Kelvin and Marsha Thomson

  • Kelvin Thomson was an MP in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1988–1995 and was MHR for Wills in the Australian Parliament from 1996 until his retirement in 2016. His ex-wife Marsha Thomson was a member of the Victorian Legislative Council (1999–2006) and has represented Footscray in the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 2006. She was the first Jewish woman to be a minister in any Australian Government serving in the Bracks and Brumby cabinets.

Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull

William and Fanny Brownbill

Sophie and Greg Mirabella

Maurice and Doris Blackburn

Susan Ryan and Richard Butler

Belinda Neal and John Della Bosca

Dana and Russell Wortley

Alison Byrnes and Paul Scully

Jim McKiernan and Jackie Watkins

Trish Worth and Michael Cobb

Helen and Joe Bullock

Sally Talbot and Jon Ford

John Graham and Jenny McAllister

Steve Hutchins, Diane Beamer, Natalie Hutchins

His first wife:

His second wife:

See also

References

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