Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
Encyclopedia
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives
, the lower house of the Parliament of Australia
. The presiding officer in the upper house is the President of the Senate
.
The current Speaker is Peter Slipper
. Following his election to the speakership on 24 November 2011, he stood down from the Liberal National Party to become an independent MP. His election came as a result of the resignation of the previous speaker, Labor's Harry Jenkins, Jr
.
The office of Speaker was created by section 35 of the Constitution of Australia
. The authors of the Constitution intended that the House of Representatives should be as nearly as possible a replica of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.
The Speaker is elected by the House of Representatives in a secret ballot. The Clerk
conducts the election. The first Speaker, Sir Frederick Holder, sat as an independent after his election as Speaker. Unlike the Speaker
of the House of Commons
in Britain, the Speaker continues to attend party meetings, and at general elections stands as a party candidate.
There is no convention in Australia that the Speaker should not be opposed in his or her constituency, and three Speakers (Groom in 1929, Nairn in 1943 and Aston in 1972) have been defeated at general elections. Because the Speaker is always the nominee of the governing party, there is no expectation that a Speaker will continue in office following a change of government. While the Opposition sometimes nominates one of its own members for Speaker after a general election, this is understood to be a symbolic act, and party discipline is always followed in any ballot.
Most Speakers have been senior backbenchers of the party holding office at the start of a new Parliament, or at the time of the death or resignation of an incumbent Speaker. Four Speakers have been former government ministers (Watt, Groom, Cameron and Sinclair), one a former Parliamentary Secretary (Martin), and one (Snedden) both a former minister and a former Leader of the Opposition. Two were former state premiers
(Holder and Watt).
There is no convention in Australia that Speakers should resign from Parliament on the end of their term: two Speakers (Makin and Scholes) have become Cabinet ministers after having been Speaker.
, also administers Parliament House, Canberra
, with the assistance of an administrative staff.
Australian parliaments are notoriously rowdy, and the Speaker frequently exercises the disciplinary powers available under Standing Orders. The Speaker may summarily order a Member to excuse him or herself from the House for one hour. For more serious offences, the Speaker may "name" a Member: he says "I name the Honourable Member for X," following the House's convention that Members are always referred to by their electorate. The House then votes on a motion to suspend the Member for 24 hours. (The House also had the power to permanently expel a Member, but this happened only once, in 1920 the member was Hugh Mahon
. Under Section 8 of the Parliamentary Privileges Act 1987, the House no longer has the power to expel a member from membership of the House.)
On the other hand, the Speaker is not an active political figure like the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
. He or she does not take part in debates in the House, does not vote in the House except in the (rare) event of a tied vote, and does not speak in public on party-political issues (except at election time in his or her own constituency). He or she is expected to conduct the business of the House in an impartial manner, and generally does so.
There have been several memorable clashes between Speakers and the governments which caused them to be elected:
In addition, a notable occurrence in 2011, a Speaker survived being countermanded by the House. After a contentious debate on carbon pricing in which the Speaker Harry Jenkins
declared a "general warning" for all members, Liberal MP Bob Baldwin
interjected and was named by the Speaker. The Government accordingly moved that he be suspended, but Baldwin was supported by the Coalition
, independent MP Rob Oakeshott
and WA Nationals MP Tony Crook
. The resulting vote on suspending Baldwin for 24 hours failed 71–72. Convention would normally have required the Speaker to resign, but the House of Representatives immediately thereafter approved a motion of confidence in the Speaker, and as a consequence, Speaker Jenkins continued in office.
who is the current speaker in the hung parliament
resulting from the 2010 election; Frederick Holder
who was initially elected for the Free Trade Party
at the inaugural 1901 election, serving as an independent while speaker until his death in 1909; and in the Senate, Labor's Mal Colston
became an independent and Deputy President of the Senate
following the 1996 election. In the previous hung parliament elected at the 1940 election
, the United Australia Party
's Walter Nairn
was speaker during the Curtin Labor government
that was formed in 1941. Opposition MP Carty Salmon initially served as speaker for the first Labor government under Andrew Fisher
resulting from the 1910 election
. At the 1913 election
, Labor's Charles McDonald
was offered retention of the speakership by the incoming one-seat-majority Commonwealth Liberal Party
, but declined – later however, after Labor's return to government at the 1914 election
, McDonald regained the speakership until the subsequent election despite the mid-term change to a Nationalist Party
government.
In the Chamber and for ceremonial occasions the Speaker may wear the formal Speaker's dress of a black Queen's Counsel
gown, wing collar and bands. Traditionally, Speakers from the non-Labor parties have worn the formal dress but Speakers from the Australian Labor Party
have not done so.
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
, the lower house of the Parliament of Australia
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
. The presiding officer in the upper house is the President of the Senate
President of the Australian Senate
The President of the Australian Senate is the presiding officer of the Australian Senate, the upper house of the Parliament of Australia. The presiding officer of the lower house is the Speaker of the House of Representatives....
.
The current Speaker is Peter Slipper
Peter Slipper
Peter Neil Slipper , Australian politician, has served as the 27th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives since November 2011, after serving as Deputy Speaker following the 2010 election...
. Following his election to the speakership on 24 November 2011, he stood down from the Liberal National Party to become an independent MP. His election came as a result of the resignation of the previous speaker, Labor's Harry Jenkins, Jr
Harry Jenkins
Henry Alfred "Harry" Jenkins , an Australian politician, is a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Division of Scullin, Victoria, since the 1986 by-election for the Australian Labor Party...
.
The office of Speaker was created by section 35 of the Constitution of Australia
Constitution of Australia
The Constitution of Australia is the supreme law under which the Australian Commonwealth Government operates. It consists of several documents. The most important is the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia...
. The authors of the Constitution intended that the House of Representatives should be as nearly as possible a replica of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.
Election
Section 35 of the Constitution provides:The Speaker is elected by the House of Representatives in a secret ballot. The Clerk
Clerk of the Australian House of Representatives
The Clerk of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Australia is responsible for managing the Department of the House.The Department of the House of Representatives provides services to support the efficient conduct of the House of Representatives, its committees and certain joint...
conducts the election. The first Speaker, Sir Frederick Holder, sat as an independent after his election as Speaker. Unlike the Speaker
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
of the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
in Britain, the Speaker continues to attend party meetings, and at general elections stands as a party candidate.
There is no convention in Australia that the Speaker should not be opposed in his or her constituency, and three Speakers (Groom in 1929, Nairn in 1943 and Aston in 1972) have been defeated at general elections. Because the Speaker is always the nominee of the governing party, there is no expectation that a Speaker will continue in office following a change of government. While the Opposition sometimes nominates one of its own members for Speaker after a general election, this is understood to be a symbolic act, and party discipline is always followed in any ballot.
Most Speakers have been senior backbenchers of the party holding office at the start of a new Parliament, or at the time of the death or resignation of an incumbent Speaker. Four Speakers have been former government ministers (Watt, Groom, Cameron and Sinclair), one a former Parliamentary Secretary (Martin), and one (Snedden) both a former minister and a former Leader of the Opposition. Two were former state premiers
Premiers of the Australian states
The Premiers of the Australian states are the de facto heads of the executive governments in the six states of the Commonwealth of Australia. They perform the same function at the state level as the Prime Minister of Australia performs at the national level. The territory equivalents to the...
(Holder and Watt).
There is no convention in Australia that Speakers should resign from Parliament on the end of their term: two Speakers (Makin and Scholes) have become Cabinet ministers after having been Speaker.
Origin
The name "Speaker" originates from early times in the United Kingdom House of Commons. "Mr Speaker" was a description rather than a title, the speaker being the Member of Parliament chosen to speak for them to the King. The first recorded use of the term "Speaker" was in 1377. During earlier times when the King was very powerful, the parliament would usually only called the Parliament together in order to get it to agree to pay taxes. The Speaker would report parliament decisions to the King, which proved to be dangerous if it was not what the King wanted to hear. It was not uncommon for early speakers of parliament to be beheaded, with another being "murdered". The traditional token reluctance shown by a Member on being elected Speaker dates from this time, when a Member’s struggle not to be physically forced into the Chair could have been completely genuine. The practice in the House of Representatives that the newly elected Speaker is escorted to the Chair by his supporters derives from this tradition.Role
The Speaker's principal duty is to preside over the House, although he is assisted in this by the Deputy Speakers and a panel of Acting Speakers, who usually preside during routine debates. The Speaker must maintain order in the House, uphold the Standing Orders (rules of procedure), rule on points of order, and protect the rights of backbench members. The Speaker is assisted by two deputies, both also elected by the House: the Deputy Speaker and Second Deputy Speaker, the latter of which must be elected from an opposition party. The Speaker, in conjunction with the President of the SenatePresident of the Australian Senate
The President of the Australian Senate is the presiding officer of the Australian Senate, the upper house of the Parliament of Australia. The presiding officer of the lower house is the Speaker of the House of Representatives....
, also administers Parliament House, Canberra
Parliament House, Canberra
Parliament House is the meeting facility of the Parliament of Australia located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. The building was designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects and opened on 1988 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia...
, with the assistance of an administrative staff.
Australian parliaments are notoriously rowdy, and the Speaker frequently exercises the disciplinary powers available under Standing Orders. The Speaker may summarily order a Member to excuse him or herself from the House for one hour. For more serious offences, the Speaker may "name" a Member: he says "I name the Honourable Member for X," following the House's convention that Members are always referred to by their electorate. The House then votes on a motion to suspend the Member for 24 hours. (The House also had the power to permanently expel a Member, but this happened only once, in 1920 the member was Hugh Mahon
Hugh Mahon
Hugh Mahon was an Irish-born Australian politician and a member of the first Commonwealth Parliament for the Australian Labor Party...
. Under Section 8 of the Parliamentary Privileges Act 1987, the House no longer has the power to expel a member from membership of the House.)
Impartiality
Although Australian Speakers are supposed to behave with reasonable impartiality, they see it as part of their duty to support the Government of the day in getting its business through the House, and generally rule in favour of the Government on the frequent points of order raised by Opposition members. Speakers are regularly accused of favouring the Government, and on occasion motions of dissent in the Speaker's rulings or motions of no confidence in the Speaker are moved. These are always defeated along party lines.On the other hand, the Speaker is not an active political figure like the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
. He or she does not take part in debates in the House, does not vote in the House except in the (rare) event of a tied vote, and does not speak in public on party-political issues (except at election time in his or her own constituency). He or she is expected to conduct the business of the House in an impartial manner, and generally does so.
There have been several memorable clashes between Speakers and the governments which caused them to be elected:
- In 1929 Speaker Sir Littleton GroomLittleton GroomSir Littleton Ernest Groom, KCMG was an Australian Commonwealth Minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Australia's 17th longest serving federal Parliamentarian . He was a member of every non-Australian Labor Party ministry from 1905 to 1926...
declined to come into the House and cast a vote in committee when his vote would have saved the Bruce governmentStanley BruceStanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, CH, MC, FRS, PC , was an Australian politician and diplomat, and the eighth Prime Minister of Australia. He was the second Australian granted an hereditary peerage of the United Kingdom, but the first whose peerage was formally created...
from defeat. As a result he was expelled from the Nationalist PartyNationalist Party of AustraliaThe Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
and defeated in his constituency at the subsequent election. - In 1975 the WhitlamGough WhitlamEdward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
government refused to support Speaker Jim Cope when he named government minister Clyde CameronClyde CameronClyde Robert Cameron, AO , Australian politician, was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for 31 years from 1949 to 1980, a Cabinet minister in the Whitlam government and a leading figure in the Australian labour movement for forty years.-Biography:Cameron was born in Murray Bridge,...
for disrespect to the Chair: normally this would have resulted in the minister's suspension from the House. The Speaker resigned on the spot. This is the only circumstance where a Government had failed to support a Speaker after a Member had been named. - In 1982 Speaker Sir Billy SneddenBilly SneddenSir Billy Mackie Snedden, KCMG, QC was an Australian politician representing the Liberal Party. He was Leader of the Opposition at the 1974 federal election, failing to defeat the Labor incumbent Gough Whitlam.-Early life:...
refused to insist that an opposition frontbencher, Bob HawkeBob HawkeRobert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
, retract an allegation that the Prime Minister, Malcolm FraserMalcolm FraserJohn Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
, was a liar. Snedden stood his ground despite furious demands from government members that Hawke either be made to retract or be named. The Hansard of the day's sitting shows that Sir Billy refused to put the question that 'the honourable member for Wills (Hawke) be suspended from the services of the House' so that Parliament can function for that day.
In addition, a notable occurrence in 2011, a Speaker survived being countermanded by the House. After a contentious debate on carbon pricing in which the Speaker Harry Jenkins
Harry Jenkins
Henry Alfred "Harry" Jenkins , an Australian politician, is a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Division of Scullin, Victoria, since the 1986 by-election for the Australian Labor Party...
declared a "general warning" for all members, Liberal MP Bob Baldwin
Bob Baldwin
Robert Charles "Bob" Baldwin , Australian politician, has been a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1996 to October 1998 and again since November 2001, representing theDivision of Paterson in New South Wales...
interjected and was named by the Speaker. The Government accordingly moved that he be suspended, but Baldwin was supported by the Coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
, independent MP Rob Oakeshott
Rob Oakeshott
Robert James Murray "Rob" Oakeshott is an Australian politician. He is the independent Member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Lyne in New South Wales, which he won in the 2008 by-election following the resignation of former Nationals leader and Howard minister Mark Vaile...
and WA Nationals MP Tony Crook
Tony Crook
Anthony Crook is a former racing driver from England. He was born in Manchester. He participated in 2 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 19 July 1952. He scored no championship points. He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races...
. The resulting vote on suspending Baldwin for 24 hours failed 71–72. Convention would normally have required the Speaker to resign, but the House of Representatives immediately thereafter approved a motion of confidence in the Speaker, and as a consequence, Speaker Jenkins continued in office.
Independent and non-government speakers
Precedents for independent MP speakers are former LNP MP Peter SlipperPeter Slipper
Peter Neil Slipper , Australian politician, has served as the 27th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives since November 2011, after serving as Deputy Speaker following the 2010 election...
who is the current speaker in the hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
resulting from the 2010 election; Frederick Holder
Frederick Holder
Sir Frederick William Holder KCMG was the 19th Premier of South Australia and a prominent member of the inaugural Australian Commonwealth Parliament, including the first Speaker of the House of Representatives.-Life:...
who was initially elected for the Free Trade Party
Free Trade Party
The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states and renamed the Anti-Socialist Party in 1906, was an Australian political party, formally organised between 1889 and 1909...
at the inaugural 1901 election, serving as an independent while speaker until his death in 1909; and in the Senate, Labor's Mal Colston
Mal Colston
Malcolm Arthur "Mal" Colston , Australian politician, was a Senator in the Parliament of Australia representing the state of Queensland between 1975 and 1999...
became an independent and Deputy President of the Senate
President of the Australian Senate
The President of the Australian Senate is the presiding officer of the Australian Senate, the upper house of the Parliament of Australia. The presiding officer of the lower house is the Speaker of the House of Representatives....
following the 1996 election. In the previous hung parliament elected at the 1940 election
Australian federal election, 1940
Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 September 1940. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
, the United Australia Party
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
's Walter Nairn
Walter Nairn
Walter Maxwell Nairn was a Nationalist and United Australia member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1929 to 1943, representing the Division of Perth, Western Australia. He was with the Nationalist Party from 1929 to 1931 and spent the remainder of his term with the United Australia...
was speaker during the Curtin Labor government
Curtin Government
The Curtin Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Curtin. It was made up of members of the Australian Labor Party in the Australian Parliament from 1941 to 1945.-Background:...
that was formed in 1941. Opposition MP Carty Salmon initially served as speaker for the first Labor government under Andrew Fisher
Andrew Fisher
Andrew Fisher was an Australian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister on three separate occasions. Fisher's 1910-13 Labor ministry completed a vast legislative programme which made him, along with Protectionist Alfred Deakin, the founder of the statutory structure of the new nation...
resulting from the 1910 election
Australian federal election, 1910
Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 April 1910. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
. At the 1913 election
Australian federal election, 1913
Federal elections were held in Australia on 31 May 1913. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia Andrew Fisher was defeated by the opposition Commonwealth Liberal...
, Labor's Charles McDonald
Charles McDonald (Australian politician)
Charles McDonald was an Australian politician who served as Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives during the second and third Andrew Fisher Labor governments between 1910 and 1913 and between 1914 and 1917....
was offered retention of the speakership by the incoming one-seat-majority Commonwealth Liberal Party
Commonwealth Liberal Party
The Commonwealth Liberal Party was a political movement active in Australia from 1909 to 1916, shortly after federation....
, but declined – later however, after Labor's return to government at the 1914 election
Australian federal election, 1914
Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 September 1914. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 36 seats in the Senate were up for election in a double dissolution...
, McDonald regained the speakership until the subsequent election despite the mid-term change to a Nationalist Party
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
government.
Perquisites
A Member elected Speaker is entitled, while Speaker, to the title 'Honourable', which, with the approval of the Sovereign, may be retained for life. This privilege is usually only given to those who have served as Speaker for three years or more. The immediate past Speaker, Harry Jenkins, was the first Speaker to ask that "The Hon" not be used in reference to him, while also making clear that he was not attempting to set a precedent for future speakers; he was simply not personally comfortable with the title.In the Chamber and for ceremonial occasions the Speaker may wear the formal Speaker's dress of a black Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
gown, wing collar and bands. Traditionally, Speakers from the non-Labor parties have worn the formal dress but Speakers from the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
have not done so.
List of Speakers
| # | Name | Party | Term in Office | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hon. Sir Frederick William Holder Frederick Holder Sir Frederick William Holder KCMG was the 19th Premier of South Australia and a prominent member of the inaugural Australian Commonwealth Parliament, including the first Speaker of the House of Representatives.-Life:... |
Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... (formerly Free Trade Party Free Trade Party The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states and renamed the Anti-Socialist Party in 1906, was an Australian political party, formally organised between 1889 and 1909... ) |
9 May 1901 23 July 1909 | Elected to parliament as a member of the Free Trade Party Free Trade Party The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states and renamed the Anti-Socialist Party in 1906, was an Australian political party, formally organised between 1889 and 1909... , contested subsequent elections as an independent. Died in office. |
| 2 | Hon. Dr (Charles) Carty Salmon | Commonwealth Liberal Commonwealth Liberal Party The Commonwealth Liberal Party was a political movement active in Australia from 1909 to 1916, shortly after federation.... |
23 July 190930 June 1910 | |
| 3 | Hon. Charles McDonald Charles McDonald (Australian politician) Charles McDonald was an Australian politician who served as Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives during the second and third Andrew Fisher Labor governments between 1910 and 1913 and between 1914 and 1917.... |
Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
1 July 19108 July 1913 | First time in role. |
| 4 | Hon. Sir William Elliot Johnson | Commonwealth Liberal | 9 July 19137 October 1914 | First time in role. |
| Hon. Charles McDonald Charles McDonald (Australian politician) Charles McDonald was an Australian politician who served as Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives during the second and third Andrew Fisher Labor governments between 1910 and 1913 and between 1914 and 1917.... |
Labor | 8 October 1914 13 June 1917 | Second time in role. | |
| Hon. Sir William Elliot Johnson | Nationalist Nationalist Party of Australia The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime... |
14 June 1917 27 February 1923 | Second time in role. | |
| 5 | Rt. Hon. William Alexander Watt William Watt William Alexander Watt PC was an Australian politician who was the 24th Premier of Victoria, and later a leading federal politician and Speaker of the House of Representatives.... |
Nationalist | 28 February 1923 12 January 1926 | |
| 6 | Hon. Sir Littleton Ernest Groom Littleton Groom Sir Littleton Ernest Groom, KCMG was an Australian Commonwealth Minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Australia's 17th longest serving federal Parliamentarian . He was a member of every non-Australian Labor Party ministry from 1905 to 1926... |
Nationalist | 13 January 1926 11 October 1929 | Defeated in his own seat. |
| 7 | Hon. Norman John Oswald Makin Norman Makin Norman John Oswald Makin AO , Australian politician, was a Cabinet minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives and diplomat.-Early life:... |
Labor | 20 November 192916 February 1932 | |
| 8 | Hon. George Hugh Alexander Mackay George Mackay (Australian politician) George Hugh Alexander Mackay was an Australian politician and Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives.-Early life:... |
United Australia United Australia Party The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia... |
17 February 1932 7 August 1934 | |
| 9 | Hon. Sir George John Bell | United Australia | 23 October 193419 November 1940 | |
| 10 | Hon. Walter Maxwell Nairn Walter Nairn Walter Maxwell Nairn was a Nationalist and United Australia member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1929 to 1943, representing the Division of Perth, Western Australia. He was with the Nationalist Party from 1929 to 1931 and spent the remainder of his term with the United Australia... |
United Australia | 20 November 1940 21 June 1943 | Continued as speaker when the Curtin Labor government Curtin Government The Curtin Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Curtin. It was made up of members of the Australian Labor Party in the Australian Parliament from 1941 to 1945.-Background:... formed in 1941. Defeated in his own seat. |
| 11 | Hon. John Solomon (Sol) Rosevear | Labor | 22 June 1943 21 February 1950 | |
| 12 | Hon. Archie Galbraith Cameron Archie Cameron Archie Galbraith Cameron , was an Australian politician. He was Leader of the Country Party 1939-40, and Speaker of the House of Representatives 1950-56.-Biography:... |
Liberal Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office... |
22 February 1950 9 August 1956 | Died in office. |
| 13 | Hon. Sir John McLeay | Liberal | 29 August 1956 31 October 1966 | |
| 14 | Hon. Sir William John Aston William Aston Sir William John Aston, KCMG was an Australian politician. Born in Sydney, he attended state schools before becoming an accountant and company director. He served in World War II from 1942-44, and was involved in local politics as a member of Waverley Council... |
Liberal | 21 February 19672 November 1972 | Defeated in his own seat. |
| 15 | Hon. James (Jim) Francis Cope | Labor | 27 February 197327 February 1975 | |
| 16 | Hon. Gordon Glen Denton Scholes Gordon Scholes Gordon Glen Denton Scholes AO is a former Australian politician and Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives.Scholes was born in Melbourne, the son of Thomas Glen Denton Scholes and his wife Mary Louisa O'Brien. He was the Victorian Amateur Heavyweight Boxing Champion in 1949... |
Labor | 27 February 197516 February 1976 | |
| 17 | Rt. Hon. Sir Billy Mackie Snedden Billy Snedden Sir Billy Mackie Snedden, KCMG, QC was an Australian politician representing the Liberal Party. He was Leader of the Opposition at the 1974 federal election, failing to defeat the Labor incumbent Gough Whitlam.-Early life:... |
Liberal | 17 February 1976 4 February 1983 | |
| 18 | Hon. Dr. Henry (Harry) Alfred Jenkins, Sr. | Labor | 22 April 1983 11 February 1986 | First Speaker whose son was a later Speaker. |
| 19 | Hon. (Gloria) Joan Liles Child Joan Child Gloria Joan Liles Child AO is a former Australian politician. She was the first, and so far only, woman to be Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives.... |
Labor | 11 February 1986 28 August 1989 | The only female Speaker to date. |
| 20 | Hon. Leo Boyce McLeay Leo McLeay Leo Boyce McLeay , Australian politician, was a Labor Party member of the House of Representatives from June 1979 to October 2004. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives 1989-93.-Biography:... |
Labor | 29 August 1989 8 February 1993 | |
| 21 | Hon. Stephen Paul Martin | Labor | 4 May 1993 30 April 1996 | |
| 22 | Hon. Robert (Bob) George Halverson Bob Halverson Robert George "Bob" Halverson, OBE is a former Australian politician, air force officer and diplomat. Born in Melbourne, he served in the Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Air Force from 1956 to 1981 holding the rank of Group Captain and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in... |
Liberal | 30 April 1996 3 March 1998 | |
| 23 | Rt. Hon. Ian McCahon Sinclair Ian Sinclair Ian McCahon Sinclair AC , is an Australian politician and former leader of the National Party of Australia.Sinclair was born in Sydney, the son of a suburban accountant. He was educated at Knox Grammar School and at the University of Sydney, where he graduated in arts and law... |
National National Party of Australia The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is... |
4 March 1998 10 November 1998 | |
| 24 | Hon. (John) Neil Andrew Neil Andrew John Neil Andrew, AO , Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1983 to October 2004, representing the Division of Wakefield, South Australia... |
Liberal | 10 November 199816 November 2004 | |
| 25 | Hon. David Peter Maxwell Hawker David Hawker David Peter Maxwell Hawker , Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from May 1983 to July 2010, representing the Division of Wannon, Victoria, previously represented by former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser. He was born in Adelaide, and was educated at... |
Liberal | 16 November 200412 February 2008 | |
| 26 | Hon. Henry (Harry) Alfred Jenkins, Jr. Harry Jenkins Henry Alfred "Harry" Jenkins , an Australian politician, is a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Division of Scullin, Victoria, since the 1986 by-election for the Australian Labor Party... |
Labor | 12 February 200824 November 2011 | First Speaker whose father was a previous Speaker. |
| 27 | Hon. Peter Neil Slipper Peter Slipper Peter Neil Slipper , Australian politician, has served as the 27th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives since November 2011, after serving as Deputy Speaker following the 2010 election... |
Independent (formerly Liberal National Party) | 24 November 2011 | Elected while still a member of the Liberal National Party, but resigned his membership on the day of his election. |