List of LGBTQ holders of political offices in Australia

This is a list of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) holders of political offices in Australia.^[1][2] Currently and historically there are no known intersex parliamentarians, although Tony Briffa is known as the world's first openly intersex mayor^[3] and "first known intersex public office-bearer in the Western world",^[4] having served as Deputy Mayor of the City of Hobsons Bay between 2009–2011 and Mayor between 2011–2012.^[3][4][5][6]

Federal parliament

Name	Image	Party		Seat	Term in Office		Notes
Don Dobie[7]			Liberal	Member for Hughes	26 November 1966	25 October 1969
				Member for Cook	25 October 1969	2 December 1972
					13 December 1975	29 January 1996
Neil Brown[8]			Liberal	Member for Diamond Valley	25 October 1969	2 December 1972	Came out in 1996
					13 December 1975	5 March 1983
				Member for Menzies	1 December 1984	25 February 1991
Neal Blewett[9]			Labor	Member for Bonython	10 December 1977	11 February 1994	Came out in 2000
Colin Hollis[10]			Labor	Member for Macarthur	5 March 1983	1 December 1984
				Member for Throsby	1 December 1984	8 October 2001
Bob Brown[11]			Greens	Senator for Tasmania	1 July 1996	15 June 2012
Brian Greig[12]			Democrats	Senator for Western Australia	1 July 1999	30 June 2005
Penny Wong[13]			Labor	Senator for South Australia	1 July 2002	incumbent
Louise Pratt[14]			Labor	Senator for Western Australia	1 July 2008	30 June 2014
					2 July 2016	incumbent
Dean Smith[15]			Liberal	Senator for Western Australia	2 May 2012	incumbent
Janet Rice[16]			Greens	Senator for Victoria	1 July 2014	19 April 2024
Robert Simms[17]			Greens	Senator for South Australia	22 September 2015	2 July 2016
Trent Zimmerman[18]			Liberal	Member for North Sydney	5 December 2015	23 May 2022
Trevor Evans[19]			Liberal	Member for Brisbane	2 July 2016	23 May 2022
Julian Hill[20]			Labor	Member for Bruce	2 July 2016	incumbent
Tim Wilson[20]			Liberal	Member for Goldstein	2 July 2016	23 May 2022
Kerryn Phelps[21]			Independent	Member for Wentworth	20 October 2018	18 May 2019
Angie Bell[22]			Liberal	Member for Moncrieff	18 May 2019	incumbent
Nita Green[23]			Labor	Senator for Queensland	1 July 2019	incumbent
Stephen Bates[24]			Greens	Member for Brisbane	28 May 2022	3 May 2025

Tasmania

• Former:
  • Bob Brown (Independent Green) – 1983–1993^[11]
  • Alison Standen (Labor) – 2018–2021^[25]
• Historic firsts:
  • Party leader: Bob Brown (Greens) – 1989–1993^[11]

New South Wales

Legislative Council

• Current:
  • Penny Sharpe (Labor) – 2005^[26]
  • Chris Rath (Liberal) – 2022^[27]
  • Amanda Cohn (Greens) – 2023^[28]
  • Jacqui Munro (Liberal) – 2023^[29]

• Former:
  • Michael Yabsley (Liberal) – 1984–1994 ^[30] [Came out: 2020]
  • Paul O'Grady (Labor) – 1988–1996^[31] [Came out: 1990]
  • Michael Egan (Labor) – 1986–2005^[32] [Came out: 1995]
  • Helen Westwood (Labor) – 2007–2015^[33]
  • Don Harwin (Liberal) – 2011–2022^[34] [Came out: 2014]
  • Shayne Mallard (Liberal) – 2015–2023^[35]
  • Mark Pearson (Animal Justice) – 2015–2023^[36]

Legislative Assembly

• Current:
  • Alex Greenwich (Independent) – 2012^[37]
• Former:
  • Michael Egan (Labor) – 1978–1984^[32]
  • Tony Doyle (Labor) – 1985–1994^[38] [Came out: 1994]
  • Bruce Notley-Smith (Liberal) – 2011–2019^[39]

Western Australia

Legislative Council

• Current:
  • Stephen Dawson (Labor) – 2013^[40]
  • Peter Foster (Labor) – 2021^[41]
• Former:
  • Giz Watson (Greens) – 1997–2013^[42]
  • Lynn MacLaren (Greens) – 2005, 2009–2017^[43]
  • Louise Pratt (Labor) – 2001–2007^[44]

Legislative Assembly

• Current
  • Stuart Aubrey (Labor) – 2021^[45]
  • John Carey (Labor) – 2017^[46]
• Former:
  • Lisa Baker (Labor) – 2008-2025^[47]
  • John Hyde (Labor) – 2001–2013^[48]

Victoria

Legislative Council

• Current:
  • Harriet Shing (Labor) – 2014^[49]
  • Joe McCracken (Liberal) – 2022^[50]
  • Aiv Puglielli (Greens) – 2022^[51]

• Former:
  • Andrew Olexander (Liberal) – 1999–2006^[52]

Legislative Assembly

• Current:
  • Steve Dimopoulos (Labor) – 2014^[53]
  • Gabrielle de Vietri (Greens) – 2022^[54]

South Australia

Legislative Council

• Current:
  • Ian Hunter (Labor) – 2006^[55]
• Former:
  • Don Dunstan (Labor) – 1953–1979^[56]
  • Kelly Vincent (Dignity) – 2010–2018^[57]
• Historic Firsts:
  • Premier: Don Dunstan (Labor) – 1967

Australian Capital Territory

• Current:
  • Andrew Barr (Labor) – 2006^[58]
  • Chris Steel (Labor) – 2016^[59]
  • Suzanne Orr (Labor) – 2016^[60]
  • Laura Nuttall (Greens) – 2023^[61]
• Former:
  • Jonathan Davis (Greens) – 2020-2023 (resigned)
• Historic firsts:
  • Government minister: Andrew Barr (Labor) – 2006^[58]
  • Chief Minister: Andrew Barr (Labor) – 2014^[58]

Northern Territory

Current:

• Chansey Paech (Labor) – 2016^[62]

Officeholders:

• Leader of the Opposition: Jodeen Carney (Liberal) – (2005)
• Speaker of the Assembly: Chansey Paech (Labor) – (2020)

See also

• List of transgender politicians in Australia
• List of the first LGBT holders of political offices