Members of the Australian Senate, 1996–1999

This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1996 to 1999.^[1] Half of the state senators had been elected at the March 1993 election and had terms due to finish on 30 June 1999; the other half of the state senators were elected at the March 1996 election and had terms due to finish on 30 June 2002. The territory senators were elected at the March 1996 election and their terms ended at the next federal election, which was October 1998.

Senator	Party		State	Term ending	Years in office
Eric Abetz		Liberal	Tasmania	1999	1994–2022
Lyn Allison		Democrats	Victoria	2002	1996–2008
Richard Alston		Liberal	Victoria	2002	1986–2004
Andrew Bartlett [a]		Democrats	Queensland	2002	1997–2008, 2017–2018
Michael Baume [b]		Liberal	New South Wales	1999	1984–1996
Mark Bishop		Labor	Western Australia	2002	1996–2014
Nick Bolkus		Labor	South Australia	1999	1981–2005
Ron Boswell		National	Queensland	2002	1983–2014
Vicki Bourne		Democrats	New South Wales	2002	1990–2002
Bob Brown		Greens	Tasmania	2002	1996–2012
David Brownhill		National	New South Wales	2002	1984–2000
Paul Calvert		Liberal	Tasmania	2002	1987–2007
George Campbell [c]		Labor	New South Wales	2002	1997–2008
Ian Campbell		Liberal	Western Australia	1999	1990–2007
Kim Carr		Labor	Victoria	1999	1993–2022
Grant Chapman		Liberal	South Australia	2002	1987–2008
Bruce Childs [c]		Labor	New South Wales	2002	1980–1997
John Coates [d]		Labor	Tasmania	1999	1980–1996
Bob Collins [e]		Labor	Northern Territory	1998 [f]	1987–1998
Jacinta Collins		Labor	Victoria	1999	1995–2005, 2008–2019
Mal Colston [g]		Labor/Independent[h]	Queensland	1999	1975–1999
Stephen Conroy		Labor	Victoria	1999	1996–2016
Peter Cook		Labor	Western Australia	1999	1983–2005
Helen Coonan		Liberal	New South Wales	2002	1996–2011
Barney Cooney		Labor	Victoria	2002	1984–2002
Winston Crane		Liberal	Western Australia	2002	1990–2002
Trish Crossin [e]		Labor	Northern Territory	1998, 2001 [f]	1998–2013
Rosemary Crowley		Labor	South Australia	2002	1983–2002
Kay Denman		Labor	Tasmania	1999	1993–2005
Alan Eggleston		Liberal	Western Australia	2002	1996–2014
Chris Ellison		Liberal	Western Australia	1999	1993–2009
Chris Evans		Labor	Western Australia	1999	1993–2013
John Faulkner		Labor	New South Wales	1999	1989–2015
Alan Ferguson		Liberal	South Australia	1999	1992–2011
Jeannie Ferris [i]		Liberal	South Australia	2002	1996–2007
Dominic Foreman [j]		Labor	South Australia	1999	1980–1997
Michael Forshaw		Labor	New South Wales	1999	1994–2011
Brenda Gibbs		Labor	Queensland	2002	1996–2002
Brian Gibson		Liberal	Tasmania	1999	1993–2002
Brian Harradine [g]		Independent	Tasmania	1999	1975–2005
Bill Heffernan [b]		Liberal	New South Wales	1999	1996–2016
John Herron		Liberal	Queensland	2002	1990–2002
Robert Hill		Liberal	South Australia	2002	1981–2006
John Hogg		Labor	Queensland	2002	1996–2014
Steve Hutchins [k]		Labor	New South Wales	1999	1998–2011
Rod Kemp		Liberal	Victoria	2002	1990–2008
Cheryl Kernot [a]		Democrats	Queensland	2002	1990–1997
Sue Knowles		Liberal	Western Australia	1999	1984–2005
Meg Lees		Democrats	South Australia	1999	1990–2005
Ross Lightfoot [l]		Liberal	Western Australia	2002	1997–2008
Kate Lundy		Labor	Australian Capital Territory	1998, 2001 [f]	1996–2015
Ian Macdonald		Liberal	Queensland	2002	1990–2019
Sandy Macdonald		National	New South Wales	1999	1993–1999, 2000–2008
David MacGibbon		Liberal	Queensland	1999	1977–1999
Sue Mackay		Labor	Tasmania	2002	1996–2005
Julian McGauran		National	Victoria	1999	1987–1990, 1993–2011
Jim McKiernan		Labor	Western Australia	2002	1984–2002
Dee Margetts		Greens	Western Australia	1999	1993–1999
Nick Minchin		Liberal	South Australia	1999	1993–2011
Shayne Murphy		Labor	Tasmania	1999	1993–2005
Andrew Murray		Democrats	Western Australia	2002	1996–2008
Belinda Neal [k]		Labor	New South Wales	1999	1994–1998
Jocelyn Newman		Liberal	Tasmania	2002	1986–2002
Kerry O'Brien [d]		Labor	Tasmania	1999	1996–2011
Bill O'Chee		National	Queensland	1999	1990–1999
John Panizza [l]		Liberal	Western Australia	2002	1987–1997
Kay Patterson		Liberal	Victoria	2002	1987–2008
Warwick Parer		Liberal	Queensland	1999	1984–2000
Marise Payne [m]		Liberal	New South Wales	2002	1997–2023
John Quirke [j]		Labor	South Australia	1999	1997–2000
Margaret Reid		Liberal	Australian Capital Territory	1998, 2001 [f]	1981–2003
Robert Ray		Labor	Victoria	2002	1981–2008
Margaret Reynolds		Labor	Queensland	1999	1983–1999
Chris Schacht		Labor	South Australia	2002	1987–2002
Nick Sherry		Labor	Tasmania	2002	1990–2012
Jim Short [n]		Liberal	Victoria	1999	1984–1997
Natasha Stott Despoja		Democrats	South Australia	2002	1995–2008
Karen Synon [n]		Liberal	Victoria	1999	1997–1999
Grant Tambling		Country Liberal	Northern Territory	1998, 2001 [f]	1987–2001
John Tierney		Liberal	New South Wales	1999	1991–2005
Judith Troeth		Liberal	Victoria	1999	1993–2011
Amanda Vanstone		Liberal	South Australia	1999	1984–2007
John Watson		Liberal	Tasmania	2002	1978–2008
Sue West		Labor	New South Wales	2002	1987, 1990–2002
John Woodley		Democrats	Queensland	1999	1993–2001
Bob Woods [m]		Liberal	New South Wales	2002	1994–1997

Senate composition at 1 July 1996
Government (37) – (2 seat minority)
  Liberal (31)
  National Party (5)
  Country Liberal (1)

Opposition (29)
  Labor (29) ^[i]

Crossbench (10)
  Democrats (7)
  Greens (2)
  Independent (Harradine) (1)
 
Changes in composition

1. Mal Colston resigned from the Australian Labor Party on 20 August 1996, and served out the remainder of his term as an independent.

Notes

1. Queensland Democrat Senator Cheryl Kernot resigned in 1997, announcing that she would run as an ALP candidate for the House of Representatives. Democrat Andrew Bartlett was appointed as her replacement in the Senate.
2. New South Wales Liberal Senator Michael Baume resigned in 1996. Bill Heffernan was appointed as his replacement on 18 September.
3. New South Wales ALP Senator Bruce Childs resigned in 1997. George Campbell was appointed as his replacement on 17 September.
4. Tasmanian ALP Senator John Coates resigned in 1996. Kerry O'Brien was appointed as his replacement on 5 September.
5. Northern Territory ALP Senator Bob Collins resigned in March 1998, and Trish Crossin was appointed as his replacement.
6. The term of a territory senator ends at the dissolution of the House of Representatives, which was October 1998.
7. Father of the Senate
8. Mal Colston resigned from the Australian Labor Party on 20 August 1996, and served out the remainder of his term as an independent.
9. South Australian Liberal Senator Jeannie Ferris was elected at the March 1996 election and had been working for Senator Nick Minchin in the period between the declaration of her election in March and taking her seat on 1 July . It had been suggested that this constituted holding an office of profit under the Crown. In order to avoid the risk of her election being overturned, she resigned and was subsequently reappointed to her own vacancy.
10. South Australian ALP Senator Dominic Foreman resigned in 1997. John Quirke was appointed as his replacement on 18 September.
11. New South Wales ALP Senator Belinda Neal resigned in 1998. Steve Hutchins was appointed as her replacement.
12. Western Australian Liberal Senator John Panizza died in 1997. Ross Lightfoot was appointed as his replacement on 19 May.
13. New South Wales Liberal Senator Bob Woods resigned in 1997. Marise Payne was appointed as his replacement on 8 April.
14. Victorian Liberal Senator Jim Short resigned in 1997. Karen Synon was appointed as his replacement on 13 May.

References

1. "The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate 1996". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2017.