Father of The Australian Parliament

This is a list of Fathers of the Australian Parliament.

The Father of the Parliament is the more senior of the Father of the Senate and the Father of the House of Representatives. Joint Fathers are shown in small type.

All Fathers of the Parliament have been members of the House of Representatives, except Senators Gordon Brown (1963–65) and Justin O'Byrne (1977–81).

The longest-serving Father of the Parliament was the inaugural Father, Billy Hughes, who held the title for 14 years 4 months (from 1 July 1938 until his death on 28 October 1952).

The only Father of the Parliament with broken service but whose latter period of continuous service was sufficiently long to qualify was Eddie Ward.

The current Father of the Parliament (since 1 September 1998) is Philip Ruddock.

From To Father of
the Parliament		 Father of
the Senate		 Father of the House
of Representatives
29/30 March 1901 14 September 1923 Nil Nil n/a Nil n/a
15 September 1923 8 April 1935 Nil Sir George Pearce Nil n/a
9 April 1935 30 June 1938 Nil Billy Hughes
1 July 1938 30 June 1947 Billy Hughes MP
1 July 1947 30 June 1950
1 July 1950 28 October 1952 Gordon Brown
29 October 1952 9 December 1961 Sir Earle Page MP Sir Earle Page
10 December 1961 31 July 1963 Eddie Ward MP Eddie Ward
1 August 1963 30 June 1965 Senator
Gordon Brown
1 July 1965 16 February 1966 Sir Walter Cooper
17 February 1966 30 June 1968
1 July 1968 29 September 1969
30 September 1969 1 February 1971 John McEwen MP John McEwen
2 February 1971 24 May 1971 Arthur Calwell MP Arthur Calwell
25 May 1971 30 June 1971
1 July 1971 2 November 1972 Justin O'Byrne
3 November 1972 11 November 1975 Fred Daly MP Fred Daly
12 November 1975 10 November 1977 Kim Beazley sr. MP Kim Beazley sr.
11 November 1977 19 September 1980 Senator
Justin O'Byrne
20 September 1980 30 June 1981 Sir William McMahon
1 July 1981 4 January 1982 Sir William McMahon MP Doug McClelland
5 January 1982 31 March 1983
1 April 1983 21 April 1983
22 April 1983 15 August 1983 Sir James Killen MP Sir James Killen
16 August 1983 18 January 1984 Doug Anthony MP Doug Anthony
19 January 1984 23 January 1987 Tom Uren MP Tom Uren
24 January 1987 27 February 1989
28 February 1989 19 February 1990 Peter Durack
20 February 1990 30 June 1993 Ian Sinclair MP Ian Sinclair
1 July 1993 31 August 1998
1 September 1998 30 June 1999 Philip Ruddock MP Philip Ruddock
1 July 1999 30 June 2005 Brian Harradine
1 July 2005 30 June 2008 John Watson
1 July 2008 incumbent Ron Boswell

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    “He is not heroic, as Raleigh, nor pious, as Herbert, nor philosophical, as Shakespeare, but he is the child of the English muse, that child which is the father of the man. The charm of his poetry consists often only in an exceeding naturalness, perfect sincerity, with the behavior of a child rather than of a man.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    “His hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him.”
    —Bible: Hebrew Genesis, 16:12.

    The prophecy spoken to Hagar, the hand-maiden of Abraham, of their unborn son Ishmael. He was banished into the desert, and is traditionally considered the father of the Arab nation.

    “A teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime.”
    —Chinese proverb.

    “Each Australian is a Ulysses.”
    —Christina Stead (1902–1983)

    “The war shook down the Tsardom, an unspeakable abomination, and made an end of the new German Empire and the old Apostolic Austrian one. It ... gave votes and seats in Parliament to women.... But if society can be reformed only by the accidental results of horrible catastrophes ... what hope is there for mankind in them? The war was a horror and everybody is the worse for it.”
    —George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)