Member of Parliament
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party |
| 1984–1987 | 41st | Tasman | Labour | |
| 1987–1990 | 42nd | Tasman | Labour | |
| 1996–1999 | 45th | List | 3 | ACT |
| 1999–2002 | 46th | List | 2 | ACT |
| 2002–2005 | 47th | List | 7 | ACT |
Shirley first entered Parliament in the 1984 elections, when he stood as the Labour Party candidate in the Tasman electorate. At the time, there was considerable tension in the Labour Party over the policies of the Minister of Finance, Roger Douglas — the policies were based around economic deregulation and free trade, and traditionalists saw them as a betrayal of the party's left-wing roots. Shirley aligned himself with the faction that supported Douglas. Shirley was not a member of the faction's so-called "Troika" (consisting of Douglas, Richard Prebble, and David Caygill), but was nevertheless a notable supporter of the reforms Douglas promoted.
Read more about this topic: Ken Shirley
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