List of people who have served in both Houses of the Australian Parliament

This is a list of Members of the Australian Parliament who have served in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Section 43 of the Constitution of Australia says: "A member of either House of the Parliament shall be incapable of being chosen or of sitting as a member of the other House".

Consequently, a member of one house who wishes to transfer to the other house must resign from the first house before the election or appointment to the other house. A person may simultaneously stand for election to both houses, and if successful in both bids, must choose which house he or she will be a member of. No person has ever successfully stood for election to both houses at the same time.

The following list comprises 49 people (44 men and 5 women). Of these:

• 28 people were members of the House of Representatives before joining the Senate
• 21 people were members of the Senate before joining the House of Representatives.

The first person to have been a member of both houses was James McColl (Victoria), on 1 January 1907. All the other states and territories are represented in the list, the first person from each being:

• Queensland: William Higgs, 13 April 1910
• South Australia: William Story, 5 May 1917
• New South Wales: Josiah Thomas, 1 July 1917
• Tasmania: David O'Keefe, 16 December 1922
• Western Australia: Thomas Marwick, 21 December 1940
• Northern Territory: Grant Tambling, 11 July 1987
• Australian Capital Territory: Bob McMullan, 2 March 1996.

The first woman to have been a member of both houses was Kathy Sullivan (Qld), on 1 December 1984.

Only two people have gone from one house to another and later returned to the first house:

• Jack Duncan-Hughes, House of Representatives 1922–28, Senate 1931–38, House of Representatives 1940–43
• Sir Philip McBride, House of Representatives 1931–37, Senate 1937–44, House of Representatives 1946–58

Only one person, Barnaby Joyce, has moved from the Senate in one state (Queensland) to a House of Representatives seat in another state (New England, New South Wales).

No member of this list has yet served the Parliament for an aggregate period of 30 years or more. The longest-serving person who has been a member of both houses was Grant Chapman, who was in the Senate for 20 years 356 days, and in the House of Representatives for 7 years 83 days, a total of 28 years 74 days. The shortest-serving person was Thomas Marwick (1 year 65 days in the Senate; 2 years 244 days in the House of Representatives; a total of 3 years 309 days).

In the 44th Parliament, three senators (David Fawcett, Deborah O'Neill and Michael Ronaldson*) were previously members of the House of Representatives, and four members of the House of Representatives (Bronwyn Bishop**, David Feeney, Barnaby Joyce and Matt Thistlethwaite) were previously senators. (* Michael Ronaldson resigned from the Senate on 28 February 2016; ** Bronwyn Bishop has announced her retirement at the 2016 election.)

There are a number of members who represented different states or territories in the House of Representatives during their career. No person has ever represented more than one state or territory in the Senate. The only person who has ever represented one state or territory in one House and a different state or territory in the other House is Barnaby Joyce (Senate, Queensland, 2005–13; House of Representatives, Division of New England, New South Wales, from 2013).

List of people who have served in both houses

Name	Senate				House of Representatives				Total parliamentary service
	State/ Territory	From	To	Service	Electorate	From	To	Service
Percy Abbott	NSW	14 November 1925	30 June 1929		New England, NSW	31 May 1913	3 November 1919		10 years, 21 days
Oliver Badman	SA	1 July 1932	30 September 1937		Grey, SA	23 October 1937	21 August 1943		11 years, 30 days
Michael Baume	NSW	1 July 1985	9 September 1996		Macarthur, NSW	13 December 1975	5 March 1983		18 years, 154 days
Sir Robert Best	VIC	29 March 1901	30 June 1910		Kooyong, Vic	24 August 1910	16 December 1922		21 years, 209 days
Bronwyn Bishop	NSW	11 July 1987	24 February 1994		Mackellar, NSW	26 March 1994	currently serving
Fred Chaney	WA	18 May 1974	27 February 1990		Pearce, WA	24 March 1990	8 February 1993		18 years, 243 days
Grant Chapman	SA	11 July 1987	30 June 2008		Kingston, SA	13 December 1975	5 March 1983		28 years, 74 days
Don Chipp	VIC	1 July 1978	18 August 1986		Higinbotham, Vic	10 December 1960	25 October 1969		25 years, 20 days
					Hotham, Vic	25 October 1969	10 November 1977
John Coates	TAS	1 July 1981	20 August 1996		Denison, Tas	2 December 1972	13 December 1975		18 years, 63 days
Dick Dein	NSW	1 July 1935	30 June 1941		Lang, NSW	19 December 1931	7 August 1934		8 years, 232 days
Jack Duncan-Hughes	SA	19 December 1931	30 June 1938		Boothby, SA	16 December 1922	17 November 1928		15 years, 137 days
					Wakefield, SA	21 September 1940	21 August 1943
Gareth Evans	VIC	1 July 1978	6 February 1996		Holt, Vic	2 March 1996	30 September 1999		21 years, 69 days
George Fairbairn	VIC	1 July 1917	30 June 1923		Fawkner, Vic	12 December 1906	31 May 1913		12 years, 157 days
David Fawcett	SA	1 July 2011	currently serving		Wakefield, SA	9 October 2004	24 November 2007
David Feeney	VIC	1 July 2008	12 August 2013		Batman, VIC	7 September 2013	currently serving
Joe Fitzgerald	NSW	1 July 1962	11 April 1974		Phillip, NSW	10 December 1949	10 December 1955		17 years, 286 days
William Gibson	VIC	1 July 1935	30 June 1947		Corangamite, Vic	14 December 1918	12 October 1929		25 years, 170 days
						19 December 1931	7 August 1934
John Gorton	VIC	22 February 1950	1 February 1968		Higgins, Vic	24 February 1968	11 November 1975		25 years, 241 days
Allan Guy	TAS	22 February 1950	30 June 1956		Bass, Tas	12 October 1929	15 September 1934		17 years, 112 days
					Wilmot, Tas	21 September 1940	28 September 1946
Steele Hall	SA	18 May 1974	16 November 1977		Boothby, SA	21 February 1981	29 January 1996		18 years, 161 days
David Hamer	VIC	1 July 1978	30 June 1990		Isaacs, Vic	25 October 1969	18 May 1974		18 years, 174 days
						13 December 1975	10 November 1977
Joseph Hannan	VIC	22 July 1924	13 November 1925		Fawkner, Vic	31 May 1913	5 May 1917		5 years, 90 days
William Higgs	QLD	30 March 1901	31 December 1906		Capricornia, Qld	13 April 1910	16 December 1922		18 years, 160 days
Don Jessop	SA	1 July 1971	5 June 1987		Grey, SA	26 November 1966	25 October 1969		18 years, 309 days
Barnaby Joyce	QLD	1 July 2005	8 August 2013		New England, NSW	7 September 2013	currently serving
Richard Keane	VIC	1 July 1938	26 April 1946		Bendigo, Vic	12 October 1929	19 December 1931		10 years, 4 days
Cheryl Kernot	QLD	1 July 1990	15 October 1997		Dickson, Qld	3 October 1998	10 November 2001		10 years, 146 days
John Leckie	VIC	1 July 1935	30 June 1947		Indi, Vic	5 May 1917	13 December 1919		14 years, 241 days
John Martyr	WA	11 March 1981	4 February 1983		Swan, WA	13 December 1975	18 October 1980		6 years, 277 days
Thomas Marwick	WA	19 August 1936	22 October 1937		Swan, WA	21 December 1940	21 August 1943		3 years, 309 days
Sir Walter Massy-Greene	NSW	17 October 1923	13 November 1925		Richmond, NSW	13 April 1910	16 December 1922		26 years, 276 days
		1 July 1926	30 June 1938
Sir Philip McBride	SA	21 October 1937	30 June 1944		Grey, SA	19 December 1931	21 September 1937		24 years, 183 days
					Wakefield, SA	28 September 1946	14 October 1958
James McColl	VIC	1 January 1907	5 September 1914		Echuca, Vic	29 March 1901	5 November 1906		13 years, 105 days
Bob McMullan	ACT	16 February 1988	6 February 1996		Canberra, ACT	2 March 1996	3 October 1998		22 years, 86 days
					Fraser, ACT	3 October 1998	19 July 2010
Belinda Neal	NSW	8 March 1994	3 September 1998		Robertson, NSW	24 November 2007	19 July 2010		7 years, 53 days
David O'Keefe	TAS	29 March 1901	31 December 1906		Denison, Tas	16 December 1922	14 November 1925		18 years, 247 days
		1 July 1910	30 June 1920
Deborah O'Neill	NSW	13 November 2013	currently serving		Robertson, NSW	25 August 2010	7 September 2013
Herbert Pratten	NSW	1 July 1917	23 November 1921		Martin, NSW	10 December 1921	16 December 1922		10 years, 296 days
					Parramatta, NSW	16 December 1922	7 May 1928
George Rankin	VIC	22 February 1950	30 June 1956		Bendigo, Vic	23 October 1937	31 October 1949		18 years, 139 days
Allan Rocher	WA	1 July 1978	10 February 1981		Curtin, WA	21 February 1981	3 October 1998		20 years, 85 days
Michael Ronaldson	VIC	1 July 2005	28 February 2016		Ballarat, Vic	24 March 1990	8 October 2001		22 years, 76 days
Jim Short	VIC	1 December 1984	12 May 1997		Ballarat, Vic	13 December 1975	18 October 1980		17 years, 109 days
William Story	SA	1 January 1904	3 April 1917		Boothby, SA	5 May 1917	16 December 1922		18 years, 319 days
Kathy Sullivan	QLD	18 May 1974	5 November 1984		Moncrieff, Qld	1 December 1984	8 October 2001		27 years, 119 days
Grant Tambling	NT	11 July 1987	9 November 2001		Northern Territory, NT	18 October 1980	5 March 1983		16 years, 261 days
Matt Thistlethwaite	NSW	1 July 2011	9 August 2013		Kingsford Smith, NSW	7 September 2013	currently serving
Josiah Thomas	NSW	1 July 1917	30 June 1923		Barrier, NSW	29 March 1901	26 March 1917		25 years, 227 days
		14 November 1925	30 June 1929
Sir Keith Wilson	SA	1 July 1938	30 June 1944		Sturt, SA	10 December 1949	29 May 1954		21 years, 132 days
						10 December 1955	31 October 1966
Bob Woods	NSW	8 March 1994	7 March 1997		Lowe, NSW	11 July 1987	13 March 1993		8 years, 246 days

Sources

• Parliamentary Handbook: Members who have served in both chambers
• Parliamentary Handbook: Members of the Senate since 1901
• Parliamentary Handbook: Members of the House of Representatives since 1901