List of whips in the Australian Senate


Whips have managed business and maintained party discipline for Australia's federal political parties in the Senate since Federation. Though the Remuneration Tribunal and parliamentary website refer to the senior Labor and Liberal whips as "chief" whips and their junior whips as "deputy whips", the parties tend to refer to the senior whips as "whips" when announcing their officeholders to the Senate. A number of Senate whips have gone on to serve as ministers, and several as Leader of the Government or Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.

Australian Labor Party

In addition to those below, Kay Denman served as a deputy whip from 18 September to 31 December 1995, a period when one of Labor's two whips was on leave of absence while conducting parliamentary business overseas.
WhipDateLeader
James Stewart21 May 1901Chris Watson
David O'Keefe29 April 1904Chris Watson
Hugh de Largie20 February 1907Chris Watson
Hugh de Largie20 February 1907Andrew Fisher
Rudolph Ready18 September 1914Andrew Fisher
Rudolph Ready18 September 1914Billy Hughes
Rudolph Ready18 September 1914Frank Tudor
Ted Needham8 May 1917Frank Tudor
Vacant1 July 1920Frank Tudor
Vacant1 July 1920Matthew Charlton
Ted Needham6 July 1923Matthew Charlton
Charles McHugh9 July 1926Matthew Charlton
Charles Graham28 September 1927Matthew Charlton
Charles Graham28 September 1927James Scullin
James Dunn14 August 1929James Scullin
Bert Hoare18 March 1931James Scullin
John V. MacDonald1 July 1935James Scullin
John V. MacDonald1 July 1935John Curtin
Bill Ashley20 September 1938John Curtin
Robert Clothier6 October 1941John Curtin
Robert Clothier6 October 1941Ben Chifley
Jack Critchley13 June 1950Ben Chifley
Jack Critchley13 June 1950H. V. Evatt
Sid O'Flaherty4 September 1957H. V. Evatt
Sid O'Flaherty4 September 1957Arthur Calwell

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Coalition

Liberal Party of Australia

;Notes

National Country Party/National Party of Australia

WhipDateLeader
Ron Maunsell27 February 1973Doug Anthony
Glen Sheil21 February 1980Doug Anthony
Stan Collardby 24 March 1981Doug Anthony
Stan Collardby 24 March 1981Ian Sinclair
Glen Sheil21 February 1985Ian Sinclair
Grant Tambling14 September 1987Ian Sinclair
Grant Tambling14 September 1987Charles Blunt
Grant Tambling14 September 1987Tim Fischer
David Brownhill1 July 1990Tim Fischer
Florence Bjelke-Petersen23 March 1993Tim Fischer
Bill O'Chee1 July 1993Tim Fischer
Julian McGauran1 July 1999John Anderson
Julian McGauran1 July 1999Mark Vaile
Nigel Scullion7 February 2006Mark Vaile
Fiona Nash6 February 2007Mark Vaile
Fiona Nash6 February 2007Warren Truss
John Williams22 September 2008Warren Truss
Bridget McKenzie13 September 2013Warren Truss
Barry O'Sullivan1 July 2014Warren Truss
Matt Canavan10 September 2015Warren Truss
Barry O'Sullivan24 February 2016Barnaby Joyce
John Williams1 September 2016Barnaby Joyce
John Williams1 September 2016Michael McCormack
Perin Davey2 July 2019Michael McCormack

Australian Greens

Western Australian Greens

In May 1996, following the 1996 election, the two members of the Western Australian Greens in the Senate announced they were to be whip and deputy whip of their party. The deputy whip, Christabel Chamarette, had lost her seat at the election, and left the Senate just over a month after the announcement. The party lost its other seat at the 1998 election, with her leaving office in June 1999. The party only merged with the Australian Greens in 2003, after it lost its senators.
WhipDateDeputy WhipDate
Dee Margetts20 May 1996Christabel Chamarette20 May 1996
Dee Margetts20 May 1996-1 July 1996
-1 July 1999-1 July 1996

Australian Greens

The Australian Greens appointed their first whip in the Senate when the party increased from two to four members in 2005. She became entitled to a salary when the party increased to five members in 2008.
WhipDateLeader
Rachel Siewert9 August 2005Bob Brown
Rachel Siewert9 August 2005Christine Milne
Rachel Siewert9 August 2005Richard Di Natale

Pauline Hanson's One Nation

first entered the Senate in 1999, but had only one seat and consequently did not elect a whip. The party's senator was defeated in 2004 and left the Senate in 2005. In 2016, four One Nation senators were elected, and the party elected a whip for the first time.
WhipDateLeader
Brian Burston1 September 2016Pauline Hanson
Peter Georgiou24 May 2018Pauline Hanson

Nick Xenophon Team

Senator Nick Xenophon entered the Senate as an independent in 2008. In 2016 he ran as part of the Nick Xenophon Team, which saw Xenophon and two of his running mates elected, so the Nick Xenophon Team elected a whip.
WhipDateLeader
Skye Kakoschke-Moore1 September 2016Nick Xenophon

Democratic Labour Party

The Democratic Labour Party elected its first whip in 1968, when its membership increased from two to four. The party continued to do so until 1974, when the party lost all its seats at the double dissolution election. The party re-entered the Senate following the 2010 election, but did not have a whip as it only had one senator, who left the party in 2014.
WhipDateLeader
Condon Byrne13 August 1968Vince Gair
Jack Little10 October 1973Frank McManus
None10 May 1974

Palmer United Party

The Palmer United Party won three Senate seats at the 2013 election, the new senators taking their seats on 1 July 2014. Two of the three had left within a year, but the remaining senator retained the position of whip until his defeat in 2016.
WhipDateLeader
Zhenya Wang1 July 2014Glenn Lazarus
None9 May 2016-

Defunct

Free Trade/Anti-Socialist Party (1901–09)

WhipDateLeader
John Clemons1901George Reid
Henry Dobson21 November 1907George Reid
Thomas Chataway26 November 1908Joseph Cook

Protectionist Party (1901–09)

Commonwealth Liberal Party (1909–17)

WhipDateLeader
Thomas Chataway21 June 1909Alfred Deakin
Thomas Chataway21 June 1909Joseph Cook
Unclear1 July 1913Joseph Cook

National Labor (1916–17)

Nationalist Party of Australia (1917–31)

United Australia Party (1931–45)

Australian Democrats (1977–2015)

The Australian Democrats first elected a whip in 1981, reflecting an increase from two to five of the party's Senate membership. The party lost all its seats at the 2007 election, and its senators duly left their seats the following June.
WhipDateLeader
Michael Macklinby 19 November 1981Don Chipp
Michael Macklinby 19 November 1981Janine Haines
Paul McLeanby 31 October 1989Janine Haines
Paul McLeanby 31 October 1989Janet Powell
Vicki Bourne3 September 1991John Coulter
Vicki Bourne3 September 1991Cheryl Kernot
Vicki Bourne3 September 1991Meg Lees
Vicki Bourne3 September 1991Natasha Stott Despoja
Lyn Allison1 July 2002Andrew Bartlett
Andrew Bartlett13 December 2004Lyn Allison
-1 July 2008

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