List of Jewish members of Australian parliaments

Jews have been a part of the Australian parliament since federation.[citation needed] In 2016 a record number of 6 MPs identified as Jewish.[1] When Kerryn Phelps won the 2018 Wentworth by-election the number rose to 7, but subsequently dropped back to 6 following the 2019 Australian federal election.

Federal parliament

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Name Electorate State Party Years Notes Source
Michael Baume Macarthur

Senator

NSW   Liberal 1975–83

1985–96

[2]
Peter Baume Senator NSW   Liberal 1974–91 Minister in Fraser government [2]
Joe Berinson Perth WA   Labor 1969–75 Minister in Whitlam government [2]
Josh Burns Macnamara Vic   Labor 2019– [3]
Moss Cass Maribyrnong Vic   Labor 1969–83 Minister in Whitlam government [2]
Sam Cohen Senator Vic   Labor 1962–69 [2]
Barry Cohen Robertson NSW   Labor 1969–90 Minister in Hawke government [2]
Michael Danby Melbourne Ports Vic   Labor 1998–2019 [4]
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs Vic   Labor 2007– Minister in Gillard, Rudd and Albanese governments [2]
Syd Einfeld Phillip NSW   Labor 1961–63 [2]
Max Falstein Watson NSW   Labor

Independent

1940–49 [2]
Mike Freelander Macarthur NSW   Labor 2016– [2]
Jason Falinski Mackellar NSW   Liberal 2016–2022
Josh Frydenberg Kooyong Vic   Liberal 2010–2022 Minister in Abbott, Turnbull, and Morrison governments.
Deputy leader of the Liberal Party
[2]
Stirling Griff Senator SA   Centre Alliance 2016–2022 [2]
Sir Isaac Isaacs Indi Vic   Protectionist 1901-06 Minister in the Deakin government

Chief Justice of Australia

Governor-General of Australia

[2]
Lewis Kent Hotham Vic   Labor 1980–90 Stood for election in Israel for Maki [2]
Dick Klugman Prospect NSW   Labor 1969–90 [2]
Julian Leeser Berowra NSW   Liberal 2016– [2]
Kerryn Phelps Wentworth NSW   Independent 2018–19 [5]
Pharez Phillips Wimmera Vic   Protectionist 1901–06 [2]
Elias Solomon Fremantle WA   Free Trade 1901–03 Mayors of Fremantle [2]
Vaiben Louis Solomon South Australia SA   Free Trade 1901–03 Premier of South Australia [2]

State parliaments

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New South Wales

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Name Electorate Party Years Notes Source
Maurice Alexander Goulburn Independent 1861–72 [2]
Morris Asher Hume Independent 1859–60 [2]
Henry Cohen West Maitland Independent 1874–80 [2]
Ian Cohen Member of the Legislative Council Greens 1995–2011 [2]
John Cohen Petersham Protectionist Party

Liberal Reform

Nationalist

1898–1919 Speaker of the Legislative Assembly [2]
Morton Cohen Bligh Liberal 1965–68 [2]
Samuel Cohen Morpeth Independent 1860 [2]
Albert Collins Narrabri

Namoi

Liberal Reform

Independent Liberal

1901–10 [2]
Charles Collins Namoi

Narrabri

Independent

Protectionist

Free Trade

1885–87

1890–98

[2]
Margaret Davis Member of the Legislative Council Liberal 1967–78 [2]
Syd Einfeld Bondi

Waverley

Labor 1965–1981 Also served in federal parliament

Minister in state government

[2]
Samuel Emmanuel Argyle Independent 1862–64 [2]
Derek Freeman Member of the Legislative Council Liberal 1973–84 [2]
Hyman Goldstein Eastern Suburbs

Coogee

Nationalist 1922–25

1927–28

Mayor of Randwick [2]
Ron Hoenig Heffron Labor 2012– Mayor of Botany Bay [2]
Solomon Hyam Balmain

Member of the Legislative Council

Protectionist 1885–87

1892–1901

Mayor of Balmain [2]
Sir Asher Joel Member of the Legislative Council Country Party 1958–78 [2]
Samuel Joseph West Sydney

Member of the Legislative Council

Independent 1864–68

1882–85

1887-93

[2]
John Kaye Member of the Legislative Council Greens 2007–16 [2]
Abe Landa Bondi Labor 1930–32

1941–65

Minister in state government [2]
Paul Landa Member of the Legislative Council

Peats

Labor 1973–84 [2]
Leyser Levin Hume Independent 1880–85 [2]
Lewis Levy Liverpool Plains

West Maitland

Independent 1871–72

1874

[2]
Sir Daniel Levy Sydney-Fitzroy

Darlinghurst

Sydney

Paddington

Woollahra

Liberal Reform

Nationalist

United Australia

1901–37 Speaker of the Legislative Assembly [2]
Ernest Marks North Sydney Nationalist 1927–30 [2]
Solomon Meyer Carcoar Independent 1874–76 [2]
Ernest Mitchell Member of the Legislative Council United Australia Party 1934–43 [2]
Jacob Levi Montefiore Member of the Legislative Council Independent 1856–60

1874–77

[2]
Phillip G. Myers Argyle Independent 1880–81 [2]
Harris Nelson Orange Independent 1872–77 [2]
Simeon Phillips Dubbo Free Trade

Liberal Reform

1895–1904 [2]
Joseph Raphael West Sydney Independent 1872–74 [2]
Eric Roozendaal Member of the Legislative Council Labor 2004–13 Minister in state government [2]
Julian Salomons Member of the Legislative Council Independent 1870–71

1887–99

Minister in state government

Chief Justice of New South Wales

[2]
Sir Saul Samuel MLC for counties of Roxburgh, Phillip and Wellington

Orange

Wellington

Member of the Legislative Council

Independent 1854–56

1859–80

Minister in state government

Received baronet

[2]
Leon Snider Member of the Legislative Council Liberal

Country Party

1943–65 [2]

Northern Territory

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Name Electorate Party Years Notes Source
Jon Isaacs Millner Labor 1977–81 Leader of the Opposition [6]

Queensland

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Name Electorate Party Years Notes Source
Louis Goldring Flinders Independent 1888–93 Mayor of Hughenden [2]
Jacob Horwitz Warwick Liberal Party 1878–87 Mayor of Warwick [2]
Francis Benjamin Kates Darling Downs

Cunningham

Independent 1878–81

1883–88

1899–1903

[2]
Isidor Lissner Kennedy

Cairns

Ministerialist 1883–93

1896–99

[2]

South Australia

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Name Electorate Party Years Notes Source
Sir Lewis Cohen North Adelaide

Adelaide

Independent

ADL

1887–93

1902–06

Mayor of Adelaide [2]
Morris Lyon Marks The Burra and Clare Independent 1857–58 [2]
Maurice Salom MLC for South Australia Independent 1882–91 [2]
Emanuel Solomon West Adelaide

MLC for South Australia

Independent 1862–65

1867–71

[2]
Judah Moss Solomon City of Adelaide

MLC for South Australia

West Adelaide

Independent 1858–60

1861–65

1871–75

Mayor of Adelaide [2]
Saul Solomon East Torrens Independent 1887–90 [2]
Vaiben Louis Solomon Northern Territory Independent

National Defence League

1890–1901

1905–08

Premier of South Australia

Also served in federal parliament

Tasmania

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Name Electorate Party Years Notes Source
Joseph Cohen Launceston Independent 1860–61 [2]
John Davies Hobart Town

Devon

Franklin

Independent 1884–1913 Mayor of Hobart [2]

Victoria

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Name Electorate Party Years Notes Source
Sir Benjamin Benjamin MLC for Melbourne Province Independent 1889–92 Mayor of Melbourne [2]
David Bornstein Brunswick East Labor 1970–75 [2]
Edward Cohen East Melbourne Independent 1861–65

1868–77

Mayor of Melbourne [2]
Harold Cohen Caulfield

MLC for Melbourne South

Nationalist

United Australia Party

1929–35

1935–43

Minister in state government [2]
Henry Cohen MLC for Melbourne Province Nationalist 1921–37 Minister in state government [2]
Philip Dalidakis MLC for Southern Metropolitan Region Labor 2014–19 Minister in state government [7]
Charles Dyte Ballarat East Independent 1864–71 [2]
Benjamin Fink Maryborough and Talbot Independent 1883–89 [2]
Theodore Fink Jolimont and West Richmond Independent 1894–1904 [2]
Adolphus Goldsmith MLC for Ripon, Hampden, Grenville and Polwarth Independent 1851–53 [2]
Paul Hamer Box Hill Labor 2018– [8]
Max Hirsch Mandurang Ministerial 1902–03 [2]
Jennifer Huppert MLC for Southern Metropolitan Labor 2009–10 [2]
Sir Isaac Isaacs Bogong Independent 1892–1901 [2]
John Alfred Isaacs Ovens Independent 1894–1902 [2]
Walter Jona Hawthorn Liberal 1964–85 Minister in state government [2]
Daniel Barnet Lazarus Sandhurst Independent 1893–97

1900–02

Mayor of Sandhurst [2]
Nathaniel Levi Maryborough

East Melbourne

MLC for North Yarra Province

Independent 1860–65

1866–68

1892–1904

[2]
Jonas Levien South Grant

Barwon

Independent 1871–77

1880–1906

Minister in state government [2]
Archie Michaelis St Kilda United Australia Party

Liberal

1932–52 Speaker of the Legislative Assembly [2]
Martin Pakula MLC for Western Metropolitan

Lyndhurst

Keysborough

Labor 2006–2022 Minister in state government [2]
Pharez Phillips MLC for North Western Province Independent 1896–1901 [2]
Sidney Ricardo South Bourke Independent 1857–59 [2]
Samuel Samuel Dundas Independent 1892–92 [2]
Helen Shardey Electoral district of Caulfield Liberal 1996–2010 [9]
Baron Snider St Kilda

MLC for Higinbotham Province

Liberal 1955–66 [2]
David Southwick Caulfield Liberal 2010– Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in Victoria since 2021 [2]
Emanuel Steinfeld MLC for Wellington Independent 1892–93 [2]
Joseph Sternberg MLC for Northern Province

MLC for Bendigo

Independent

Nationalist

1891–1902

1904–1928

[2]
Marsha Thomson MLC for Melbourne North

Footscray

Labor 2006–18 Minister in state government [10]
Evan Thornley MLC for Southern Metropolitan Labor 2006–08 [11][12]
Ephraim Zox East Melbourne Independent 1877–99 [2]

Western Australia

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Name Electorate Party Years Notes Source
Joe Berinson MLC for North-East Metropolitan Province

MLC for North Central Metropolitan Province

MLC for North Metropolitan

Labor 1980–93 Also served in federal parliament

Minister in the Whitlam government

[2]
Harry Boan Metropolitan Province

Metropolitan-Suburban Province

WA Liberal Party

Nationalist

1917–18

1922–24

[2]
Matthew Moss North Fremantle

MLC for West Province

Independent

WA Liberal Party

1895–97

1900–01

1902–14

Minister in state government [2]
Sir Charles Nathan MLC for Metropolitan-Suburban Province Nationalist 1930-34 [2]
Lionel Samson MLC for Western Australian Independent 1849–56

1859–68

[2]
Elias Solomon South Fremantle Independent 1892–1901 Mayor of Fremantle

Also served in federal parliament

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Levi, Joshua. "Record number of Jews elected". ajn.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu "Jewish Parliamentarians". Australian Jewish Historical Society.
  3. ^ Kohn, Peter. "Macnamara's first MP". ajn.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Michael Danby: A life in politics". ajn.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  5. ^ Narunsky, Gareth. "Antisemitic email targets Phelps". ajn.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Walt Secord meets Darwin Jewry". J-Wire. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  7. ^ Kohn, Peter. "Dalidakis leaves politics". ajn.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  8. ^ Douglas, Carly. "Southwick, Pakula seats at risk". The Australian Jewish News. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Progressive Israeli Leaders Visit Australia | World Union for Progressive Judaism". wupj.org. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  10. ^ Kohn, Peter. "Thomson quitting Parliament". ajn.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  11. ^ SINNOTT, ALEX (30 December 2008). "Exodus shocks family: Father supports exit from politics". The Standard. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  12. ^ Discovering Jesus the Jew, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 16 August 2015, retrieved 7 April 2021