This is a list of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) holders of political offices in Australia.[1][2] Currently and historically there are no intersex parliamentarians, although Tony Briffa is known as the world's first openly intersex mayor[3] and "first known intersex public office-bearer in the Western world",[4] having served as Deputy Mayor of the City of Hobsons Bay between 2009–2011 and Mayor between 2011–2012.[3][4][5][6]
Federal parliament
edit| Name | Image | Party | Seat | Term in Office | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Dobie[7] | .jpg)
|
Liberal | Member for Hughes | 26 November 1966 | 25 October 1969 | ||
| Member for Cook | 25 October 1969 | 2 December 1972 | |||||
| 13 December 1975 | 29 January 1996 | ||||||
| Neil Brown[8] | 
|
Liberal | Member for Diamond Valley | 25 October 1969 | 2 December 1972 | Came out in 1996 | |
| 13 December 1975 | 5 March 1983 | ||||||
| Member for Menzies | 1 December 1984 | 25 February 1991 | |||||
| Neal Blewett[9] | 
|
Labor | Member for Bonython | 10 December 1977 | 11 February 1994 | Came out in 2000 | |
| Colin Hollis[10] | Labor | Member for Macarthur | 5 March 1983 | 1 December 1984 | |||
| Member for Throsby | 1 December 1984 | 8 October 2001 | |||||
| Bob Brown[11] | 
|
Greens | Senator for Tasmania | 1 July 1996 | 15 June 2012 | ||
| Brian Greig[12] | 
|
Democrats | Senator for Western Australia | 1 July 1999 | 30 June 2005 | ||
| Penny Wong[13] | .jpg)
|
Labor | Senator for South Australia | 1 July 2002 | incumbent | ||
| Louise Pratt[14] | 
|
Labor | Senator for Western Australia | 1 July 2008 | 30 June 2014 | ||
| 2 July 2016 | incumbent | ||||||
| Dean Smith[15] | .jpg)
|
Liberal | Senator for Western Australia | 2 May 2012 | incumbent | ||
| Janet Rice[16] | 
|
Greens | Senator for Victoria | 1 July 2014 | 19 April 2024 | ||
| Robert Simms[17] | 
|
Greens | Senator for South Australia | 22 September 2015 | 2 July 2016 | ||
| Trent Zimmerman[18] | 
|
Liberal | Member for North Sydney | 5 December 2015 | 23 May 2022 | ||
| Trevor Evans[19] | 
|
Liberal | Member for Brisbane | 2 July 2016 | 23 May 2022 | ||
| Julian Hill[20] | 
|
Labor | Member for Bruce | 2 July 2016 | incumbent | ||
| Tim Wilson[20] | _(cropped).jpg)
|
Liberal | Member for Goldstein | 2 July 2016 | 23 May 2022 | ||
| Kerryn Phelps[21] | 
|
Independent | Member for Wentworth | 20 October 2018 | 18 May 2019 | ||
| Angie Bell[22] | Liberal | Member for Moncrieff | 18 May 2019 | incumbent | |||
| Nita Green[23] | Labor | Senator for Queensland | 1 July 2019 | incumbent | |||
| Stephen Bates[24] | 
|
Greens | Member for Brisbane | 28 May 2022 | incumbent | ||
- Current:
- Penny Sharpe (Labor) – 2005[26]
- Chris Rath (Liberal) – 2022[27]
- Amanda Cohn (Greens) – 2023[28]
- Jacqui Munro (Liberal) – 2023[29]
- Former:
- Michael Yabsley (Liberal) – 1984–1994 [30] [Came out: 2020]
- Paul O'Grady (Labor) – 1988–1996[31] [Came out: 1990]
- Michael Egan (Labor) – 1986–2005[32] [Came out: 1995]
- Helen Westwood (Labor) – 2007–2015[33]
- Don Harwin (Liberal) – 2011–2022[34] [Came out: 2014]
- Shayne Mallard (Liberal) – 2015–2023[35]
- Mark Pearson (Animal Justice) – 2015–2023[36]
- Current:
- Alex Greenwich (Independent) – 2012[37]
- Former:
- Michael Egan (Labor) – 1978–1984[32]
- Tony Doyle (Labor) – 1985–1994[38] [Came out: 1994]
- Bruce Notley-Smith (Liberal) – 2011–2019[39]
- Current:
- Stephen Dawson (Labor) – 2013[40]
- Peter Foster (Labor) – 2021[41]
- Former:
- Giz Watson (Greens) – 1997–2013[42]
- Lynn MacLaren (Greens) – 2005, 2009–2017[43]
- Louise Pratt (Labor) – 2001–2007[44]
- Current
- Stuart Aubrey (Labor) – 2021[45]
- Lisa Baker (Labor) – 2008[46]
- John Carey (Labor) – 2017[47]
- Former:
- Current:
- Harriet Shing (Labor) – 2014[49]
- Joe McCracken (Liberal) – 2022[50]
- Aiv Puglielli (Greens) – 2022[51]
- Former:
- Andrew Olexander (Liberal) – 1999–2006[52]
- Current:
- Steve Dimopoulos (Labor) – 2014[53]
- Gabrielle de Vietri (Greens) – 2022[54]
- Current:
- Ian Hunter (Labor) – 2006[55]
- Former:
- Don Dunstan (Labor) – 1953–1979[56]
- Kelly Vincent (Dignity) – 2010–2018[57]
- Historic Firsts:
- Premier: Don Dunstan (Labor) – 1967
- Current:
- Andrew Barr (Labor) – 2006[58]
- Chris Steel (Labor) – 2016[59]
- Suzanne Orr (Labor) – 2016[60]
- Laura Nuttall (Greens) – 2023[61]
- Former:
- Jonathan Davis (Greens) – 2020-2023 (resigned)
- Historic firsts:
- Government minister: Andrew Barr (Labor) – 2006[58]
- Chief Minister: Andrew Barr (Labor) – 2014[58]
Current:
- Chansey Paech (Labor) – 2016[62]
Officeholders:
- Leader of the Opposition: Jodeen Carney (Liberal) – (2005)
- Speaker of the Assembly: Chansey Paech (Labor) – (2020)
See also
editReferences
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- ^ a b "Intersex Mayor Elected in Australia". Advocate.com. 9 December 2011. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
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- ^ "Tony Briffa Of Australia's City Of Hobsons Bay Becomes World's First Intersex Mayor". The Huffington Post. 10 December 2011. Archived from the original on 17 November 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- ^ "World's first intersex mayor, Cr Tony Briffa does not want to be called he or she". Herald Sun. 15 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 June 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- ^ Cunneen, Chris. "Dobie, James Donald (Don) (1927–1996)". People Australia. National Centre of Biography. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
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- ^ Ramsey, Alan (29 May 2004). "Spouse du jour, more to the point". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ a b c "Bob Brown | Australian politician". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ "The day a gay WA polly took a stand in Parliament". The West Australian. 17 November 2017. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ Belonksy, Andrew (5 December 2007). "Aussie Lesbian Makes Political History". www.queerty.com. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
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- ^ Ireland, Judith (13 October 2015). "New senator Robert Simms talks of struggle to come out". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
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- ^ Andree Withey (31 July 2017). "Queensland's first openly gay MP wants same-sex marriage vote now". ABC News. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
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- ^ Nicholls, Sean (19 October 2014). "Labor candidate for Newtown Penny Sharpe takes the wraps off her family". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
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- ^ "'I lived with a lot of denial': Former politician Michael Yabsley's new life". 5 June 2020. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ Nicholls, Sean (18 January 2015). "First openly gay state MP Paul O'Grady dies in Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Outed MP not alone: 1 in 5 men gay". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. 21 May 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
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