Introduction Although political families are sometimes viewed pejoratively as ‘dynasties’ perhaps, as political scientist Professor John Warhurst proposes, there is ‘a political gene that not only attracts members of the same family to politics but gives them the personal attributes to succeed’. In 1986 political historian Joan Rydon observed that most members of political families...

This paper chronicles the 125 Commonwealth Members of Parliament identified as having served during the Colonial wars and/or the First World War. Introduction This research paper is a companion to a previous Parliamentary Library publication, Commonwealth Members of Parliament who have served in war. This paper chronicles the 125 Commonwealth Members of Parliament (MPs) identified...

This research paper is designed to answer some of those frequently asked questions about who was the first, youngest, oldest, most often, etc. in Australian federal politics. The focus is on records for the Commonwealth Parliament although a few significant records relate to members of state parliaments.

Drawing on the statistical tables featured in the 32nd edition of the Parliamentary Handbook, this paper examines the biographical details of the senators and members of Australia's 43rd Parliament. Introduction In recent years, academics and media commentators have documented the rise of a professional political class and the apparent shrinking gene pool in parliament, where...

In 2012 at least fifteen members of the Parliament have, or have had, a relative or spouse in federal or state parliament. Since Federation there have been a number of political families in the Commonwealth Parliament. The first parliament included eight sons of state parliamentarians, and seven members who had brothers in state parliaments. In...