First Nations
First Indigenous member of parliament
11 June 1971
Neville Bonner is the first Indigenous Australian to become a member of the Australian Parliament.
Senator Neville Bonner represented the people of Queensland in the Senate from 1971 to 1983. Senator Bonner – a Jagera man – was widely respected and his views were sought on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples issues. His journey to Parliament was marked by discrimination and minimal formal education, but also by a strong commitment to improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
After standing unsuccessfully for the Senate in the 1970 election, Senator Bonner was chosen to fill a casual vacancy in 1971. When he arrived at Parliament House to be sworn in, he had just $5 in the pocket of the only suit he owned. Senator Bonner did not always agree with his party’s policies and crossed the floor many times to vote on issues according to his conscience. Senator Bonner was named Australian of the Year in 1979.
It was not until 2010 that the Hon Ken Wyatt MP became the first Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person elected to the House of Representatives.