The Department of the House of Representatives has unveiled a new publication charting the lives of the men and women who have held the positions of Speaker, Deputy Speaker, or Clerk of the House of Representatives since Federation in 1901.
The Department joined with the Australian National University (ANU) School of History’s National Centre of Biography to prepare and publish the 64 new online biographies that make up the dictionary’s extra additions.
In a statement, the Department said the Biographical Dictionary of the House of Representatives would tell a reflective story about the role of the House and how it worked.
“As an institution it is absolutely central to our democratic framework,” the Department said.
Research Editor at the ANU National Centre of Biography, Stephen Wilks said the core of each biographical entry was the subject’s service as Speaker, Deputy Speaker or Clerk “but a balanced account of the whole person is also provided”.
“Some figures achieved a degree of fame, such as Frederick Holder (pictured), former Premier of South Australia and the first Speaker of the House; the irascible but dedicated Archie Cameron; and the first female Speaker, Joan Child,” Dr Wilks said.
“Others had previously received far less attention, such as the many-faceted Americaphile, Deputy Speaker James Garfield Bayley; the reforming Clerk of the House, Alan Turner; and the briefest serving Clerk, John McGregor, who died suddenly on the Parliament’s first working day in its new home in Canberra.”
Current Clerk of the House, Claressa Surtees said the project represented the considerable efforts by the ANU National Centre of Biography and the Department of the House of Representatives, along with a range of contributors.
“The biographies shine a light on those who served our nation,” Ms Surtees said.
The online Dictionary can be accessed on the University’s website at this PS News link.
