# Members of the Australian Senate, 1978–1981

   Senate composition at 1 July 1978 Government (34) – (1 seat majority) Coalition
    Liberal (27)
    Country Party (6)
    Country Liberal (1)
   Opposition (27)  Labor (27)
   Crossbench (3)
    Democrats (2)
    Independent (1)
This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1 July 1978 to 30 June 1981. Half of the state senators were elected at the December 1975 election and had terms due to finish on 30 June 1981; the other half of the state senators were elected at the December 1977 election and had terms due to finish on 30 June 1984. The territory senators were elected at the December 1977 election and their terms ended at the dissolution of the House of Representatives, which was October 1980.
| Senator | Party | State | Term ending | Years in office |
| Brian Archer | Liberal | Tasmania | 1984 | 1975–1994 |
| Peter Baume | Liberal | New South Wales | 1984 | 1974–1991 |
| Reg Bishop | Labor | South Australia | 1981 | 1961–1981 |
| Florence Bjelke-Petersen | National Country | Queensland | 1981 | 1981–1993 |
| Neville Bonner | Liberal | Queensland | 1981 | 1971–1983 |
| John Button | Labor | Victoria | 1984 | 1974–1993 |
| John Carrick | Liberal | New South Wales | 1981 | 1970–1987 |
| Jim Cavanagh | Labor | South Australia | 1981 | 1961–1981 |
| Fred Chaney | Liberal | Western Australia | 1984 | 1974–1990 |
| Don Chipp | Democrats | Victoria | 1984 | 1977–1986 |
| Ruth Coleman | Labor | Western Australia | 1984 | 1974–1987 |
| Stan Collard | National Country | Queensland | 1984 | 1975–1987 |
| Mal Colston | Labor | Queensland | 1984 | 1975–1999 |
| Bob Cotton | Liberal | New South Wales | 1981 | 1965–1978 |
| Gordon Davidson | Liberal | South Australia | 1981 | 1961, 1962, 1965–1981 |
| Peter Durack | Liberal | Western Australia | 1981 | 1970–1993 |
| Ron Elstob | Labor | South Australia | 1984 | 1978–1987 |
| Gareth Evans | Labor | Victoria | 1984 | 1977–1996 |
| George Georges | Labor | Queensland | 1984 | 1967–1987 |
| Arthur Gietzelt | Labor | New South Wales | 1984 | 1970–1989 |
| Don Grimes | Labor | Tasmania | 1984 | 1974–1987 |
| Margaret Guilfoyle | Liberal | Victoria | 1981 | 1970–1987 |
| David Hamer | Liberal | Victoria | 1984 | 1978–1990 |
| Brian Harradine | Independent | Tasmania | 1981 | 1975–2005 |
| Jean Hearn | Labor | Tasmania | 1981 | 1980–1985 |
| Don Jessop | Liberal | South Australia | 1981 | 1970–1991 |
| Jim Keeffe | Labor | Queensland | 1981 | 1964–1983 |
| Bernie Kilgariff | Country Liberal | Northern Territory | 1980, 1983 | 1975–1987 |
| John Knight | Liberal | Australian Capital Territory | 1980 | 1975–1981 |
| Misha Lajovic | Liberal | New South Wales | 1984 | 1975–1985 |
| Sir Condor Laucke | Liberal | South Australia | 1981 | 1967–1981 |
| Austin Lewis | Liberal | Victoria | 1981 | 1976–1993 |
| David MacGibbon | Liberal | Queensland | 1984 | 1978–1999 |
| Kathy Martin | Liberal | Queensland | 1984 | 1974–1984 |
| John Martyr | Liberal | Western Australia | 1984 | 1981–1983 |
| Colin Mason | Democrats | New South Wales | 1984 | 1978–1987 |
| Ron Maunsell | National Country | Queensland | 1981 | 1967–1981 |
| Ron McAuliffe | Labor | Queensland | 1981 | 1970–1981 |
| Doug McClelland | Labor | New South Wales | 1981 | 1961–1987 |
| Jim McClelland | Labor | New South Wales | 1981 | 1970–1978 |
| Gordon McIntosh | Labor | Western Australia | 1981 | 1974–1987 |
| Geoff McLaren | Labor | South Australia | 1984 | 1970–1983 |
| Jean Melzer | Labor | Victoria | 1981 | 1974–1981 |
| Tony Messner | Liberal | South Australia | 1984 | 1975–1990 |
| Alan Missen | Liberal | Victoria | 1984 | 1974–1986 |
| Tony Mulvihill | Labor | New South Wales | 1984 | 1964–1983 |
| Laurence Neal | National Country | Victoria | 1981 | 1980–1981 |
| Justin O'Byrne | Labor | Tasmania | 1981 | 1947–1981 |
| Cyril Primmer | Labor | Victoria | 1981 | 1971–1985 |
| Chris Puplick | Liberal | New South Wales | 1981 | 1978–1981, 1984–1990 |
| Peter Rae | Liberal | Tasmania | 1981 | 1967–1986 |
| Margaret Reid | Liberal | Australian Capital Territory | 1980, 1983 | 1981–2003 |
| Ted Robertson | Labor | Northern Territory | 1980, 1983 | 1975–1987 |
| Allan Rocher | Liberal | Western Australia | 1984 | 1978–1981 |
| Susan Ryan | Labor | Australian Capital Territory | 1980, 1983 | 1975–1988 |
| Douglas Scott | National Country | New South Wales | 1981 | 1970, 1974–1985 |
| Glen Sheil | National Country | Queensland | 1981 | 1974–1981 |
| Kerry Sibraa | Labor | New South Wales | 1981 | 1975–1978, 1978–1994 |
| Peter Sim | Liberal | Western Australia | 1981 | 1964–1981 |
| Michael Tate | Labor | Tasmania | 1984 | 1977–1993 |
| Baden Teague | Liberal | South Australia | 1984 | 1977–1996 |
| Andrew Thomas | Liberal | Western Australia | 1984 | 1975–1983 |
| Michael Townley | Liberal | Tasmania | 1981 | 1970–1987 |
| Peter Walsh | Labor | Western Australia | 1984 | 1974–1993 |
| Shirley Walters | Liberal | Tasmania | 1984 | 1975–1993 |
| John Watson | Liberal | Tasmania | 1984 | 1978–2008 |
| James Webster | National Country | Victoria | 1981 | 1964–1980 |
| John Wheeldon | Labor | Western Australia | 1981 | 1964–1981 |
| Rt. Reg Withers | Liberal | Western Australia | 1981 | 1966, 1967–1987 |
| Ken Wriedt | Labor | Tasmania | 1981 | 1964–1980 |
| Harold Young | Liberal | South Australia | 1984 | 1968–1981 |