# Members of the Australian Senate, 1985–1987

   Senate composition at 1 July 1985 Government (34)  Labor (34) – (5 seat minority)
   Opposition (33)  Liberal (27)
    National Party (5)
    Country Liberal (1)
   Crossbench (9)
    Democrats (7)
    Nuclear Disarmament Party (1)  Independent (Harradine) (1)
     Changes in composition
This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1985 to 1987. The number of senators was increased from ten to twelve senators for each of the six states of Australia. The representation of the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory remained at two senators each. This would give a total of 76 senators in the Senate.
30 state senators were elected at the 1983 double dissolution election and were allocated 6-year terms starting on 1 July 1982 and due to finish on 30 June 1988. The other 30 state senators elected were allocated 3-year terms starting on 1 July 1982 and due to finish on 30 June 1985, and were up for reelection in the 1984 election.
With 30 senators having terms due to finish in 1988, the other 42 state and 4 territory senators were elected at the 1984 election, rather than the normal case of only half of the state senators being elected. Therefore, each state would elect 7 senators instead of previous 5 in this election. With the increase of 12 state senators, some changes were made to the terms of senators elected in this election as per Representation Act 1983:
* The first two non-sitting state senators to be elected (total 12) were chosen for a term starting immediately (1 December 1984) instead of the usual 1 July 1985. This would immediately increase the number of senators to 76 following the election. Terms were due to end on 30 June 1991 unless the senator(s) was elected last (7th) in the state (see next point).
* The last (7th) state senators to be elected (total 6) were chosen for a term ending 30 June 1988. This would ensure that exactly half of the state senators (36 in total) would have their terms ending on 30 June 1988.
The changes affected 17 elected state senators, with David Vigor satisfying both criteria. All other state senators were elected as normal and had 6-year terms due to finish on 30 June 1991. The four territory senators elected had terms due to finish at the next dissolution of the House of Representatives as normal. However, the Senate was dissolved on 5 June 1987 for another double dissolution election on 11 July 1987.
| Senator | Party | State | Term ending | Years in office |
| Richard Alston | Liberal | Victoria | 1991 | 1986–2004 |
| Brian Archer | Liberal | Tasmania | 1991 | 1975–1994 |
| Terry Aulich | Labor | Tasmania | 1991 | 1984–1993 |
| Michael Baume | Liberal | New South Wales | 1991 | 1985–1996 |
| Peter Baume | Liberal | New South Wales | 1988 | 1974–1991 |
| Florence Bjelke-Petersen | National | Queensland | 1988 | 1980–1993 |
| John Black | Labor | Queensland | 1991 | 1984–1990 |
| Nick Bolkus | Labor | South Australia | 1991 | 1981–2005 |
| Ron Boswell | National | Queensland | 1991 | 1983–2014 |
| David Brownhill | National | New South Wales | 1991 | 1984–2000 |
| John Button | Labor | Victoria | 1988 | 1974–1993 |
| Sir John Carrick | Liberal | New South Wales | 1988 | 1970–1987 |
| Fred Chaney | Liberal | Western Australia | 1988 | 1974–1990 |
| Bruce Childs | Labor | New South Wales | 1991 | 1980–1997 |
| Don Chipp | Democrats | Victoria | 1988 | 1977–1986 |
| John Coates | Labor | Tasmania | 1991 | 1980–1996 |
| Ruth Coleman | Labor | Western Australia | 1988 | 1974–1987 |
| Stan Collard | National | Queensland | 1988 | 1975–1987 |
| Mal Colston | Labor | Queensland | 1988 | 1975–1999 |
| Barney Cooney | Labor | Victoria | 1991 | 1984–2002 |
| Peter Cook | Labor | Western Australia | 1991 | 1983–2005 |
| Noel Crichton-Browne | Liberal | Western Australia | 1991 | 1980–1996 |
| Rosemary Crowley | Labor | South Australia | 1991 | 1983–2002 |
| Ray Devlin | Labor | Tasmania | 1991 | 1984–1990 |
| Peter Durack | Liberal | Western Australia | 1988 | 1970–1993 |
| Ron Elstob | Labor | South Australia | 1988 | 1977–1987 |
| Gareth Evans | Labor | Victoria | 1988 | 1977–1996 |
| Dominic Foreman | Labor | South Australia | 1988 | 1980–1997 |
| George Georges | Labor | Queensland | 1988 | 1967–1987 |
| Arthur Gietzelt | Labor | New South Wales | 1988 | 1970–1989 |
| Patricia Giles | Labor | Western Australia | 1991 | 1980–1993 |
| Don Grimes | Labor | Tasmania | 1988 | 1974–1987 |
| Dame Margaret Guilfoyle | Liberal | Victoria | 1988 | 1970–1987 |
| Janine Haines | Democrats | South Australia | 1988 | 1977–1978, 1980–1990 |
| David Hamer | Liberal | Victoria | 1991 | 1977–1990 |
| Brian Harradine | Independent | Tasmania | 1988 | 1975–2005 |
| Robert Hill | Liberal | South Australia | 1988 | 1981–2006 |
| Don Jessop | Liberal | South Australia | 1991 | 1970–1991 |
| Gerry Jones | Labor | Queensland | 1991 | 1980–1996 |
| Bernie Kilgariff | Country Liberal | Northern Territory | 1987 | 1975–1987 |
| Sue Knowles | Liberal | Western Australia | 1991 | 1984–2005 |
| Austin Lewis | Liberal | Victoria | 1988 | 1976–1993 |
| David MacGibbon | Liberal | Queensland | 1991 | 1977–1999 |
| Michael Macklin | Democrats | Queensland | 1988 | 1980–1990 |
| Graham Maguire | Labor | South Australia | 1991 | 1983–1993 |
| Colin Mason | Democrats | New South Wales | 1988 | 1977–1987 |
| Doug McClelland | Labor | New South Wales | 1988 | 1961–1987 |
| Gordon McIntosh | Labor | Western Australia | 1988 | 1974–1987 |
| Jim McKiernan | Labor | Western Australia | 1991 | 1984–2002 |
| Tony Messner | Liberal | South Australia | 1988 | 1975–1990 |
| Alan Missen | Liberal | Victoria | 1991 | 1974–1986 |
| John Morris | Labor | New South Wales | 1991 | 1985–1990 |
| Jocelyn Newman | Liberal | Tasmania | 1988 | 1986–2002 |
| Warwick Parer | Liberal | Queensland | 1988 | 1984–2000 |
| Janet Powell | Democrats | Victoria | 1988 | 1986–1993 |
| Chris Puplick | Liberal | New South Wales | 1991 | 1978–1980, 1984–1990 |
| Peter Rae | Liberal | Tasmania | 1988 | 1967–1986 |
| Robert Ray | Labor | Victoria | 1991 | 1981–2008 |
| Margaret Reid | Liberal | Australian Capital Territory | 1987 | 1981–2003 |
| Margaret Reynolds | Labor | Queensland | 1991 | 1983–1999 |
| Graham Richardson | Labor | New South Wales | 1988 | 1983–1994 |
| Ted Robertson | Labor | Northern Territory | 1987 | 1975–1987 |
| Susan Ryan | Labor | Australian Capital Territory | 1987 | 1975–1988 |
| Norm Sanders | Democrats | Tasmania | 1988 | 1985–1990 |
| Glen Sheil | National | Queensland | 1991 | 1974–1981, 1984–1990 |
| Jim Short | Liberal | Victoria | 1991 | 1984–1997 |
| Kerry Sibraa | Labor | New South Wales | 1991 | 1975–1978, 1978–1994 |
| John Siddons | Democrats/Unite Australia | Victoria | 1988 | 1980–1983, 1985–1987 |
| Michael Tate | Labor | Tasmania | 1988 | 1977–1993 |
| Baden Teague | Liberal | South Australia | 1991 | 1977–1996 |
| Michael Townley | Liberal | Tasmania | 1991 | 1970–1987 |
| Jo Vallentine | NDP/Independent | Western Australia | 1988 | 1985–1992 |
| Amanda Vanstone | Liberal | South Australia | 1991 | 1984–2007 |
| David Vigor | Democrats/Unite Australia | South Australia | 1988 | 1984–1987 |
| Peter Walsh | Labor | Western Australia | 1988 | 1974–1993 |
| Shirley Walters | Liberal | Tasmania | 1988 | 1975–1993 |
| John Watson | Liberal | Tasmania | 1991 | 1978–2008 |
| Sue West | Labor | New South Wales | 1988 | 1987, 1990–2002 |
| Rt. Reg Withers | Liberal | Western Australia | 1991 | 1966, 1967–1987 |
| Olive Zakharov | Labor | Victoria | 1991 | 1983–1995 |