section_path: Background/Composition of Parliament
section_name: Composition of Parliament
paragraph_text: Composition of Parliament
  
  The 47th Parliament opened on 26 July 2022. The Liberal Party entered the parliament with a new leader, with former defence and home affairs minister Peter Dutton replacing the outgoing prime minister Scott Morrison. On 23 December 2022, Nationals MP for Calare, Andrew Gee, left the party and became an independent, following the party's decision to publicly oppose an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. This change of parties caused the Crossbench to increase to 17 seats, with the Coalition decreasing to 57 seats.
  
  On 16 January 2023, Liberal senator Jim Molan died and was replaced by Maria Kovacic in May 2023. On 6 February 2023, Greens senator Lidia Thorpe resigned from the party to sit as an independent. On 1 April 2023, Labor's Mary Doyle won the 2023 Aston by-election following the resignation of sitting Liberal MP Alan Tudge. The result was considered a major upset and marked the first time that an incumbent government had won a seat from the Opposition since the 1920 Kalgoorlie by-election. As a result, Labor increased their number of seats in the House of Representatives to 78, while the Coalition decreased to 56. In May 2023, incumbent Liberal National MP Stuart Robert resigned, triggering another by-election, this time in the seat of Fadden on the Gold Coast. The seat was won by Liberal National candidate Cameron Caldwell, keeping the composition of the parliament unchanged. Also in May 2023, Dai Le, the independent member for the seat of Fowler in Western Sydney, formed her own political party, the Dai Le and Frank Carbone Network, alongside Frank Carbone, the Mayor of Fairfield. The party would be primarily based in Western Sydney.
  
  On 15 June 2023, Liberal senator David Van was expelled from the party following sexual misconduct allegations by former LNP senator Amanda Stoker and independent senator Lidia Thorpe. He continued his term as an independent. On 14 November 2023, following a party preselection defeat, Liberal MP Russell Broadbent left the party to sit on the crossbench. November also saw Dave Sharma return to parliament, this time as a Liberal Senator, after the resignation of party veteran Marise Payne. On 4 December 2023, Labor MP Peta Murphy died of cancer, reducing Labor to 77 seats, though the party's share was restored to 78 seats on 2 March 2024, when candidate Jodie Belyea retained the seat of Dunkley at the by-election. Similarly the Liberal Party fell by one seat on 28 February 2024, when Morrison (the former prime minister and MP) resigned from the seat of Cook, though Liberal candidate Simon Kennedy retained the seat for the party at the 2024 Cook by-election.
  
  Labor senator Pat Dodson resigned from the Senate in January 2024 while undergoing cancer treatment. His vacancy was filled by Varun Ghosh. Labor senator Linda White died in March 2024 and was replaced by Lisa Darmanin, while Greens senator Janet Rice resigned the following month and was replaced by Steph Hodgins-May. Party-compositional changes occurred when Tasmanian senator Tammy Tyrrell quit the Jacqui Lambie Network to sit as an independent on 28 March 2024 and Labor senator Fatima Payman left the party and joined the crossbench as an independent in July 2024, citing disagreement with the party's position concerning the Israel–Gaza conflict. Three months later, Payman established the Australia's Voice party, stating that she intended for the party to field candidates in both houses of parliament at this election. The Senate composition changed once again on 25 August 2024 when LNP senator Gerard Rennick resigned from the party and moved to the crossbench to sit as an independent following a preselection defeat. Like Payman, he announced his intention to establish a political party, named the People First Party, so that his name would be featured above the line on the election ballot.
  
  On 28 January 2025, Liberal senator Simon Birmingham resigned from Parliament. The following week, on 6 February 2025, Leah Blyth was appointed to the Senate as his replacement. Two lower house seats were left vacant prior to the election. Liberal National MP Keith Pitt, who sat in the Nationals party room, resigned from the seat of Hinkler on 19 January 2025, and the following day Labor MP Bill Shorten departed from the seat of Maribyrnong. With their resignations occurring close to the federal election, by-elections were not held.