Robert James Murray "Rob" Oakeshott (born 14 December 1969) is an Australian politician. He is the independent Member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Lyne in New South Wales, which he won in the 2008 by-election following the resignation of former Nationals leader and Howard minister Mark Vaile. Elected as the Nationals candidate for the state seat of Port Macquarie in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1996, he left the party to become an independent in 2002, and retained the seat until 2008, when he resigned to run as an independent candidate in the Lyne by-election. Oakeshott describes his views as economically conservative and socially progressive.

Oakeshott was born in Lismore. His father, also named Rob Oakeshott, is still a doctor in the area and his grandfather Captain John Oakeshott was a prisoner of war and survived the Sandakan Death Marches.

Oakeshott attended Barker College as a high school student and was a boarder in his latter years there. He then studied at the University of Sydney. He was a resident of St. Andrew's College when the Principal, Peter Cameron, was convicted of heresy by the Presbyterian Church of Australia. Oakeshott describes Cameron as an influence on his thinking:

Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since 24 June 2010.

Gillard was born in Barry, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved to Melbourne. She graduated from the University of Melbourne with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees in 1986. In 1987, Gillard joined the law firm Slater & Gordon working in industrial law, before entering politics.

Gillard was elected at the 1998 federal election to the House of Representatives seat of Lalor, Victoria, for the Australian Labor Party. Following the 2001 federal election, Gillard was elected to the shadow cabinet with the portfolios of Population and Immigration. The Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs and the Health portfolios were added in 2003. In December 2006, Kevin Rudd was elected Labor leader and Leader of the Opposition, with Gillard as deputy leader.

Antony Harold Curties "Tony" Windsor (born 2 September 1950), an Australian politician, is an independent member of the House of Representatives since 2001, representing the Division of New England, New South Wales. Prior to his election to the federal parliament, Windsor was an independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1991 to 2001, representing the electoral district of Tamworth.

Windsor was born in Quirindi, New South Wales, and was educated at Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School, Tamworth and the University of New England where he graduated with an undergraduate degree in economics. He was a farmer at Werris Creek before entering politics. He was one of three sons raised by his mother after his father was killed in a farm accident when Windsor was eight years old.

In the 1991 election, Windsor was first elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Member for Tamworth. Windsor was originally a National Party candidate for this seat, but allegations in regards to a drink-driving incident arose on the day of his pre-selection, and the National Party endorsed another candidate. In spite of the allegations, Windsor won as an independent candidate and held the seat for ten years. Windsor was one of the four independents who held the balance of power after Nick Greiner's Liberal-National Coalition lost 10 seats, resulting in a hung parliament. His decision to support the Coalition ensured a second term in government for Greiner. After an adverse ruling by the Independent Commission Against Corruption against Greiner for offering former minister Terry Metherell a patronage job, Windsor and the other three independents gave Greiner an ultimatum to resign or face a no-confidence motion in Parliament, and Greiner resigned.

Peter Neil Slipper (born 14 February 1950) is an Australian politician who has served as the 27th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives from 24 November 2011, after serving as Deputy Speaker following the 2010 election. Previously he had served as a Parliamentary Secretary, Whip and Committee Chairman in the Howard government. In April 2012 he stepped aside as Speaker while charges of fraud and sexual harassment were investigated.

Slipper is an independent member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Fisher, Queensland, a seat which he has held since 1993. He previously represented the same division for the Nationals from 1984 to 1987. Slipper was affiliated with the Liberal Party's Queensland division from 1993 until its merger with the Nationals' Queensland division to form the Liberal National Party of Queensland in 2008, continuing to sit in the federal Liberal Party room until he became an independent upon his election as Speaker in 2011.