Barry House
Barry John House AM (born 27 November 1949) is an Australian Liberal politician from Western Australia. He served in the Legislative Council from 1987 to 2017 and was the President of the Legislative Council from 2009 to 2017.
Early life and career: House was born in Busselton, WA, to Molly May and Edward Kenneth House. He attended Busselton Senior High School, then studied at the University of Western Australia and Nedlands Teachers College. He worked as a schoolteacher and youth education officer, and he was also a talented cricketer who toured South Africa with an Australian schoolboys team and played first-grade in the WACA district.
Political career: He entered parliament in a 1987 by-election for South-West Province after Vic Ferry resigned, and in 1989 he was elected to the South West Region. He served in the shadow ministry, became chairman of committees from 1993 to 1997, and remained a shadow minister under several leaders until 2008. After the Liberal Party won the 2008 election, he served as a parliamentary secretary before being elected President of the Legislative Council in May 2009. He was re-elected as president after the 2013 election and announced his retirement in 2015, retiring at the 2017 election.
Post-politics: Since leaving Parliament, House has remained active in the Busselton community, including roles with the Busselton Tennis Club and Busselton Jetty Inc.
Honors and controversy: He is an AM. In 2021, Edith Cowan University gave him an honorary doctorate, which the university later rescinded due to his opposition to certain LGBT rights during his political career.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:24 (CET).