Senator Lidia Thorpe has blamed major security threats on her absences from Parliament last year, as data reveals she attended less than two-thirds of sitting days in 2023.
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Figures from the Senate's statistics site, analysed by The Canberra Times, shows that the Victorian senator made it to just 38 out of 66 sitting days last year, with nine days absent and 19 days absent with leave - one of the lowest attendance rates in the chamber.
"In the last year, I faced several majority security threats to my life," Senator Thorpe said, adding that this led the Australian Federal Police to advise her to leave her home.
"I was given 20 minutes to pack my bag and wasn't able to return home for five months," she said.
"Unfortunately, these threats also meant I could not attend parliament for a prolonged period of time to allow necessary safety provisions to be put in place and for the security situation to improve.
"Everyone has a right to be safe at work. And while these safety matters are still not fully resolved, and I still face threats to my safety, there have been some improvements and so I look forward to being able to fulfil my duties in a safe workplace going forward.
The data shows that - excluding the three senators who joined or left the Senate in 2023, and did not sit for the full year - the average senator attended 60 of 66 sitting days last year.
There are valid reasons why some politicians at the bottom of this list weren't in the building.
Senator Pat Dodson, who made it to 16 sitting days, spent months undergoing cancer treatment, and in November announced he would resign from politics due to ill health.
Senator Catryna Bilyk, having survived two brain tumours in 2008, has since been diagnosed with two more tumours for which she's been receiving treatment.
"I remain active in the community, work hard to represent my Tasmanian constituents, and continue to serve on seven Parliamentary committees," Senator Bilyk said.
Senator Linda White also missed the last four sitting weeks for 2023 due to illness, totalling 18 days.
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Senator David Van, who took leave from Parliament following allegations of sexual harassment, attended 48 sitting days across the year. This masthead attempted to contact his office, but could not reach him for comment before deadline.
Meanwhile, senators Dave Sharma, Maria Kovacic, and Marise Payne's absences have been excluded from our analysis, given they didn't serve in the Senate for the entire year.
Senator Kovacic replaced the late Jim Molan in the upper house in June, after Mr Molan passed away in January following a cancer battle.
Senator Sharma was only sworn into parliament on December 3, replacing Ms Payne, who retired from politics at the end of September.
Who was there every day?
At the other end of the spectrum were the 18 senators with perfect attendance records.
These included Liberal Senate leader Simon Birmingham, the Nationals' Matt Canavan, ACT independent David Pocock, Labor's Marielle Smith, and the Greens' Nick McKim.
Senator McKim was also present to vote in a whopping 556 out of 558 divisions across the year - the most of any senator.
Divisions occur when two or more senators challenge a vote result, resulting in the chair ringing the bells to summon other senators to the chamber for a second vote. The presence of all senators in divisions during 2023 is shown at the bottom of this article.
A spokesperson for Senator McKim's office said that while they weren't aware of these statistics, "it might be as a result of him being the Greens' whip and holding two legislatively intense portfolios".
"But he certainly takes his parliamentary duties extremely seriously," the spokesperson said.
In terms of divisions, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong was at the bottom of the board, just behind Liberal Senate leader Simon Birmingham.
It is understood this is because Senator Wong, as leader of the government in the Senate, is paired on all divisions as a matter of convention - typically with Senator Birmingham.
This allows the senator to attend to parliamentary business during divisions, while still preserving the voting strength of both parties, and is a practice used across the Senate.
Justine Landis-Hanley
I'm a federal politics and public sector reporter at The Canberra Times, with an interest in integrity, regulation, and social services. Contact me with tips and feedback at justine.landishanley@canberratimes.com.au.
I'm a federal politics and public sector reporter at The Canberra Times, with an interest in integrity, regulation, and social services. Contact me with tips and feedback at justine.landishanley@canberratimes.com.au.
