Editing Father of the House (section)

==Australia==
{{Main|List of longest-serving members of the Parliament of Australia}}
[[File:Bob Katter.jpg|thumb|[[Bob Katter]], the incumbent Father of the house]]
The titles "Father of the House" and "Father of the Senate" are sometimes used to refer to the members of each chamber of the [[Parliament of Australia]] with the longest continuous service.<ref name=abc>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-10/who-will-be-the-father-of-the-house-when-philip-ruddock-retires/9388744|title=Who will be the Father of the House when Philip Ruddock Retires?|first=Antony|last=Green|work=ABC News|date=20 March 2018|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> The current Father of the House is [[Bob Katter]] (MP since 1993) and the current Mother of the Senate is [[Penny Wong]] (senator since 2002).

According to ''House of Representatives Practice'', the title Father of the House is a "completely informal designation" with "no functions attached to it".<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/Practice6/Practice6HTML?file=Chapter5&section=10|chapter=Titles accorded to members|title=House of Representatives Practice|publisher=Parliament of Australia|year=2012|edition=6th}}</ref> The equivalent publication for the Senate, ''Odgers' Australian Senate Practice'', describes the title Father of the Senate as "now seldom referred to or used". It also notes that "as no woman senator has ever been in this situation, it is not clear what the title would be in that circumstance".<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Odgers_Australian_Senate_Practice/Chapter_06|chapter=Seniority of senators|title=Odgers' Australian Senate Practice|publisher=Parliament of Australia|year=2016|edition=14th}}</ref>