Norman Tebbit records in his memoirs that shortly after being elected an MP in 1970, he was elected to the party's backbench committee on housing policy even though he was virtually unknown to most MPs.
Kindy remained a backbench supporter of the Brian Mulroney government until 1990 when the government attempted to pass the Goods and Services Tax into legislation.
He defeated Liberal Brian Gamble by 708 votes, and served in the legislature as a backbench supporter of Bill Davis's government.
It was the first of two ballots that year with Prime Minister Bob Hawke surviving the ballot against Treasurer Paul Keating, who then went to the backbench.
Fisher served as a backbench supporter of the government of Mike Harris for the next four years.
The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government, and Barlow served in the legislature as a backbench supporter of the Bill Davis and Frank Miller administrations.
The Progressives won a majority government, and Ingaldson served as a backbench supporter of John Bracken's administration.
As a key ally of the then Shadow Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, Cousins was still hopeful of a ministerial job when Labour won the election in 1997, but his hopes were dashed and instead he became an influential member of the backbench Treasury Select Committee.
Maxton was a popular backbench figure but did not obtain much support when he stood for election to the Labour Shadow Cabinet.
It also commented: "Thomson's relegation to the backbench will be a setback for Labor. Ever since December, when Rudd promoted him to shadow attorney-general, he has dealt the Government more grief over David Hicks than Labor did collectively over the previous five years. Of the big changes to Labor's frontbench under Rudd, Thomson was the standout surprise performer." Thomson has not since been returned to the Labor cabinet.
He won a convincing victory over incumbent Progressive Conservative incumbent Dorothy Dobbie in the 1993 federal election, and entered parliament as a government backbencher.