Leader of the Opposition (New South Wales)

The leader of the opposition is a title held by the leader of the second-largest party in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, the lower house of the Parliament of New South Wales.^[2] There is also a leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council.^[3] The leader acts as the public face of the opposition, leading the opposition on the floor of parliament. They act as a chief critic of the government and ultimately attempt to portray the opposition as a feasible alternate government. They are also given certain additional rights under parliamentary standing orders, such as extended time limits for speeches.

Leader of the Opposition
Incumbent The Hon Mark Speakman SC MP since 21 April 2023
Term length	While leader of the largest political party not in government
Inaugural holder	Charles Lee
Salary	A$309,621[1]

Leaders of the opposition in New South Wales since 1887

Political parties

   Labor    Liberal Party of Australia    Protectionist    Free Trade    Progressive    Liberal Reform Party    Labor (NSW)    Nationalist Party of Australia
   United Australia Party    Democratic Party    Country Party

Legislative Assembly

No.		Name	Portrait	Party	Constituency	Term of office		Tenure	Elections	Premier
		Joseph Palmer Abbott		Protectionist	Wentworth	9 March 1887	19 May 1887	71 days	–		Parkes 1887–1889
		George Dibbs			Murrumbidgee	20 September 1887	16 January 1889	1 year, 118 days	–
		Sir Henry Parkes		Free Trade	St Leonards	17 January 1889	7 March 1889	49 days	1889		Dibbs 1889
		George Dibbs		Protectionist	Murrumbidgee	8 March 1889	23 October 1891	2 years, 229 days	–		Parkes 1889–1891
		George Reid		Free Trade	St Leonards	23 October 1891	2 August 1894	2 years, 283 days	1891 1894		Dibbs 1891–1894
		Sir George Dibbs		Protectionist	Murrumbidgee	3 August 1894	5 July 1895	336 days	1895		Reid 1894–1899
		William Lyne			Hume	14 August 1895	6 October 1898	3 years, 53 days	1898
		Edmund Barton			Hastings and Macleay	6 October 1898	23 August 1899	321 days	–
		William Lyne			Hume	23 August 1899	13 September 1899	21 days	–
		George Reid		Free Trade	Sydney-King	14 September 1899	23 March 1901	1 year, 190 days	–		Lyne 1899–1901
	1	Charles Lee		Liberal Reform	Tenterfield	23 March 1901	18 September 1902	1 year, 179 days	1901		See 1901–1904
	2	Joseph Carruthers		Liberal Reform	St George	18 September 1902	30 August 1904	1 year, 347 days	–
									1904		Waddell 1904
	3	James McGowen		Labor	Redfern	20 September 1904	21 October 1910	6 years, 31 days	1907		Carruthers 1904–1907
									1910		Wade 1907–1910
	4	Charles Wade		Liberal Reform	Gordon	21 October 1910	15 November 1916	6 years, 25 days	–		McGowen 1910–1913
									1913		Holman 1913–1920
	5	Ernest Durack		Labor	Bathurst	22 November 1916	19 February 1917	89 days	–
	6	John Storey		Labor	Balmain	22 February 1917	13 April 1920	3 years, 51 days	1917
									1920
	7	George Fuller		Nationalist	Wollondilly	14 April 1920	13 April 1922	1 year, 364 days	–		Storey 1920–1921
									1922		Dooley 1921–1922
	8	James Dooley		Labor	Bathurst	20 April 1922	9 March 1923	323 days	–		Fuller 1922–1925
	9	Greg McGirr		Labor	Sydney	9 March 1923	16 April 1923	38 days	–
	10	Bill Dunn		Labor	Wammerawa	16 April 1923	31 July 1923	106 days	–
	11	Jack Lang		Labor	Auburn	31 July 1923	17 June 1925	1 year, 321 days	1925
	(7)	George Fuller		Nationalist	Wollondilly	23 June 1925	24 September 1925	93 days	–		Lang 1925–1927
	12	Thomas Bavin		Nationalist	Ryde	24 September 1925	18 October 1927	2 years, 24 days	1927
	(11)	Jack Lang		Labor	Auburn	18 October 1927	4 November 1930	3 years, 17 days	1930		Bavin 1927–1930
	(12)	Thomas Bavin		Nationalist	Gordon	25 November 1930	5 April 1932	1 year, 132 days	–		Lang 1930–1932
									–
				United Australia					–
	13	Bertram Stevens		United Australia	Croydon	5 April 1932	13 May 1932	38 days	1932
	(11)	Jack Lang		Labor (NSW)	Auburn	22 June 1932	5 September 1939	7 years, 75 days	1935		Stevens 1932–1939
				Labor					1938
									–		Mair 1939–1941
	14	William McKell		Labor	Redfern	5 September 1939	16 May 1941	1 year, 253 days	1941
	15	Alexander Mair		United Australia	Albury	19 May 1941	10 February 1944	2 years, 267 days	–		McKell 1941–1947
				Democratic					–
	16	Reginald Weaver		Democratic	Neutral Bay	10 February 1944	12 November 1945	1 year, 275 days	1944
				Liberal					–
	(15)	Alexander Mair		Liberal	Albury	13 November 1945	20 March 1946	127 days	–
	17	Vernon Treatt		Liberal	Woollahra	20 March 1946	10 August 1954	8 years, 143 days	–
									1947		McGirr 1947–1952
									1950
									1953		Cahill 1952–1959
	18	Murray Robson		Liberal	Vaucluse	17 August 1954	20 September 1955	1 year, 34 days	–
	19	Pat Morton		Liberal	Mosman	20 September 1955	17 July 1959	3 years, 300 days	1956
									1959
	20	Robert Askin		Liberal	Collaroy	17 July 1959	13 May 1965	5 years, 300 days	–
									1962		Heffron 1959–1964
									1965		Renshaw 1964–1965
	21	Jack Renshaw		Labor	Castlereagh	14 May 1965	23 July 1968	3 years, 70 days	1968		Askin 1965–1975
	22	Pat Hills		Labor	Phillip	30 July 1968	3 December 1973	5 years, 126 days	1971
									1973
	23	Neville Wran		Labor	Bass Hill	3 December 1973	14 May 1976	2 years, 163 days	–
									–		Lewis 1975–1976
									1976		Willis 1976
	24	Eric Willis		Liberal	Earlwood	15 May 1976	16 December 1977	1 year, 215 days	–		Wran 1976–1986
	25	Peter Coleman		Liberal	Fuller	16 December 1977	7 October 1978	295 days	1978
	26	John Mason		Liberal	Dubbo	24 October 1978	29 May 1981	2 years, 217 days	–
	27	Bruce McDonald		Liberal	Kirribilli	1 June 1981	12 October 1981	133 days	1981
	28	John Dowd		Liberal	Lane Cove	27 October 1981	15 March 1983	1 year, 139 days	–
	29	Nick Greiner		Liberal	Ku-ring-gai	15 March 1983	25 March 1988	5 years, 10 days	1984
									1988		Unsworth 1986–1988
	30	Bob Carr		Labor	Maroubra	6 April 1988	4 April 1995	6 years, 363 days	1991		Greiner 1988–1992
									1995		Fahey 1992–1995
	31	Peter Collins		Liberal	Willoughby	4 April 1995	7 December 1998	3 years, 247 days	–		Carr 1995–2005
	32	Kerry Chikarovski		Liberal	Lane Cove	7 December 1998	28 March 2002	3 years, 111 days	1999
	33	John Brogden		Liberal	Pittwater	28 March 2002	1 September 2005	3 years, 157 days	2003
									–		Iemma 2005–2008
	34	Peter Debnam		Liberal	Vaucluse	1 September 2005	4 April 2007	1 year, 215 days	2007
	35	Barry O'Farrell		Liberal	Ku-ring-gai	4 April 2007	28 March 2011	3 years, 358 days	–
									–		Rees 2008–2009
									2011		Keneally 2009–2011
	36	John Robertson		Labor	Blacktown	31 March 2011	23 December 2014	3 years, 267 days	–		O'Farrell 2011–2014
									–		Baird 2014–2017
	37	Luke Foley		Labor	Legislative Council Auburn	5 January 2015	8 November 2018	3 years, 307 days	2015
									–		Berejiklian 2017–2021
	38	Michael Daley		Labor	Maroubra	10 November 2018	25 March 2019	135 days	2019
	39	Jodi McKay		Labor	Strathfield	29 June 2019	28 May 2021	1 year, 333 days	–
	40	Chris Minns		Labor	Kogarah	4 June 2021	28 March 2023	1 year, 297 days	2023
											Perrottet 2021–2023
	41	Mark Speakman		Liberal	Cronulla	21 April 2023	Incumbent	2 years, 4 days	–		Minns 2023–
Source: Parliament of New South Wales.[2]

Legislative Council

No.		Name	Portrait	Party	Term of office		Tenure
	1	Sir Henry Manning [a]		United Australia	16 May 1941 (1941-05-16)	22 April 1958 (1958-04-22)	16 years, 341 days
				Democratic
				Liberal
	2	Hector Clayton		Liberal	12 April 1960	30 October 1962	2 years, 201 days
	3	Arthur Bridges		Liberal	30 October 1962	13 May 1965	2 years, 195 days
	4	Reg Downing		Labor	13 May 1965	4 February 1972	6 years, 267 days
	5	Neville Wran		Labor	22 February 1972	19 October 1973	1 year, 239 days
	6	Leroy Serisier		Labor	3 December 1973	13 May 1976	2 years, 162 days
	7	Sir John Fuller		Country	14 May 1976	1 August 1978	2 years, 79 days
	8	Max Willis		Liberal	1 August 1978	20 October 1981	3 years, 80 days
	9	Lloyd Lange		Liberal	20 October 1981	3 April 1984	2 years, 166 days
	10	Ted Pickering		Liberal	3 April 1984	24 March 1988	3 years, 356 days
	11	Jack Hallam		Labor	6 April 1988	2 May 1991	3 years, 26 days
	12	Michael Egan		Labor	2 July 1991	4 April 1995	3 years, 276 days
	13	John Hannaford		Liberal	11 April 1995	31 March 1999	3 years, 354 days
	14	Mike Gallacher		Liberal	31 March 1999	4 March 2011	11 years, 338 days
	15	Tony Kelly		Labor	8 April 2011	6 June 2011	59 days
	16	Luke Foley		Labor	14 June 2011	8 April 2015	3 years, 298 days
	17	Adam Searle		Labor	8 April 2015	8 June 2021	6 years, 61 days
	18	Penny Sharpe		Labor	8 June 2021	28 March 2023	1 year, 293 days
	19	Damien Tudehope		Liberal	21 April 2023	incumbent	2 years, 4 days
Source: Parliament of New South Wales.[3]

Deputy leaders of the opposition

Legislative Assembly

The deputy leader of the opposition is a position in the New South Wales Parliament held by a second-largest political party or coalition member. The deputy leader of the opposition assists the leader of the opposition in their duties and may act as the leader of the opposition if the position becomes vacant. The position was established in New South Wales in 1986, with Peter Collins becoming the first person to hold it in its formalised capacity. Before this, the deputy leader of the opposition was largely informal, with no clear mandate or responsibilities.^[5]

No.		Name	Portrait	Party	Constituency	Term of office		Tenure
	1	Peter Collins		Liberal	Willoughby Middle Harbour	14 February 1986	2 February 1988	2 years, 8 days
	2	Andrew Refshauge		Labor	Marrickville	11 April 1988	4 April 1995	6 years, 358 days
	3	Ron Phillips		Liberal	Miranda	4 April 1995	27 March 1999	3 years, 357 days
	4	Barry O'Farrell		Liberal	Ku-ring-gai	31 March 1999	28 March 2002	2 years, 362 days
	5	Chris Hartcher		Liberal	Gosford	28 March 2002	3 April 2003	1 year, 6 days
	(4)	Barry O'Farrell		Liberal	Ku-ring-gai	3 April 2003	4 April 2007	4 years, 1 day
	6	Jillian Skinner		Liberal	North Shore	4 April 2007	28 March 2011	3 years, 359 days
	7	Linda Burney		Labor	Canterbury	8 April 2011	7 March 2016	4 years, 334 days
	8	Michael Daley		Labor	Maroubra	7 March 2016	10 November 2018	2 years, 248 days
	9	Yasmin Catley		Labor	Swansea	2 July 2019	28 May 2021	1 year, 330 days
	10	Prue Car		Labor	Londonderry	8 June 2021	28 March 2023	1 year, 293 days
	11	Robyn Preston		Liberal	Hawkesbury	9 May 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 351 days

Legislative Council

The deputy leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council plays an important role in assisting the leader of the opposition in managing and leading the opposition party's activities in the upper house of the Parliament of New South Wales. The position of deputy leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council dates back to at least 1966, when James Maloney was formally recognized as the first deputy leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council according to the Alphabetical Roll of Members from the Parliament of New South Wales.^[6] Maloney served in the position from 31st March 1966 to 26th April 1971. Several individuals have filled the position since then. The deputy leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council is specifically focused on supporting the opposition party's efforts, in contrast to the deputy leader of the government in the Legislative Council, who assists the leader of the government in the upper house. Despite not having a formally established date, the position of deputy leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council remains an important figure in NSW politics and an essential part of the opposition party's leadership team.

No.		Name	Portrait	Party	Term of office		Tenure
	1	James Maloney		Labor	31 March 1966	26 April 1971	5 years, 26 days
	2	Neville Wran		Labor	7 April 1971	21 February 1972	320 days
	3	Edna Roper		Labor	3 December 1973	13 May 1976	2 years, 162 days
	4	Frederick Hewitt		Liberal	14 May 1976	7 June 1976	24 days
	5	Bob Rowland Smith		National	2 August 1978	24 March 1988	9 years, 235 days
	6	Deirdre Grusovin		Labor	6 April 1988	31 May 1990	2 years, 55 days
	7	Bryan Vaughan		Labor	1 June 1990	2 April 1995	4 years, 305 days
	8	Richard Bull		National	11 April 1995	1 February 2000	4 years, 296 days
	9	Duncan Gay		National	1 February 2000	4 March 2011	11 years, 31 days
	10	Luke Foley		Labor	8 April 2011	14 June 2011	67 days
	11	Adam Searle		Labor	14 June 2011	6 March 2015	3 years, 265 days
	12	Walt Secord		Labor	5 May 2015	2 July 2019	4 years, 58 days
	13	Penny Sharpe[b]		Labor	2 July 2019	14 May 2021	1 year, 316 days
	14	John Graham		Labor	8 June 2021	28 March 2023	1 year, 293 days
	15	Natalie Ward[c]		Liberal	21 April 2023	Incumbent	2 years, 4 days

Notes

1. Manning refused the role of 'official' leader of the opposition, when offered to him, owing to his beliefs in a non-partisan Legislative Council. Nevertheless he was considered by his colleagues as the de facto leader of the opposition members.^[4]
2. Also served as deputy leader of the opposition from 2018–2019 under Daley.
3. Also served as deputy leader of the opposition from 8 May 2023 under Speakman.