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List of prime ministers of Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The prime minister of Australia is the leader of the Australian Government and the Cabinet of Australia, with the support of the majority of the House of Representatives.[1][2] Thirty-one people (thirty men and one woman) have served in the position since the office was created in 1901.[3] The role of prime minister is not mentioned in the Constitution of Australia,[4] but the prime minister is still appointed by the governor-general who under Section 64 of the constitution has the executive power to appoint ministers of state. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch of Australia based on the advice of the incumbent prime minister.[2] Governors-general do not have fixed terms, but usually serve for five years.[5]
Federal elections must be held every three years, although prime ministers may call elections early.[6] Prime ministers do not have fixed terms, and generally serve the full length of their term unless they lose the majority of the House or are replaced as the leader of their party. Three former prime ministers lost a majority in the House (Alfred Deakin on two occasions, George Reid and Andrew Fisher), six resigned following leadership spills (John Gorton, Bob Hawke, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull) and three died in office (Joseph Lyons, John Curtin and Harold Holt, who disappeared and is presumed to have died).[7] Two prime ministers also lost their role in a double dissolution election, a snap election where the entire Senate stands for re-election rather than the typical half to resolve deadlocks between the two houses. These were Joseph Cook in 1914 and Malcolm Fraser in 1983. One prime minister, Gough Whitlam, was dismissed by the governor-general during a constitutional crisis.[8]
Since the office was established in 1901, thirty men and one woman have been prime minister. Robert Menzies and Kevin Rudd served two non-consecutive terms in office while Alfred Deakin and Andrew Fisher served three non-consecutive terms.[9] The prime ministership of Frank Forde, who was prime minister for seven days in 1945, was the shortest in Australian history.[10] Menzies served the longest, with eighteen years over two non-consecutive periods.[11] The current prime minister is Anthony Albanese, who assumed office on 23 May 2022.[9] There are currently seven living former prime ministers. The most recent former prime minister to die was Bob Hawke, on 16 May 2019.[12]
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List of prime ministers
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The parties shown are those to which the prime ministers belonged at the time they held office, and the electoral divisions shown are those they represented while in office. Several prime ministers belonged to parties other than those given and represented other electorates before and after their time in office.
Political parties
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Timeline
Career-based timeline
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This timeline shows most of the early life, the political career and death of each prime minister from 1901. The first prime minister was Edmund Barton in the early 20th century.[45]
Key
- Each dark coloured bar denotes the time spent as prime minister
- A light colour denotes time spent in Parliament before or after serving as prime minister
- A grey colour bar denotes the time the prime minister spent outside Parliament, either before or after their political career
Notable moments
- changed party: Cook (pre-office), Watson (post-office), Hughes (in office and post-office), Lyons (pre-office)
- died in office: Lyons, Curtin, Holt
- died shortly after leaving office: Chifley
- left Parliament on leaving office: Barton, Bruce, Menzies, Fraser, Hawke, Keating, Howard, Gillard, Turnbull
- long career after being prime minister: Cook, Hughes, Scullin, Page, Fadden, McMahon
- was prime minister after an interruption to their service in Parliament: Scullin, Curtin, Chifley
- lived for more than twenty years after leaving Parliament: Watson, Cook, Bruce, Forde, Gorton, Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke, Keating
- former prime minister still living: Keating, Howard, Rudd, Gillard, Abbott, Turnbull, Morrison
Timeline
See also
Notes
- Represented by Lord Hopetoun.
- Represented by Lord Hopetoun from 1901 to 1902, Lord Northcote from 1902 to 1904, and Lord Dudley from 1904 to 1910.
- Represented by Lord Dudley from 1910 to 1911, Lord Denman from 1911 to 1914, Ronald Munro Ferguson from 1914 to 1920, Lord Forster from 1920 to 1925, Lord Stonehaven from 1925 to 1930, and Isaac Isaacs from 1930 to 1936.
- Represented by Isaac Isaacs in January 1936 and by Lord Gowrie from January to December 1936.
- Represented by Lord Gowrie from 1936 to 1945, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester from 1945 to 1947, and William McKell from 1947 to 1952.
- Represented by William McKell from 1952 to 1953, Lord Slim from 1953 to 1960, Lord Dunrossil from 1960 to 1961, Lord De L'Isle from 1961 to 1965, Lord Casey from 1965 to 1969, Paul Hasluck from 1969 to 1974, John Kerr from 1974 to 1977, Zelman Cowen from 1977 to 1982, Ninian Stephen from 1982 to 1989, Bill Hayden from 1989 to 1996, William Deane from 1996 to 2001, Peter Hollingworth from 2001 to 2003, Michael Jeffery from 2003 to 2008, Quentin Bryce from 2008 to 2014, Peter Cosgrove from 2014 to 2019, and David Hurley from 2019 to 2022.
- Gorton was a Senator until he resigned from the Senate on 1 February 1968; he was elected to the House of Representatives at the Higgins by-election on 24 February 1968.[31]
- Represented by David Hurley from 2022 to 2024, and by Sam Mostyn since 2024.
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References
External links
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