Premiers and chief ministers of the Australian states and territories

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Distinguish". Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Sidebar with collapsible lists The premiers and chief ministers of the Australian states and territories are the heads of the executive governments in the six states and two self-governing territories of Australia. They perform the same function at the state and territory level as the Prime Minister of Australia performs at the national level. The King of Australia and the state governors are the formal repositories of executive power; however, in practice they act only on the advice of state premiers and ministers except in extreme circumstances, such as a constitutional crisis.

Background

Each of the Australian states is governed under the Westminster system of parliamentary government. Each state has an elected legislature. Following a general election, the state governor appoints as premier the member of the lower house of the state legislature who can command a simple majority of votes on the floor of the house. The governor is the head of state, and acts only on the advice of the head of government - the premier. The premier must resign the commission to the governor for losing the confidence of the legislative assembly, either because their party is defeated at a general election or losing a vote of confidence in the house. (Premiers may also resign for other reasons, such as losing the confidence of their own party).

The Australian states were founded as British colonies, and executive power was held by a governor (or sometimes a lieutenant-governor) appointed by the British government (see Governors of the Australian states). From the 1820s the power of the governors was gradually transferred to legislative bodies, at first appointed, later partly elected, and finally fully elected. Victoria gained full responsible parliamentary government in 1855, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania in 1856, Queensland in 1859 and Western Australia (owing to its much smaller population) in 1890.

Until the rise of the Australian Labor Party in the 1890s, the Australian colonies did not have formal party systems, although many colonial politicians called themselves Liberals or Conservatives. Ministries were usually formed on the basis of personal or factional loyalties, and rose and fell with great frequency as loyalties changed. Colonial politics were commonly regarded as parochial, corrupt and cynical, and in many cases they were. Victorian Premier James Munro, for example, fled the colony to escape his creditors in 1890, and Queensland Premier Sir Thomas McIlwraith was notoriously corrupt.

The rise of Labor forced the colonies to move towards a two-party system of Labor versus non-Labor, although state politics remained more personalised and less ideological than national politics for many years. The first minority Labor government was formed by Anderson Dawson in Queensland in 1899, and the first majority Labor government was led by James McGowen in New South Wales in 1910. Since about 1910 state politics have followed much the same party pattern as Australian national politics (see Politics of Australia).

Since 1952, every premier of every state has been a member of the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party of Australia, or the National Party of Australia (until 1973, the Liberal Party was known as the Liberal and Country League in South Australia; the Country Liberal Party is the Northern Territory branch of the Liberal and National Parties; and the Liberal National Party has been the Queensland branch of the same two parties since 2008).

Although the legislative powers of the states are defined in the Constitution, the real power of the Australian premiers has been declining steadily ever since Federation in 1901, as the power and responsibility of the national government has expanded at the expense of the states. The most important transfer of power came in 1943, when in the interests of national unity during World War II the states gave up their power to levy their own income taxes to the Commonwealth. Since then the states' finances have essentially been controlled by the Commonwealth.

Relations between the premiers and other levels of government

File:Premier's Conference June 1970 (2).jpg

1970 Premier's Conference

For many decades, the premiers met with each other and the prime minister at Premiers' Conferences. From 1992 to 2020, such meetings occurred through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), which also includes the chief ministers of the territories and a representative of local government. Since 2020, the National Cabinet allows meetings between the prime minister, state premiers and chief ministers of the territories, however local government representation has been removed.

On 21 July 2006, South Australian premier Mike Rann was appointed chairman of a new Council for the Australian Federation, a council which aims to improve state-federal ties.^[1]

Timeline

Between 6 March 2002 (when Mike Rann (Labor) succeeded Rob Kerin (Liberal) as Premier of South Australia) and 23 September 2008, when Colin Barnett succeeded Alan Carpenter as Premier of Western Australia, there were Labor Premiers in all six of the Australian states (and Chief Ministers in both territories); this was only the second time a party or coalition has ever achieved this. A comparable feat was achieved by the Coalition between 26 May 1969 (when the Liberals' Angus Bethune succeeded Labor's Eric Reece as Premier of Tasmania) and 2 June 1970 (when the Liberals' Steele Hall was succeeded by Labor's Don Dunstan as Premier of South Australia).

ImageSize = width:900 height:420 PlotArea = width:850 height:240 left:50 bottom:140 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:1900 till:2024 AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1901 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1901 Legend = position:bottom columns:4

TextData =

 pos:(240,415) textcolor:black fontsize:M
 text:Australian prime ministers and state/territory heads since 1900

Colors =

 id:ALP  value:rgb(0.906,0,0.129)      legend:Labor
 id:LIB  value:rgb(0.031,0.047,0.420)  legend:Liberal
 id:LNP  value:darkblue  legend:Liberal_National_Party_(QLD)
 id:CNT  value:green                   legend:Country/National
 id:CLP  value:rgb(0.847,0.616,0.004)  legend:Country_Liberal_Party_(NT)
 id:UAP  value:blue          legend:United_Australia
 id:NAT  value:skyblue       legend:Nationalist
 id:CML  value:tan2          legend:Commonwealth_Liberal
 id:NAL  value:lavender      legend:National_Labor
 id:FT   value:limegreen     legend:Free_Trade
 id:PRO  value:gray(0.4)     legend:Protectionist
 id:OL   value:yelloworange  legend:Old_Liberal
 id:CON  value:dullyellow    legend:Conservative
 id:PRG  value:drabgreen     legend:Progressive_(NSW)
 id:LRP  value:pink          legend:Liberal_Reform_(NSW)
 id:REF  value:pink          legend:Reform_(Vic)
 id:LCO  value:coral         legend:Coalition_(Qld)
 id:MIN  value:claret        legend:Ministerialist_(WA)
 id:OPP  value:purple        legend:Oppositionist_(WA)
 id:LF   value:powderblue    legend:Lib._Federation_(SA)
 id:LCL  value:blue          legend:Lib-Country_League_(SA)
 id:NON  value:gray(0.9)     legend:No_official_party

 id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97)

BarData =

bar:Aust  text:"Australia" link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Australia
bar:NSW   text:"NSW" link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premiers_of_New_South_Wales
bar:Vic   text:"Vic" link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premiers_of_Victoria
bar:Qld   text:"Qld" link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premiers_of_Queensland
bar:WA    text:"WA"  link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premiers_of_Western_Australia
bar:SA    text:"SA"  link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premiers_of_South_Australia
bar:Tas   text:"Tas" link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premiers_of_Tasmania
bar:NT    text:"NT" link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Minister_of_Northern_Territory
bar:ACT   text:"ACT" link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Minister_of_Australian_Capital_Territory

Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas

PlotData =

mark:(line,white) fontsize:S shift:(25,-5)

bar:Aust
 from:01/01/1901  till:24/09/1903 color:PRO   # Edmund Barton 
 from:24/09/1903  till:27/04/1904 color:PRO   # Alfred Deakin 
 from:27/04/1904  till:18/08/1904 color:ALP   # Chris Watson 
 from:18/08/1904  till:05/07/1905 color:FT    # George Reid 
 from:05/07/1905  till:13/11/1908 color:PRO   # Alfred Deakin 
 from:13/11/1908  till:02/06/1909 color:ALP   # Andrew Fisher 
 from:02/06/1909  till:29/04/1910 color:CML   # Alfred Deakin 
 from:29/04/1910  till:24/06/1913 color:ALP   # Andrew Fisher 
 from:24/06/1913  till:17/09/1914 color:CML   # Joseph Cook 
 from:17/09/1914  till:27/10/1915 color:ALP   # Andrew Fisher 
 from:27/10/1915  till:14/11/1916 color:ALP   # Billy Hughes 
 from:14/11/1916  till:17/02/1917 color:NAL   # Billy Hughes 
 from:17/02/1917  till:09/02/1923 color:NAT   # Billy Hughes 
 from:09/02/1923  till:22/10/1929 color:NAT   # Stanley Bruce 
 from:22/10/1929  till:06/01/1932 color:ALP   # James Scullin 
 from:06/01/1932  till:07/04/1939 color:UAP   # Joseph Lyons 
 from:07/04/1939  till:26/04/1939 color:CNT   # Earle Page 
 from:26/04/1939  till:29/08/1941 color:UAP   # Robert Menzies 
 from:29/08/1941  till:07/10/1941 color:CNT   # Arthur Fadden 
 from:07/10/1941  till:05/07/1945 color:ALP   # John Curtin 
 from:05/07/1945  till:13/07/1945 color:ALP   # Frank Forde 
 from:13/07/1945  till:19/12/1949 color:ALP   # Ben Chifley 
 from:19/12/1949  till:26/01/1966 color:LIB   # Robert Menzies 
 from:26/01/1966  till:17/12/1967 color:LIB   # Harold Holt 
 from:19/12/1967  till:10/01/1968 color:CNT   # John McEwen 
 from:10/01/1968  till:10/03/1971 color:LIB   # John Gorton 
 from:10/03/1971  till:05/12/1972 color:LIB   # William McMahon 
 from:05/12/1972  till:11/11/1975 color:ALP   # Gough Whitlam 
 from:11/11/1975  till:11/03/1983 color:LIB   # Malcolm Fraser 
 from:11/03/1983  till:20/12/1991 color:ALP   # Bob Hawke 
 from:20/12/1991  till:11/03/1996 color:ALP   # Paul Keating 
 from:11/03/1996  till:03/12/2007 color:LIB   # John Howard 
 from:03/12/2007  till:24/06/2010 color:ALP   # Kevin Rudd 
 from:24/06/2010  till:27/06/2013 color:ALP   # Julia Gillard 
 from:27/06/2013  till:18/09/2013 color:ALP   # Kevin Rudd 
 from:18/09/2013  till:15/09/2015 color:LIB   # Tony Abbott 
 from:15/09/2015  till:24/08/2018 color:LIB   # Malcolm Turnbull 
 from:24/08/2018  till:23/05/2022 color:LIB   # Scott Morrison 
 from:23/05/2022  till:end        color:ALP   # Anthony Albanese

bar:NSW
 from:01/01/1900  till:27/03/1901 color:PRO   # William Lyne
 from:28/03/1901  till:14/06/1904 color:PRG   # John See
 from:15/06/1904  till:29/08/1904 color:PRG   # Thomas Waddell
 from:29/08/1904  till:01/10/1907 color:LRP   # Joseph Carruthers
 from:02/10/1907  till:01/10/1910 color:CML   # Charles Wade
 from:21/10/1910  till:29/06/1913 color:ALP   # James McGowen
 from:30/06/1913  till:05/11/1916 color:ALP   # William Holman
 from:15/11/1916  till:12/04/1920 color:NAT   # William Holman
 from:13/04/1920  till:05/11/1921 color:ALP   # John Storey
 from:05/10/1921  till:20/12/1921 color:ALP   # James Dooley
 from:20/12/1921  till:20/12/1921 color:NAT   # George Fuller
 from:20/12/1921  till:13/04/1922 color:ALP   # James Dooley
 from:13/04/1922  till:17/06/1925 color:NAT   # George Fuller
 from:17/06/1925  till:18/10/1927 color:ALP   # Jack Lang
 from:18/10/1927  till:04/11/1930 color:NAT   # Thomas Bavin
 from:04/11/1930  till:16/05/1932 color:ALP   # Jack Lang
 from:16/05/1932  till:05/08/1939 color:UAP   # Bertram Stevens
 from:05/08/1939  till:16/05/1941 color:UAP   # Alexander Mair
 from:16/05/1941  till:06/02/1947 color:ALP   # William McKell
 from:06/02/1947  till:02/04/1952 color:ALP   # James McGirr
 from:02/04/1952  till:22/10/1959 color:ALP   # Joseph Cahill
 from:23/10/1959  till:30/04/1964 color:ALP   # Bob Heffron
 from:30/04/1964  till:13/05/1965 color:ALP   # Jack Renshaw
 from:13/05/1965  till:03/01/1975 color:LIB   # Robert Askin
 from:03/01/1975  till:23/01/1976 color:LIB   # Tom Lewis
 from:23/01/1976  till:14/05/1976 color:LIB   # Eric Willis
 from:14/05/1976  till:04/07/1986 color:ALP   # Neville Wran
 from:04/07/1986  till:25/03/1988 color:ALP   # Barrie Unsworth
 from:25/03/1988  till:24/06/1992 color:LIB   # Nick Geiner
 from:24/06/1992  till:04/04/1995 color:LIB   # John Fahey
 from:04/04/1995  till:03/08/2005 color:ALP   # Bob Carr
 from:03/08/2005  till:05/09/2008 color:ALP   # Morris Iemma
 from:05/09/2008  till:04/12/2009 color:ALP   # Nathan Rees
 from:04/12/2009  till:28/03/2011 color:ALP   # Kristina Keneally
 from:28/03/2011  till:17/04/2014 color:LIB   # Barry O'Farrell
 from:17/04/2014  till:23/01/2017 color:LIB   # Mike Baird
 from:23/01/2017  till:05/10/2021 color:LIB   # Gladys Berejiklian
 from:05/10/2021  till:28/03/2023 color:LIB   # Dominic Perrottet
 from:28/03/2023  till:end        color:ALP   # Chris Minns

bar:Vic
 from:01/01/1900  till:19/11/1900 color:OL    # Allan McLean
 from:19/11/1901  till:12/02/1901 color:OL    # George Turner
 from:12/02/1901  till:10/06/1902 color:OL    # Alexander Peacock
 from:10/06/1902  till:16/02/1904 color:REF   # William Irvine
 from:16/02/1904  till:08/01/1909 color:REF   # Thomas Bent
 from:08/01/1909  till:18/05/1912 color:CML   # John Murray
 from:18/05/1912  till:09/12/1913 color:CML   # William Watt
 from:09/12/1913  till:22/12/1913 color:ALP   # George Elmslie
 from:22/12/1913  till:18/06/1914 color:CML   # William Watt
 from:18/06/1914  till:29/11/1917 color:CML   # Alexander Peacock
 from:29/11/1917  till:21/03/1918 color:NAT   # John Bowser
 from:21/03/1918  till:28/04/1924 color:NAT   # Harry Lawson
 from:28/04/1924  till:18/07/1924 color:NAT   # Alexander Peacock
 from:18/07/1924  till:18/11/1924 color:ALP   # George Prendergast
 from:18/11/1924  till:20/05/1927 color:CNT   # John Allan
 from:20/05/1927  till:22/11/1928 color:ALP   # Edmond Hogan
 from:22/11/1928  till:12/12/1929 color:NAT   # William McPherson
 from:12/12/1929  till:19/05/1932 color:ALP   # Edmond Hogan
 from:19/05/1932  till:02/04/1935 color:UAP   # Stanley Argyle
 from:02/04/1935  till:14/09/1943 color:CNT   # Albert Dunstan
 from:14/09/1943  till:18/09/1943 color:ALP   # John Cain Sr.
 from:18/09/1943  till:02/10/1945 color:CNT   # Albert Dunstan
 from:02/10/1945  till:21/11/1945 color:LIB   # Ian Macfarlan
 from:21/11/1945  till:20/11/1947 color:ALP   # John Cain Sr.
 from:20/11/1947  till:27/06/1950 color:LIB   # Thomas Hollway
 from:27/06/1950  till:28/10/1952 color:CNT   # John McDonald
 from:28/10/1952  till:31/10/1952 color:NON   # Thomas Hollway
 from:31/10/1952  till:17/12/1952 color:CNT   # John McDonald
 from:17/12/1952  till:07/06/1955 color:ALP   # John Cain Sr.
 from:07/06/1955  till:23/08/1972 color:LIB   # Henry Bolte
 from:23/08/1972  till:05/06/1981 color:LIB   # Rupert Hamer
 from:05/06/1981  till:08/04/1982 color:LIB   # Lindsay Thompson
 from:08/04/1982  till:10/08/1990 color:ALP   # John Cain Jr.
 from:10/08/1990  till:06/10/1992 color:ALP   # Joan Kirner
 from:06/10/1992  till:20/10/1999 color:LIB   # Jeff Kennett
 from:20/10/1999  till:30/07/2007 color:ALP   # Steve Bracks
 from:30/07/2007  till:02/12/2010 color:ALP   # John Brumby
 from:02/12/2010  till:06/03/2013 color:LIB   # Ted Baillieu
 from:06/03/2010  till:04/12/2014 color:LIB   # Denis Napthine
 from:04/12/2014  till:27/09/2023 color:ALP   # Daniel Andrews
 from:27/09/2023  till:end        color:ALP   # Jacinta Allan

bar:Qld
 from:01/01/1900  till:17/09/1903 color:CON   # Robert Philp
 from:17/09/1903  till:19/01/1906 color:LCO   # Arthur Morgan
 from:19/01/1906  till:19/11/1907 color:LCO   # William Kidston
 from:19/11/1907  till:18/02/1908 color:CON   # Robert Philp
 from:18/02/1908  till:09/02/1911 color:CML   # William Kidston
 from:07/02/1911  till:01/06/1915 color:CML   # Digby Denham
 from:01/06/1915  till:22/10/1919 color:ALP   # T. J. Ryan
 from:22/10/1919  till:26/02/1925 color:ALP   # Ted Theodore
 from:26/02/1925  till:22/10/1925 color:ALP   # William Gillies
 from:22/10/1925  till:21/05/1929 color:ALP   # William McCormack
 from:21/05/1929  till:17/06/1932 color:CNT   # Arthur Edward Moore
 from:17/06/1932  till:16/09/1942 color:ALP   # William Forgan Smith
 from:16/09/1942  till:07/03/1946 color:ALP   # Frank Arthur Cooper
 from:07/03/1946  till:17/01/1952 color:ALP   # Ned Hanlon
 from:17/01/1952  till:12/08/1957 color:ALP   # Vince Gair
 from:12/08/1957  till:17/01/1968 color:CNT   # Frank Nicklin
 from:17/01/1968  till:01/08/1968 color:CNT   # Jack Pizzey
 from:01/08/1968  till:08/08/1968 color:LIB   # Gordon Chalk
 from:08/08/1968  till:01/12/1987 color:CNT   # Joh Bjelke-Petersen
 from:01/12/1987  till:25/09/1989 color:CNT   # Mike Ahern
 from:25/09/1989  till:07/12/1989 color:CNT   # Russell Cooper
 from:07/12/1989  till:19/02/1996 color:ALP   # Wayne Goss
 from:19/02/1996  till:20/06/1998 color:CNT   # Rob Borbidge
 from:20/06/1998  till:13/09/2007 color:ALP   # Peter Beattie
 from:13/09/2007  till:26/03/2012 color:ALP   # Anna Bligh
 from:26/03/2012  till:14/02/2015 color:LNP   # Campbell Newman
 from:14/02/2015  till:15/12/2023 color:ALP   # Annastacia Palaszczuk
 from:15/12/2023  till:28/10/2024 color:ALP   # Steven Miles
 from:28/10/2024  till:end        color:LNP   # David Crisafulli

bar:WA
 from:01/01/1900  till:14/02/1901 color:MIN   # John Forrest
 from:14/02/1901  till:27/05/1901 color:MIN   # George Throssell
 from:27/05/1901  till:21/11/1901 color:OPP   # George Leake
 from:21/11/1901  till:23/12/1901 color:MIN   # Alf Morgans
 from:23/12/1901  till:01/07/1902 color:OPP   # George Leake
 from:01/07/1902  till:10/08/1904 color:OL    # Walter James
 from:10/08/1904  till:25/08/1905 color:ALP   # Henry Daglish
 from:25/08/1905  till:07/05/1906 color:OL    # Hector Rason
 from:07/05/1906  till:16/09/1910 color:MIN   # Newton Moore
 from:16/09/1910  till:07/10/1911 color:CML   # Frank Wilson
 from:07/10/1911  till:27/07/1916 color:ALP   # John Scaddan
 from:27/07/1916  till:28/06/1917 color:CML   # Frank Wilson
 from:28/06/1917  till:17/04/1919 color:NAT   # Henry Lefroy
 from:17/04/1919  till:17/05/1919 color:NAT   # Hal Colebatch
 from:17/05/1919  till:15/04/1924 color:NAT   # James Mitchell
 from:15/04/1924  till:23/04/1930 color:ALP   # Philip Collier
 from:23/04/1930  till:24/04/1933 color:NAT   # James Mitchell
 from:24/04/1933  till:19/08/1936 color:ALP   # Philip Collier
 from:19/08/1936  till:31/07/1945 color:ALP   # John Wilcock
 from:31/07/1945  till:01/04/1947 color:ALP   # Frank Wise
 from:01/04/1947  till:23/02/1953 color:LIB   # Ross McLarty
 from:23/02/1953  till:02/04/1959 color:ALP   # Albert Hawke
 from:02/04/1959  till:03/03/1971 color:LIB   # David Brand
 from:03/03/1971  till:08/04/1974 color:ALP   # John Tonkin
 from:18/04/1974  till:25/01/1982 color:LIB   # Charles Court
 from:25/01/1982  till:25/02/1983 color:LIB   # Ray O'Connor
 from:25/02/1983  till:25/02/1988 color:ALP   # Brian Burke
 from:25/02/1988  till:13/03/1990 color:ALP   # Peter Dowding
 from:13/03/1990  till:16/02/1993 color:ALP   # Carmen Lawrence
 from:16/02/1993  till:16/02/2001 color:LIB   # Richard Court
 from:16/02/2001  till:03/02/2006 color:ALP   # Geoff Gallop
 from:03/02/2006  till:23/09/2008 color:ALP   # Alan Carpenter
 from:23/09/2008  till:17/03/2017 color:LIB   # Colin Barnett
 from:17/03/2017  till:08/06/2023 color:ALP   # Mark McGowan
 from:08/06/2023  till:end        color:ALP   # Roger Cook

bar:SA
 from:01/01/1900  till:15/05/1901 color:OL    # Frederick Holder
 from:15/05/1901  till:01/03/1905 color:OL    # John Jenkins
 from:01/03/1905  till:26/07/1905 color:CON   # Richard Butler
 from:26/07/1905  till:05/06/1909 color:ALP   # Thomas Price
 from:05/06/1909  till:03/06/1910 color:CML   # Archibald Peake
 from:03/06/1910  till:17/02/1912 color:ALP   # John Verran
 from:17/02/1912  till:03/04/1915 color:CML   # Archibald Peake
 from:03/04/1915  till:14/07/1917 color:ALP   # Crawford Vaughan
 from:14/07/1917  till:08/04/1920 color:NAT   # Archibald Peake
 from:08/04/1920  till:16/04/1924 color:LF    # Henry Barwell
 from:16/04/1924  till:28/08/1926 color:ALP   # John Gunn
 from:28/08/1926  till:08/04/1927 color:ALP   # Lionel Hill
 from:08/04/1927  till:17/04/1930 color:LF    # Richard L. Butler
 from:17/04/1930  till:13/02/1933 color:ALP   # Lionel Hill
 from:13/02/1933  till:18/04/1933 color:ALP   # Robert Richards
 from:18/04/1933  till:05/11/1938 color:LCL   # Richard L. Butler
 from:05/11/1938  till:10/03/1965 color:LCL   # Thomas Playford IV
 from:10/03/1965  till:01/06/1967 color:ALP   # Frank Walsh
 from:01/06/1967  till:17/04/1968 color:ALP   # Don Dunstan
 from:17/04/1968  till:02/06/1970 color:LCL   # Steele Hall
 from:02/06/1970  till:15/02/1979 color:ALP   # Don Dunstan
 from:15/02/1979  till:18/09/1979 color:ALP   # Des Corcoran
 from:18/09/1979  till:10/11/1982 color:LIB   # David Tonkin
 from:10/11/1982  till:04/09/1992 color:ALP   # John Bannon
 from:04/09/1992  till:14/12/1993 color:ALP   # Lynn Arnold
 from:14/12/1993  till:28/11/1996 color:LIB   # Dean Brown
 from:28/11/1996  till:22/10/2001 color:LIB   # John Olsen
 from:22/10/2001  till:05/03/2002 color:LIB   # Rob Kerin
 from:05/03/2002  till:21/10/2011 color:ALP   # Mike Rann
 from:21/10/2011  till:19/03/2018 color:ALP   # Jay Weatherill
 from:19/03/2018  till:21/03/2022 color:LIB   # Steven Marshall
 from:21/03/2022  till:end        color:ALP   # Peter Malinauskas

bar:Tas
 from:01/01/1900  till:09/04/1903 color:CON   # Elliott Lewis
 from:09/04/1903  till:12/07/1904 color:OL    # William Propsting
 from:12/07/1904  till:19/06/1909 color:CON   # John Evans
 from:19/06/1909  till:20/10/1909 color:CML   # Elliott Lewis
 from:20/10/1909  till:27/10/1909 color:ALP   # John Earle
 from:27/10/1909  till:14/06/1912 color:CML   # Elliott Lewis
 from:04/06/1912  till:06/04/1914 color:CML   # Albert Solomon
 from:06/04/1914  till:15/04/1916 color:ALP   # John Earle
 from:15/04/1916  till:19/08/1922 color:CML   # Walter Lee
 from:12/08/1922  till:14/08/1923 color:NAT   # John Hayes
 from:14/08/1923  till:25/10/1923 color:NAT   # Walter Lee
 from:25/10/1923  till:15/06/1928 color:ALP   # Joseph Lyons
 from:15/06/1928  till:15/03/1934 color:NAT   # John McPhee
 from:15/03/1934  till:22/06/1934 color:NAT   # Walter Lee
 from:22/06/1934  till:10/06/1939 color:ALP   # Albert Ogilvie
 from:11/06/1939  till:18/12/1939 color:ALP   # Edmund Dwyer-Gray
 from:18/12/1939  till:18/12/1947 color:ALP   # Robert Cosgrove
 from:18/12/1947  till:25/02/1948 color:ALP   # Edward Brooker
 from:25/02/1948  till:26/08/1958 color:ALP   # Robert Cosgrove
 from:26/08/1958  till:26/05/1969 color:ALP   # Eric Reeve
 from:26/05/1969  till:03/05/1972 color:LIB   # Angus Bethune
 from:03/05/1972  till:31/03/1975 color:ALP   # Eric Reeve
 from:31/03/1975  till:01/12/1977 color:ALP   # Bill Neilson
 from:01/12/1977  till:11/11/1981 color:ALP   # Doug Lowe
 from:11/11/1981  till:26/05/1982 color:ALP   # Harry Holgate
 from:26/05/1982  till:29/06/1989 color:LIB   # Robin Gray
 from:29/06/1989  till:17/02/1992 color:ALP   # Michael Field
 from:17/02/1992  till:18/03/1996 color:LIB   # Ray Groom
 from:18/03/1996  till:14/09/1998 color:LIB   # Tony Rundle
 from:14/09/1998  till:21/03/2004 color:ALP   # Jim Bacon
 from:21/03/2004  till:26/05/2008 color:ALP   # Paul Lennon
 from:26/05/2008  till:24/01/2011 color:ALP   # David Bartlett
 from:24/01/2011  till:31/03/2014 color:ALP   # Lara Giddings
 from:31/03/2014  till:20/01/2020 color:LIB   # Will Hodgman
 from:20/01/2020  till:08/04/2022 color:LIB   # Peter Gutwein
 from:08/04/2022  till:end        color:LIB   # Jeremy Rockliff

bar:NT
 from:19/10/1974  till:12/08/1977 color:CLP   # Goff Letts
 from:13/08/1977  till:15/10/1984 color:CLP   # Paul Everingham
 from:16/10/1984  till:13/05/1986 color:CLP   # Ian Tuxworth
 from:14/05/1986  till:12/07/1988 color:CLP   # Stephen Hatton
 from:13/07/1988  till:24/05/1995 color:CLP   # Marshall Perron
 from:25/05/1995  till:07/02/1999 color:CLP   # Shane Stone
 from:08/02/1999  till:27/08/2001 color:CLP   # Denis Burke
 from:27/08/2001  till:26/11/2007 color:ALP   # Clare Martin
 from:26/11/2007  till:28/08/2012 color:ALP   # Paul Henderson
 from:29/08/2012  till:13/03/2013 color:CLP   # Terry Mills
 from:14/03/2013  till:30/08/2016 color:CLP   # Adam Giles
 from:31/08/2016  till:13/05/2022 color:ALP   # Michael Gunner
 from:13/05/2022  till:21/12/2023 color:ALP   # Natasha Fyles
 from:21/12/2023  till:28/08/2024 color:ALP   # Eva Lawler
 from:28/08/2024  till:end        color:CLP   # Lia Finocchiaro

bar:ACT
 from:11/05/1989  till:05/12/1989 color:ALP   # Rosemary Follett
 from:05/12/1989  till:06/06/1991 color:LIB   # Trevor Kaine
 from:06/06/1991  till:02/03/1995 color:ALP   # Rosemary Follett
 from:02/03/1995  till:18/10/2000 color:LIB   # Kate Carnell
 from:18/10/2000  till:05/11/2001 color:LIB   # Gary Humphries
 from:05/11/2001  till:12/05/2011 color:ALP   # Jon Stanhope
 from:16/05/2011  till:11/12/2014 color:ALP   # Katy Gallagher
 from:11/12/2014  till:end        color:ALP   # Andrew Barr

</timeline>

Current premiers of the states

Premiers by party affiliation by state and territory

Map showing the states of Australia and their governing political parties:

Labor

Liberal (includes the Country Liberal and Liberal National parties)

State	Portrait	Name	Term start	Current duration	Party		Title	State government
File:Flag of New South Wales.svg New South Wales Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	File:Chris Minns (cropped) 2.jpg	Chris Minns	Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	Template:Ayd	style="background-color: Template:Party color"\|	Labor	Premier	New South Wales Government
File:Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Victoria Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	File:Jacinta Allan-2024.jpg	Jacinta Allan^[2]	27 September 2023	Template:Ayd	style="background-color: Template:Party color" \|	Labor	Premier	Allan government
File:Flag of Queensland.svg Queensland Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	File:David Crisafulli 2024.jpg	David Crisafulli^[3]	Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	Template:Ayd	style="background-color: Template:Party color" \|	Liberal National	Premier	Premiership of David Crisafulli
File:Flag of Western Australia.svg Western Australia Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	File:Malinauskas-portrait.png	Roger Cook	Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	Template:Ayd	style="background-color: Template:Party color" \|	Labor	Premier	Western Australia Government
File:Flag of South Australia.svg South Australia Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	File:Peter Malinauskas (cropped).png	Peter Malinauskas^[4]	Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	Template:Ayd	style="background-color: Template:Party color" \|	Labor	Premier	South Australia Government
File:Flag of Tasmania.svg Tasmania Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	File:Jeremy-Rockliff.jpg	Jeremy Rockliff^[5]	Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	Template:Ayd	style="background-color: Template:Party color"\|	Liberal	Premier	Premiership of Jeremy Rockliff

Current chief ministers of the territories

Territory	Portrait	Name	Term start	Current duration	Party		Title	Territory government
File:Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg Australian Capital Territory Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	File:Andrew Barr June 2025.jpg	Andrew Barr^[6]	Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	Template:Ayd	style="background-color: Template:Party color" \|	Labor	Chief Minister	Australian Capital Territory Government
File:Flag of the Northern Territory.svg Northern Territory Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	File:Lia Finocchiaro Profile.jpg	Lia Finocchiaro	Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	Template:Ayd	style="background-color: Template:Party color" \|	Country Liberal	Chief Minister	Chief ministership of Lia Finocchiaro

Female heads of government

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". With the exception of South Australia, every state and territory of Australia has had a female head of government, all but three of whom have represented the Australian Labor Party. They are:

Australian Capital Territory:
- Rosemary Follett 1989, 1991Template:Ndash1995 (first territory and first jurisdiction)
- Kate Carnell 1995Template:Ndash2000
- Katy Gallagher 2011Template:Ndash2014
Western Australia:
- Carmen Lawrence 1990Template:Ndash1993 (first state)
Victoria:
- Joan Kirner 1990Template:Ndash1992
- Jacinta Allan 2023Template:Ndashpresent
Northern Territory:
- Clare Martin 2001Template:Ndash2007
- Natasha Fyles 2022Template:Ndash2023
- Eva Lawler 2023Template:Ndash2024
- Lia Finocchiaro 2024Template:Ndashpresent
Queensland:
- Anna Bligh 2007Template:Ndash2012
- Annastacia Palaszczuk 2015Template:Ndash2023
New South Wales:
- Kristina Keneally 2009Template:Ndash2011
- Gladys Berejiklian 2017Template:Ndash2021
Tasmania:
- Lara Giddings 2011Template:Ndash2014

Of the state leaders, all but Palaszczuk succeeded male premiers of their own party who had resigned mid-term; in three cases (Lawrence, Kirner and Keneally), their predecessors' resignations occurred after losing the support of their parliamentary colleagues; in Allan's case, her predecessor, Daniel Andrews, resigned only ten months after being re-elected in November 2022.^[7] The governments led by Lawrence, Kirner, Keneally and Giddings were defeated at the subsequent elections.

Anna Bligh, Annastacia Palaszczuk and Gladys Berejiklian are the only women who have received a popular mandateScript error: No such module "Unsubst". as premier of an Australian state (21 March 2009, 31 January 2015 and 23 March 2019). Palaszczuk is also the only woman to have led a party from Opposition to Government.

Women have also been elected to the almost-equivalent posts of chief ministers of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT). Rosemary Follett (Labor) was elected as the inaugural Chief Minister of the ACT in 1989, nine months before any woman became premier of a state. Kate Carnell (Liberal), and Clare Martin (Labor) also received popular mandates as chief ministers of the ACT and the NT respectively. Clare Martin was the only one of these three women to lead a majority government.

Of all female premiers and chief ministers, only Clare Martin and Annastacia Palaszczuk have gained re-election after successfully completing a term from election to election. Rosemary Follett did win two consecutive elections, but had an interrupted term of service from 5 December 1989 (when a successful motion of no confidence passed by establishing a new government led by Trevor Kaine) to 6 June 1991 (when another motion of no confidence was passed, this time against Trevor Kaine, re-establishing Follett as chief minister).

References

↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Script error: No such module "Navbox". Script error: No such module "Navbox". Template:Authority control

[1] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[2] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[3] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[4] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[5] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[6] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[7] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

Premiers and chief ministers of the Australian states and territories

Contents

Background

Relations between the premiers and other levels of government

Timeline

Current premiers of the states

Current chief ministers of the territories

Female heads of government

See also

References

Navigation menu

Premiers and chief ministers of the Australian states and territories

Background

Relations between the premiers and other levels of government

Timeline

Current premiers of the states

Current chief ministers of the territories

Female heads of government

See also

References

Navigation menu

Search