The leader of the Australian Labor Party is the highest political office within the federal Australian Labor Party (ALP). Leaders of the party are chosen from among the sitting members of the parliamentary caucus either by members alone or with a vote of the party's rank-and-file membership. The current leader of the Labor Party, since 2019, is Anthony Albanese, who has served as the prime minister of Australia since 2022. There have been 21 leaders since 1901 when Chris Watson was elected as the inaugural leader following the first federal election.
Every Australian state and territory has its own branch of the Australian Labor Party, which has its own leader elected from the party members of that jurisdiction.
Background
The federal Labor Caucus comprising the elected members of the Labor party in both Houses of the national Parliament is involved in the election of the federal parliamentary leaders from among its members. The leader has historically been a member of the House of Representatives. Caucus also has the power to dismiss a party leader in a process called a leadership spill. Until 2013, a spill vote could be called at any time and a simple majority of votes in Caucus was sufficient to remove a leader. Following the return of Kevin Rudd to the leadership of the ALP in 2013, he sought changes to the party's rules so that leadership spills would be more difficult to launch in future, including a requirement for 75% majority in Caucus for a leadership spill against a sitting Labor prime minister, or 60% against an opposition leader. The changes also provided for equally weighted voting rights between Caucus and party rank and file members. These changes were adopted by Caucus in July 2013, which was not a change to the party's constitution (and theoretically can be reverted by a simple majority in Caucus). At the October 2013 leadership spill Bill Shorten was the first leader elected under the new rules. Shorten received 55-43 votes in Caucus, which was sufficient to overcome his 40% support among party members.
When the Labor Party is in government, the party leader becomes the Prime Minister and the deputy leader becomes the Deputy Prime Minister. If a Labor prime minister resigns or dies in office, the deputy leader becomes party leader and is sworn in as prime minister on an interim basis until a party successor is elected. This was the case upon the death in office of John Curtin on 5 July 1945. Frank Forde, the deputy party leader, was sworn in as interim prime minister until Ben Chifley was elected by Caucus as party leader on 13 July. If the leader is out of the country or is on leave, the deputy leader acts as party leader and prime minister, without being sworn into the office.
According to recent convention, the leader and deputy leader must be from different factions and from different states. The leadership and deputy leadership have also been gender-balanced.
Federal leadership
Leader
The federal Leaders of the Australian Labor Party have been as follows (acting leaders indicated in italics):
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! #
! colspan=2| Leader<br>
! Electorate
! Term start
! Term end
! Time in office
! Elections contested
! colspan=2|Prime Minister
|-
| rowspan=5|1
| rowspan=5|60px
| rowspan=5|<br>
| rowspan=5|Bland<br>(1901–1906);<br>South Sydney<br>(1906–1910)
| rowspan=5|
| rowspan=5|
| rowspan=5|
| rowspan=5|1903, 1906
| style="background-color: |
! style="font-weight:normal"|Barton <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: |
! style="font-weight:normal"|Deakin <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: |
! style="font-weight:normal"|Reid <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
! rowspan=2 style="font-weight:normal"|Deakin <small></small>
|-
| rowspan=6|2
| rowspan=6|60px
| rowspan=6|<br>
| rowspan=6|Wide Bay
| rowspan=6|1907 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
| rowspan=6|
| rowspan=6|
| rowspan=6|1910, 1913, 1914
| height=50 style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: |
! style="font-weight:normal"|Deakin <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: |
! style="font-weight:normal"|Cook <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| 3
| 60px
| <br>
| West Sydney
| 27 October 1915
|
|
|None
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| rowspan=2|4
| rowspan=2|60px
| rowspan=2|<br>
| rowspan=2|Yarra
| rowspan=2|14 November 1916
| rowspan=2|†
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|1917, 1919
| style="background-color: |
! style="font-weight:normal"|Hughes <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
! rowspan=3 style="font-weight:normal"|Hughes <small></small>
|-
| rowspan=3|5
| rowspan=3|60px
| rowspan=3|<br>
| rowspan=3|Hunter
| '
| '
| '
| rowspan=3|1922, 1925
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| rowspan=2|1922 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
! rowspan=2 style="font-weight:normal"|Bruce <small></small>
|-
| rowspan=3|6
| rowspan=3|60px
| rowspan=3|<br>
| rowspan=3|Yarra
| rowspan=3|1928 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
| rowspan=3|
| rowspan=3|
| rowspan=3|1928, 1929, 1931, 1934
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: ; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
! rowspan=2 style="font-weight:normal"|Lyons <small></small>
|-
| rowspan=5|7
| rowspan=5|60px
| rowspan=5|<br>
| rowspan=5|Fremantle
| rowspan=5|1935 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
| rowspan=5|†
| rowspan=5|
| rowspan=5|1937, 1940, 1943
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| style="background-color: |
! style="font-weight:normal"|Page <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: |
! style="font-weight:normal"|Menzies <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: |
! style="font-weight:normal"|Fadden <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| –
| 60px
| <br>
| Capricornia
| '
| '
| '
|None
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| rowspan=2|8
| rowspan=2|60px
| rowspan=2|<br>
| rowspan=2|Macquarie
| rowspan=2|1945 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
| rowspan=2|†
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|1946, 1949, 1951
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: ; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
! rowspan=3 style="font-weight:normal"|Menzies <small></small>
|-
| 9
| 60px
| <br>
| Barton<br>(1940–1958);<br>Hunter<br>(1958–1960)
| 1951 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
|
|
|1954, 1955, 1958
| style="background-color: ; border-bottom:solid 0 gray; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| rowspan=2|10
| rowspan=2|60px
| rowspan=2|<br>
| rowspan=2| Melbourne
| rowspan=2|1960 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|1961, 1963, 1966
|style="background-color: ; border-bottom:solid 0 gray; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| style="background-color: ; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
! rowspan=2 style="font-weight:normal"|Holt <small></small>
|-
| rowspan=6|11
| rowspan=6|60px
| rowspan=6|<br>
| rowspan=6|Werriwa
| rowspan=6|1967 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
| rowspan=6|
| rowspan=6|
| rowspan=6|1969, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977
|style="background-color: ; border-bottom:solid 0 gray; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| style="background-color: |
! style="font-weight:normal"|McEwen <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: |
! style="font-weight:normal"|Gorton <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: |
! style="font-weight:normal"|McMahon <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: ; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
! rowspan=3 style="font-weight:normal"|Fraser <small></small>
|-
| 12
| 60px
| <br>
| Oxley
| December 1977 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
|
|
|1980
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| rowspan=2|13
| rowspan=2|60px
| rowspan=2|<br>
| rowspan=2|Wills
| rowspan=2|1983 Australian Labor Party leadership spill|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|1983, 1984, 1987, 1990
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| 14
| 60px
| <br>
| Blaxland
| December 1991 Australian Labor Party leadership spill|
|
|
|1993, 1996
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| 15
| 60px
| <br>
| Brand
| 1996 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
|
|
|1998, 2001
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
! rowspan=5 style="font-weight:normal"|Howard <small></small>
|-
| 16
| 60px
| <br>
| Hotham
| 2001 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
|
|
|None
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| 17
| 60px
| <br>
| Werriwa
| 2003 Australian Labor Party leadership spills|
|
|
|2004,
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| (15)
| 60px
| <br>
| Brand
| 2005 Australian Labor Party leadership spill|
|
|
|None
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| rowspan=2|18
| rowspan=2|60px
| rowspan=2|<br>
| rowspan=2|Griffith
| rowspan=2|2006 Australian Labor Party leadership spill|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|2007
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| 19
| 60px
| <br>
| Lalor
| 24 June 2010
|
|
|2010
| style="background-color: |
| Herself <small></small>
|-
| (18)
| 60px
| <br>
| Griffith
| June 2013 Australian Labor Party leadership spill|
|
|
|2013
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|-
| –
| 60px
| <br>
| McMahon
| '
| '
| '
|None
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
! rowspan=2 style="font-weight:normal"|Abbott <small></small>
|-
| rowspan=3|20
| rowspan=3|60px
| rowspan=3|<br>
| rowspan=3|Maribyrnong
| rowspan=3|October 2013 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
| rowspan=3|
| rowspan=3|
| rowspan=3|2016, 2019
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| style="background-color: |
! style="font-weight:normal"|Turnbull <small></small>
|-
| style="background-color: ; border-bottom:solid 0 gray"|
! rowspan=2 style="font-weight:normal"|Morrison <small></small>
|-
| rowspan=2|21
| rowspan=2|88x88px
| rowspan=2|<br>
| rowspan=2|Grayndler
| rowspan=2|30 May 2019
| rowspan=2|Incumbent
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|2022, 2025
| style="background-color: ; border-top:solid 0 gray; border-bottom:solid 0 gray" |
|-
| style="background-color: |
| Himself <small></small>
|}
Deputy Leader
:Shown in chronological order of leadership
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! #
! colspan=2| Deputy Leader
! Term start
! Term end
! Time in office
! Leader
|- align=center
| rowspan=2| 1
| rowspan=2| 60px
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| Chris Watson
|- align=center
| rowspan=2|Andrew Fisher
|- align=center
| 2
| 60px
|
|
|
|
|- align=center
| 3
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Billy Hughes
|- align=center
| rowspan=2| 4
| rowspan=2| 60px
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| Frank Tudor
|- align=center
| rowspan=2| Matthew Charlton
|- align=center
| 5
| 60px
|
|
|
|
|- align=center
| 6
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| rowspan=3| James Scullin
|- align=center
| 7
| 60px
|
|
|
|
|- align=center
| rowspan=3| 8
| rowspan=3| 60px
| rowspan=3|
| rowspan=3|
| rowspan=3|
| rowspan=3|
|- align=center
| John Curtin
|- align=center
| rowspan=2| Ben Chifley
|- align=center
| 9
| 60px
|
|
|
|
|- align=center
| 10
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| H. V. Evatt
|- align=center
| 11
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Arthur Calwell
|- align=center
| 12
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| rowspan=4| Gough Whitlam
|- align=center
| 13
| 60px
|
|
|
|
|- align=center
| 14
| 60px
|
|
|
|
|- align=center
| 15
| 60px
|
|
|
|
|- align=center
| rowspan=2| 16
| rowspan=2| 60px
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
|<br /> Bill Hayden
|- align=center
| rowspan=3|Bob Hawke
|- align=center
| 17
| 60px
|
|
|
|
|- align=center
| rowspan=2| 18
| rowspan=2| 60px
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|
|- align=center
| rowspan=2| Paul Keating
|- align=center
| 19
| 60px
|
|
|
|
|- align=center
| 20
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| rowspan=2| Kim Beazley
|- align=center
| 21
| 60px
|
|
|
|
|- align=center
| rowspan=3| 22
| rowspan=3| 60px
| rowspan=3|
| rowspan=3| 2001 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
| rowspan=3|
| rowspan=3|
| Simon Crean
|- align=center
| Mark Latham
|- align=center
| Kim Beazley
|- align=center
| 23
| 60px
|
| 2006 Australian Labor Party leadership spill|
|
|
| Kevin Rudd
|- align=center
| 24
| 60px
|
| 2010 Australian Labor Party leadership spill|
|
|
| Julia Gillard
|- align=center
| 25
| 89x89px
|
| June 2013 Australian Labor Party leadership spill|
|
|
| Kevin Rudd
|- align=center
| 26
| 60px
|
| October 2013 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
|
|
| Bill Shorten
|- align=center
| 27
| 60px
|
| 2019 Australian Labor Party leadership election|
| Incumbent
|
| Anthony Albanese
|}
;Notes
Senate Leader
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! #
! colspan=2| Senate Leader
! Term start
! Term end
! Time in office
! Leader(s)
|- align=center
| 1
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Watson<br />Fisher
|- align=center
| 2
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Fisher<br />Hughes
|- align=center
| 3
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Tudor<br />Charlton
|- align=center
| 4
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Charlton<br />Scullin
|- align=center
| 5
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Scullin
|- align=center
| 6
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Scullin
|- align=center
| 7
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Scullin<br />Curtin
|- align=center
| 8
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Curtin<br />Chifley
|- align=center
| 9
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Chifley
|- align=center
| 10
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Chifley<br />Evatt<br />Calwell
|- align=center
| 11
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Calwell
|- align=center
| 12
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Whitlam
|- align=center
| 13
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Whitlam<br />Hayden
|- align=center
| 14
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Hayden<br />Hawke<br />Keating
|- align=center
| 15
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Keating
|- align=center
| 16
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Beazley<br />Crean<br />Latham
|- align=center
| 17
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Latham<br />Beazley<br />Rudd<br />Gillard
|- align=center
| 18
| 60px
|
|
|
|
| Gillard
|- align=center
| 19
| 60px
|
|
| Incumbent
|
| Rudd<br />Shorten<br />Albanese
|}
State and territory heads of government
Australian Capital Territory
- Rosemary Follett (1989, 1991–1995, inaugural Chief Minister of the ACT, and first female head of government of an Australian state or territory)
- Jon Stanhope (2001–2011)
- Katy Gallagher (2011–2014)
- Andrew Barr (2014–)
New South Wales
- James McGowen (1910–1913)
- William Holman (1913–1916)
- John Storey (1920–21)
- James Dooley (1921, 1921–22)
- Jack Lang (1925–1927, 1930–1932)
- William McKell (1941–1947)
- James McGirr (1947–1952)
- Joseph Cahill (1952–1959)
- Bob Heffron (1959–1964)
- Jack Renshaw (1964–65)
- Neville Wran (1976–1986)
- Barrie Unsworth (1986–1988)
- Bob Carr (1995–2005)
- Morris Iemma (2005–2008)
- Nathan Rees (2008–09)
- Kristina Keneally (2009–2011, first female premier of New South Wales)
- Chris Minns (2023–)
Northern Territory
- Clare Martin (2001–2007, first Labor Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, first female Chief Minister of the Northern Territory)
- Paul Henderson (2007–2012)
- Michael Gunner (2016–2022)
- Natasha Fyles (2022–2023)
- Eva Lawler (2023–2024)
Queensland
- Anderson Dawson (1899, world's first leader of a parliamentary socialist government)
- T. J. Ryan (1915–1919)
- Ted Theodore (1919–1925)
- William Gillies (1925)
- William McCormack (1925–1929)
- William Forgan Smith (1932–1942)
- Frank Cooper (1942–1946)
- Ned Hanlon (1946–1952)
- Vince Gair (1952–1957)
- Wayne Goss (1989–1996)
- Peter Beattie (1998–2007)
- Anna Bligh (2007–2012, first female premier of Queensland, and first woman in Australia to win an election as premier)
- Annastacia Palaszczuk (2015–2023)
- Steven Miles (2023–2024)
South Australia
- Thomas Price (1905–1909)
- John Verran (1910–1912)
- Crawford Vaughan (1915–1917)
- John Gunn (1924–1926)
- Lionel Hill (1926–27, 1930–1933)
- Robert Richards (1933)
- Frank Walsh (1965–1967)
- Don Dunstan (1967–68, 1970–1979)
- Des Corcoran (1979)
- John Bannon (1982–1992)
- Lynn Arnold (1992–93)
- Mike Rann (2002–2011)
- Jay Weatherill (2011–2018)
- Peter Malinauskas (2022–)
Tasmania
- John Earle (1909, 1914–1916)
- Joseph Lyons (1923–1928)
- Albert Ogilvie (1934–1939)
- Edmund Dwyer-Gray (1939)
- Robert Cosgrove (1939–1947, 1948–1958)
- Edward Brooker (1947–48)
- Eric Reece (1958–1969, 1972–1975)
- Bill Neilson (1975–1977)
- Doug Lowe (1977–1981)
- Harry Holgate (1981–82)
- Michael Field (1989–1992)
- Jim Bacon (1998–2004)
- Paul Lennon (2004–2008)
- David Bartlett (2008–2011)
- Lara Giddings (2011–2014, first female Premier of Tasmania)
Victoria
- George Elmslie (1913)
- George Prendergast (1924)
- Edmond Hogan (1927–28, 1929–1932)
- John Cain (34th Premier of Victoria) (1943, 1945–1947, 1952–1955)
- John Cain (41st Premier of Victoria) (1982–1990)
- Joan Kirner (1990–1992, first female premier of Victoria)
- Steve Bracks (1999–2007)
- John Brumby (2007–2010)
- Daniel Andrews (2014–2023)
- Jacinta Allan (2023–)
Western Australia
- Henry Daglish (1904–05)
- John Scaddan (1911–1916)
- Philip Collier (1924–1930, 1933–1936)
- John Willcock (1936–1945)
- Frank Wise (1945–1947)
- Albert Hawke (1953–1959)
- John Tonkin (1971–1974)
- Brian Burke (1983–1988)
- Peter Dowding (1988–1990)
- Carmen Lawrence (1990–1993, first female premier of an Australian state)
- Geoff Gallop (2001–2006)
- Alan Carpenter (2006–2008)
- Mark McGowan (2017–2023)
- Roger Cook (2023–)
Federal Leaders by time in office
This list ranks federal leaders of the Labor Party by their time in office. Leaders that also served as Prime Minister are in bold. Where leaders served non-consecutive terms, their total time as leader is ranked together.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Rank !! !! Leader !! Time in office
|-
| 1 || 11th || Gough Whitlam || 10 years, 317 days
|-
| 2 || 7th || John Curtin || 9 years, 277 days
|-
| 3 || 13th || Bob Hawke || 8 years, 314 days
|-
| 4 || 9th || H. V. Evatt || 8 years, 241 days
|-
| 5 || 2nd || Andrew Fisher || 7 years, 362 days
|-
| 6 || 15th || Kim Beazley || 7 years, 203 days
|-
| 7 || 6th || James Scullin || 7 years, 128 days
|- bgcolor="ccccff"
| 8 || 21st || Anthony Albanese ||
|-
| 9 || 10th || Arthur Calwell || 6 years, 338 days
|-
| 10 || 1st || Chris Watson || 6 years, 163 days
|-
| 11 || 5th || Matthew Charlton || 6 years, 64 days
|-
| 12 || 8th || Ben Chifley || 5 years, 335 days
|-
| 13 || 20th || Bill Shorten || 5 years, 229 days
|-
| 14 || 4th || Frank Tudor || 5 years, 57 days
|-
| 15 || 12th || Bill Hayden || 5 years, 48 days
|-
| 16 || 14th || Paul Keating || 4 years, 91 days
|-
| 17 || 18th || Kevin Rudd || 3 years, 281 days
|-
| 18 || 19th || Julia Gillard || 3 years, 2 days
|-
| 19 || 16th || Simon Crean || 2 years, 10 days
|-
| 20 || 17th || Mark Latham || 1 year, 47 days
|-
| 21 || 3rd || Billy Hughes || 1 year, 18 days
|}
See also
- Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia
- Leaders of the Australian Greens