thumb|330x330px|[[The Lodge, Australia|The Lodge, the official residence of the prime minister]]
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. Thirty-one people (thirty men and one woman) have served in the position since the office was created in 1901. The role of prime minister is not mentioned in the Constitution of Australia, 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.
Federal elections must be held every three years, although prime ministers may call elections early. 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).
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.
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. The prime ministership of Frank Forde, who was prime minister for seven days in 1945, was the shortest in Australian history. Menzies served the longest, with eighteen years over two non-consecutive periods. The current prime minister is Anthony Albanese, who assumed office on 23 May 2022.
List of prime ministers
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
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! scope=col rowspan=2 |
! scope=col rowspan=2 class=unsortable |Portrait
! scope=col rowspan=2 | Name<br/>
! rowspan="2" scope="col" class="unsortable" |Election
! colspan="4" scope="colgroup" | Term of office
! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Political<br/>party
! scope=col rowspan=2 class=unsortable | Ministry
! scope=col" rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" |Monarch
! rowspan="2" scope="col" class="unsortable" |
|-
! scope=col class=unsortable | Took office
! scope=col class=unsortable | Left office
! scope=col style="width:10px" | Tenure
! scope=col style="width:10px" | Reason for leaving office
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="2" style="background:; color:white" |1
| rowspan="2" | 100px
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center" | Edmund Barton<br/><br/>
| rowspan="2" | 1901
| rowspan="2" | 1 January 1901
| rowspan="2" | 24 September 1903
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" | Resignation
| rowspan="4" | Protectionist
| rowspan="2" | Barton
| rowspan="3" |(1st)
| Victoria<BR><small>r. 1837–1901</small>
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| rowspan="10" |Edward VII<BR><small>r. 1901–1910</small>
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="2" style="background:; color:white" |2
| rowspan="2" | 100px
! rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" |Alfred Deakin<br /><br />
| style="height:40px" | —
| rowspan="2" | 24 September 1903
| rowspan="2" | 27 April 1904
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" | Resignation
| rowspan="2" | Deakin I
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| style="height:40px" |1903
| rowspan="4" |(2nd)
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background:; color:white" |3
| 100px
! scope=row style="text-align:center" |Chris Watson<br/><br/>
| —
| 27 April 1904
| 18 August 1904
|
| Resignation
| Labor
| Watson
|
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background:; color:black" | 4
| 100px
! scope=row style="text-align:center" |George Reid<br/><br/>
| —
| 18 August 1904
| 5 July 1905
|
| Resignation
| Free Trade
| Reid
|
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="2" style="background:; color:white" |(2)
| rowspan="2" | 100px
! rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" |Alfred Deakin<br/><br/>
| style="height:40px" |—
| rowspan="2" | 5 July 1905
| rowspan="2" | 13 November 1908
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" |Lost parliamentary confidence
| rowspan="2" | Protectionist
| rowspan="2" | Deakin II
| rowspan="2" |
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background:; color:black" |(2)
| 100px
! scope=row style="text-align:center" |Alfred Deakin<br/><br/>
| —
| 2 June 1909
| 29 April 1910
|
| Lost election
| Liberal
| Deakin III
|
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background:; color:white" |(5)
| 100px
! scope=row style="text-align:center" |Andrew Fisher<br/><br/>
| 1914
| 17 September 1914
| 27 October 1915
|
| Resignation
| rowspan="2" | Labor
| Fisher III
| rowspan="4" |(6th)
|
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background:; color:black" |
| National Labor
| Hughes II
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background:; border-style: none; color:black" |7
| rowspan="3" | Nationalist
| Hughes III
|-
! rowspan="2" style="background:; border-style: none; color:black" |
| 1917
| Hughes IV
|(7th)
|-
| 1919
| Hughes V
|(8th)
|-
! rowspan="3" style="background:; color:black" |8
| rowspan="3" |100px
! rowspan="3" scope=row style="text-align:center"|Stanley Bruce<br /><br />
||1922
| rowspan="3" |9 February 1923
| rowspan="3" |22 October 1929
| rowspan="3" |
| rowspan="3" |Lost election
| rowspan="3" |Nationalist<br />(Coalition)
||Bruce I
|(9th)
| rowspan="3" |
|- style="height:1em"
| 1925
| Bruce II
|(10th)
|-
| 1928
| Bruce III
|(11th)
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background:; color:white" |9
| 100px
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |James Scullin<br/><br/>
| 1929
| 22 October 1929
| 6 January 1932
|
|Lost election
| Labor
| Scullin
|(12th)
|
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="5" style="background:; color:white" |10
| rowspan="5" | 100px
! rowspan="5" scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" |Joseph Lyons<br /><br />
| 1931
| rowspan="5" | 6 January 1932
| rowspan="5" | 7 April 1939
| rowspan="5" |
| rowspan="5" | Died in office
| rowspan="2" | United Australia
| Lyons I
|(13th)
| rowspan="5" |
|-
| 1934
| Lyons II
| rowspan="3" |(14th)
|-
| rowspan="2" | —
| rowspan="3" | United Australia<br />(Coalition)
| rowspan="2" | Lyons III
| Edward VIII<BR><small>r. 1936</small>
|-
| rowspan="14" |George VI<BR><small>r. 1936–1952</small>
|-
| 1937
| Lyons IV
| rowspan="4" |(15th)
|-
! style="background:; color:white" |11
| 100px
! scope=row style="text-align:center" | Earle Page<br/><br/>
| —
| 7 April 1939
| 26 April 1939
|
| Caretaking
| Country<br/>(Coalition)
| Page
|
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan=3 style="background:; color:white" |12
| rowspan=3 | 100px
! scope=rowgroup rowspan=3 style="text-align:center" |Robert Menzies<br/><br/>
| rowspan="2" | —
| rowspan="3" | 26 April 1939
| rowspan="3" | 29 August 1941
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan="3" | Resignation
| United Australia
| Menzies I
| rowspan=3 |
|-
| rowspan=2 | United Australia<br/>(Coalition)
| Menzies II
|-
| 1940
| Menzies III
| rowspan="3" |(16th)
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background:; color:white" |13
| 100px
! scope=row style="text-align:center" |Arthur Fadden<br/><br/>
| —
| 29 August 1941
| 7 October 1941
|
|Lost parliamentary confidence
| Country<br/>(Coalition)
| Fadden
|
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="2" style="background:; color:white" |14
| rowspan="2" | 100px
! rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" |John Curtin<br/><br/>
| style="height:40px" |—
| rowspan="2" | 7 October 1941
| rowspan="2" | 5 July 1945
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" | Died in office
| rowspan="5" | Labor
| Curtin I
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| style="height:40px" |1943
| Curtin II
| rowspan="3" |(17th)
|-
! style="background:; color:white" |15
| 100px
! scope=row style="text-align:center" |Frank Forde<br/><br/>
| —
| 5 July 1945
| 13 July 1945
|
| Caretaking
| Forde
|
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="2" style="background:; color:white" |16
| rowspan="2" | 100px
! rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" |Ben Chifley<br/><br/>
| style="height:40px" |—
| rowspan="2" | 13 July 1945
| rowspan="2" | 19 December 1949
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" |Lost election
| Chifley I
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| style="height:40px" |1946
| Chifley II
|(18th)
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="8" style="background:; color:white" |(12)
| rowspan="8" | 100px
! rowspan="8" scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" | Robert Menzies<br /><br />
| 1949
| rowspan="8" | 19 December 1949
| rowspan="8" | 26 January 1966
| rowspan="8" |
| rowspan="8" | Retired
| rowspan="10" | Liberal<br />(Coalition)
| Menzies IV
|(19th)
| rowspan="8" |
|-
| style="height:40px" |1966
| Holt II
| rowspan="3" |(26th)
|-
! style="background:; color:white" |18
| 100px
! scope=row style="text-align:center" |John McEwen<br/><br/>
| —
| 19 December 1967
| 10 January 1968
|
| Caretaking
| Country<br/>(Coalition)
| McEwen
|
|-
! rowspan="2" style="background:; color:white" |19
| rowspan="2" | 100px
! rowspan="2" scope=row style="text-align:center"|John Gorton<br/><br/>
| style="height:40px" | —
| rowspan="2" | 10 January 1968
| rowspan="2" | 10 March 1971
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" | Resignation
| rowspan="3" | Liberal<br/>(Coalition)
| Gorton I
| rowspan="2" |
|- style="height:1em"
| style="height:40px" |1969
| Gorton II
| rowspan="2" |(27th)
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background:; color:white" |20
| 100px
! scope=row style="text-align:center" |William McMahon<br/><br/>
| —
| 10 March 1971
| 5 December 1972
|
|Lost election
| McMahon
|
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="3" style="background:; color:white" |21
| rowspan="3" | 100px
! rowspan="3" scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" |Gough Whitlam<br/><br/>
| 1972
| rowspan="3" | 5 December 1972
| rowspan="3" | 11 November 1975
| rowspan="3" |
| rowspan="3" | Dismissal
| rowspan="3" | Labor
| Whitlam I
| rowspan="2" |(28th)
| rowspan="3" |
|-
| —
| Whitlam II
|-
| 1974
| Whitlam III
| rowspan="2" |(29th)
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="4" style="background:; color:white" |22
| rowspan="4" | 100px
! rowspan="4" scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" |Malcolm Fraser<br /><br />
| —
| rowspan="4" | 11 November 1975
| rowspan="4" | 11 March 1983
| rowspan="4" |
| rowspan="4" |Lost election
| rowspan="4" | Liberal<br/>(Coalition)
| Fraser I
| rowspan="4" |
|-
| 1975
| Fraser II
|(30th)
|-
| 1977
| Fraser III
|(31st)
|-
| 1980
| Fraser IV
|(32nd)
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="4" style="background:; color:white" |23
| rowspan="4" | 100px
! rowspan="4" scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" |Bob Hawke<br /><br />
| 1983
| rowspan="4" | 11 March 1983
| rowspan="4" | 20 December 1991
| rowspan="4" |
| rowspan="4" | Leadership spill
| rowspan="6" | Labor
| Hawke I
|(33rd)
| rowspan="4" |
|-
| 1984
| Hawke II
|(34th)
|-
| 1987
| Hawke III
|(35th)
|-
| 1990
| Hawke IV
| rowspan="2" |(36th)
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="2" style="background:; color:white" |24
| rowspan="2" | 100px
! rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" |Paul Keating<br /><br />
| style="height:40px" |—
| rowspan="2" | 20 December 1991
| rowspan="2" | 11 March 1996
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" |Lost election
| Keating I
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| style="height:40px" | 1993
| Keating II
|(37th)
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="4" style="background:; color:white" |25
| rowspan="4" | 140x140px
! rowspan="4" scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" |John Howard<br /><br />
| 1996
| rowspan="4" | 11 March 1996
| rowspan="4" | 3 December 2007
| rowspan="4" |
| rowspan="4" |Lost election
| rowspan="4" | Liberal<br />(Coalition)
| Howard I
|(38th)
| rowspan="4" |
|-
| 1998
| Howard II
|(39th)
|-
| 2001
| Howard III
|(40th)
|-
| 2004
| Howard IV
|(41st)
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background:; color:white" |26
| 100px
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" |Kevin Rudd<br /><br />
| 2007
| 3 December 2007
| 24 June 2010
|
|Leadership spill
| rowspan="4" | Labor
| Rudd I
| rowspan="2" |(42nd)
|
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan=2 style="background:; color:white" |27
| rowspan=2 | 100px
! scope=rowgroup rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" |Julia Gillard<br/><br/>
| style="height:40px" | —
| rowspan="2" | 24 June 2010
| rowspan=2 | 27 June 2013
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Leadership spill
| Gillard I
| rowspan=2 |
|-
| style="height:40px" | 2010
| Gillard II
| rowspan="2" |(43rd)
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background:; color:white" |(26)
| 100px
! scope=row style="text-align:center" |Kevin Rudd<br/><br/>
| —
| 27 June 2013
| 18 September 2013
|
|Lost election
| Rudd II
|
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan=2 style="background:; color:white" |29
| rowspan=2 | 100px
! scope=rowgroup rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" |Malcolm Turnbull<br/><br/>
| style="height:40px" |—
| rowspan="2" | 15 September 2015
| rowspan=2 | 24 August 2018
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Leadership spill
| Turnbull I
| rowspan=2 |
|-
| style="height:40px" | 2016
| Turnbull II
| rowspan="2" |(45th)
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="2" style="background:; color:white" |30
| rowspan="2" | 100px
! rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup" style="text-align:center" |Scott Morrison<br/><br/>
| style="height:40px" |—
| rowspan="2" | 24 August 2018
| rowspan="2" | 23 May 2022
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" | Lost election
| Morrison I
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| style="height:40px" | 2019
| Morrison II
|(46th)
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan="2" style="background:; color:white" |31
| rowspan="2" | 100px
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center" |Anthony Albanese<br /><br />
| style="height:40px" | 2022
| rowspan="2" | 23 May 2022
| rowspan="2" | Incumbent
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" | Incumbent
| rowspan="2" | Labor
| Albanese I
|(47th)
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| style="height:40px" |2025
|Albanese II
|(48th)
| Charles III<BR><small>r. 2022–present</small>
|}
Timeline
Career-based timeline
This timeline below 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.
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
- History of Australia
- List of prime ministers of Australia by birthplace
- List of prime ministers of Australia by time in office
- Politics of Australia
- Spouse of the prime minister of Australia
Notes
References
External links
- Official website of the Prime Minister of Australia
- Museum of Australian Democracy Prime Minister Information