Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chief Minister of theAustralian Capital Territory |
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![]() Flag of the Australian Capital Territory
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![]() Coat of arms of the Australian Capital Territory
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Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate | |
Style | The Honourable |
Abbreviation | CM |
Member of | Cabinet National Cabinet |
Reports to | Legislative Assembly |
Seat | 1 Constitution Avenue, Canberra |
Appointer | Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly |
Constituting instrument | Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 (Cth), section 40 |
Formation | 11 May 1989 |
First holder | Rosemary Follett |
Deputy | Deputy Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory |
Salary | A$353,833 |
The chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory is the head of government of the Australian Capital Territory. The leader of the party with the largest number of seats in the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly usually takes on the role. Unlike other states and territories, the chief minister is not appointed by a governor or administrator, but elected directly by the Assembly.
The chief minister is the rough equivalent of the state premiers, and has been a member of the National Cabinet since its creation in 2020. The chief minister previously also represented the ACT on the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). Since there are no local governments in the territory, the chief minister's role is also similar to that of the mayor of a local government area. The chief minister sits on the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors.
The current chief minister is Andrew Barr of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), who was first elected by the Assembly on 11 December 2014 following the resignation of Katy Gallagher.
List of chief ministers
No. | Portrait | Name | Election | Term of office | Ministry | ||
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Term of office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
1 | ![]() |
Rosemary Follett | 1989 | 11 May 1989 | 5 December 19891 | 208 days | Follett I Labor minority |
2 | ![]() |
Trevor Kaine | — | 5 December 1989 | 6 June 19912 | 1 year,
183 days |
Kaine Liberal—Residents Rally—Independents Group majority coalition |
(1) | ![]() |
Rosemary Follett | — | 6 June 1991 | 2 March 1995 | 3 years,
269 days |
Follett II Labor minority |
1992 | Follett III Labor minority |
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3 | ![]() |
Kate Carnell | 1995 | 2 March 1995 | 18 October 20003 | 5 years,
230 days |
Carnell I Liberal minority |
1998 | Carnell II Liberal minority supported by Independents |
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4 | ![]() |
Gary Humphries | — | 18 October 2000 | 5 November 2001 | 1 year,
18 days |
Humphries Liberal minority supported by Independents |
5 | ![]() |
Jon Stanhope | 2001 | 5 November 2001 | 12 May 20114 | 9 years,
188 days |
Stanhope I Labor minority supported by Greens and Democrats |
2004 | Stanhope II Labor majority |
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2008 | Stanhope III Labor minority supported by Greens |
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6 | ![]() |
Katy Gallagher | — | 16 May 2011 | 11 December 20145 | 3 years,
209 days |
Gallagher I Labor minority supported by Greens |
2012 | Gallagher II Labor—Greens majority coalition |
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7 | ![]() |
Andrew Barr | — | 11 December 2014 | Incumbent | 8 years, 292 days | Barr I Labor—Greens majority coalition |
2016 | Barr II Labor—Greens majority coalition |
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2020 | Barr III Labor—Greens majority coalition |
1 Lost a no confidence vote in the Assembly originating from allegations made on a television program that the Follett led Labor Government had sought to secure by persuasion the vote of David Prowse, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, for the Business Franchise ("X" Videos) Bill.
2 Lost a no confidence vote in the Assembly following unpopular decisions to close schools, close the Royal Canberra Hospital and amend planning laws that led to the collapse of the Kaine led Liberal Alliance Government with Residents Rally.
3 Resigned when faced with a no confidence vote due to the high costs of the Bruce Stadium renovations; and was replaced by Gary Humphries without the motion being put to the Assembly.
4 Resigned on 12 May 2011 for personal reasons; was replaced by his deputy Katy Gallagher on 16 May 2011 by vote of the Assembly.
5 Resigned on 11 December 2014 to contest the ACT Senate position vacated by Kate Lundy; was replaced by her deputy Andrew Barr.
Graphical timeline

See also
- States and territories of Australia (includes some information about the role of the chief minister)
- Deputy Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
- Australian Capital Territory ministries
- List of chief ministers of the Australian Capital Territory by time in office
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