Premiers and chief ministers of the Australian states and territories facts for kids
The premiers and chief ministers of the Australian states and territories are like the main leaders for each of Australia's six states and two territories. They are the ones in charge of the government in their area. Think of them as doing the same job for their state or territory that the Prime Minister of Australia does for the whole country.
The King of Australia and the state governors are the official leaders. But in real life, they usually follow the advice of the premiers and chief ministers. They only step in during very serious situations, like a big problem with the country's rules.
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How Leaders Are Chosen
Each Australian state uses a system called the Westminster system to run its government. This means each state has a group of elected lawmakers. After an election, the state governor chooses a premier. This premier is usually the person from the main political party who has the most support in the state's parliament.
The governor is the head of the state, but they mostly act on the premier's advice. If a premier loses the support of the parliament, or if their party loses an election, they must resign. Premiers can also choose to resign for other reasons, like if their own party no longer supports them.
A Look Back in Time
Australia's states started as British colonies. At first, a governor appointed by the British government held all the power. Over time, this power slowly moved to groups of lawmakers. These groups were first chosen, then partly elected, and finally fully elected by the people.
- Victoria got its own full government in 1855.
- New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania followed in 1856.
- Queensland got its government in 1859.
- Western Australia got its government in 1890, a bit later because it had fewer people.
Before the Australian Labor Party became strong in the 1890s, the colonies didn't have clear political parties. Politicians often called themselves Liberals or Conservatives. Governments were formed based on personal friendships or small groups, and they changed very often. Politics back then was sometimes seen as unfair or dishonest. For example, Victorian Premier James Munro left the colony in 1890 to avoid people he owed money to.
The rise of the Labor Party made the colonies start to have two main political sides: Labor and non-Labor. Even so, state politics stayed more about individual people than big ideas for many years. The first Labor government was formed by Anderson Dawson in Queensland in 1899. The first Labor government with a majority of seats was led by James McGowen in New South Wales in 1910. Since about 1910, state politics has followed a similar pattern to national politics in Australia.
Since 1952, every premier in every state has belonged to one of three main parties:
(Sometimes these parties have slightly different names in different states, like the Country Liberal Party in the Northern Territory or the Liberal National Party of Queensland in Queensland.)
Even though the states have their own powers listed in the Australian Constitution, the power of the premiers has slowly decreased since Australia became a country in 1901. The national government has taken on more power and responsibility. A big change happened in 1943 during World War II. The states gave up their power to collect their own income taxes to the national government. Since then, the national government has largely controlled the states' money.
Working Together
For many years, the premiers and the prime minister met at special "Premiers' Conferences." From 1992 to 2020, these meetings happened through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). This group also included the chief ministers of the territories and a representative from local councils. Since 2020, the National Cabinet is where the prime minister, state premiers, and territory chief ministers meet.
In 2006, South Australian premier Mike Rann became the head of a new group called the Council for the Australian Federation. This group works to improve how the states and the national government work together.
Who Are the Leaders Now?
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This map shows which political party leads each state and territory: Labor Liberal (includes the Country Liberal and Liberal National parties)
| State | Portrait | Name | Started as leader | How long they've been leader | Party | Title | Government | |
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Chris Minns | 28 March 2023 | 2 years, 86 days | Labor | Premier | New South Wales Government |
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Jacinta Allan | 27 September 2023 | 1 year, 268 days | Labor | Premier | Victoria Government |
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David Crisafulli | 28 October 2024 | 237 days | Liberal National | Premier | Queensland Government |
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Roger Cook | 8 June 2023 | 2 years, 14 days | Labor | Premier | Western Australia Government |
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Peter Malinauskas | 21 March 2022 | 3 years, 93 days | Labor | Premier | South Australia Government |
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Jeremy Rockliff | 8 April 2022 | 3 years, 75 days | Liberal | Premier | Tasmania Government |
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Current Chief Ministers of the Territories
| Territory | Portrait | Name | Started as leader | How long they've been leader | Party | Title | Government | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Capital Territory |
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Andrew Barr | 11 December 2014 | 10 years, 193 days | Labor | Chief Minister | Australian Capital Territory Government |
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Lia Finocchiaro | 28 August 2024 | 298 days | Country Liberal Party | Chief Minister | Northern Territory Government |
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Female Leaders in Government
Almost every state and territory in Australia has had a female head of government. Most of these women have been from the Australian Labor Party. Here are some of them:
- Australian Capital Territory:
- Rosemary Follett (1989, 1991–1995) - She was the first female chief minister in any Australian territory or state.
- Kate Carnell (1995–2000)
- Katy Gallagher (2011–2014)
- Western Australia:
- Carmen Lawrence (1990–1993) - She was the first female premier of a state.
- Victoria:
- Joan Kirner (1990–1992)
- Jacinta Allan (2023–present)
- Northern Territory:
- Clare Martin (2001–2007)
- Natasha Fyles (2022–2023)
- Eva Lawler (2023–2024)
- Lia Finocchiaro (2024–present)
- Queensland:
- Anna Bligh (2007–2012)
- Annastacia Palaszczuk (2015–2023)
- New South Wales:
- Kristina Keneally (2009–2011)
- Gladys Berejiklian (2017–2021)
- Tasmania:
- Lara Giddings (2011–2014)
Most of these female premiers took over from male premiers from their own party who resigned. In some cases, the male premiers resigned because they lost the support of their party. For example, Jacinta Allan became premier after Daniel Andrews resigned, even though he had just been re-elected. The governments led by Carmen Lawrence, Joan Kirner, Kristina Keneally, and Lara Giddings lost the next elections.
Anna Bligh, Annastacia Palaszczuk, and Gladys Berejiklian are the only women who have been elected as premier of an Australian state by the people. Annastacia Palaszczuk is also the only woman to lead her party from being out of government to winning an election.
Women have also been elected as chief ministers in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT). Rosemary Follett (Labor) was the first Chief Minister of the ACT in 1989. This was nine months before any woman became a state premier. Kate Carnell (Liberal) and Clare Martin (Labor) were also elected by the people as chief ministers. Clare Martin was the only one of these three women to lead a government with a majority of seats.
Of all the female premiers and chief ministers, only Clare Martin and Annastacia Palaszczuk have been re-elected after finishing a full term. Rosemary Follett won two elections in a row, but her time as chief minister was interrupted for a while.
See also
- List of Australian heads of government by time in office
