Deputy Prime Minister of Australia

Not to be confused with Deputy Premiers of the Australian states.

Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
Coat of arms of Australia
Incumbent Wayne Swan since 24 June 2010
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	Quentin Bryce as Governor-General of Australia
Term length	At Her Majesty's pleasure
Inaugural holder	John McEwen
Formation	10 January 1968
Website	www.treasurer.gov.au

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The Deputy Prime Minister of Australia is the second-most senior officer in the Government of Australia. The office of Deputy Prime Minister was created as a ministerial portfolio in 1968. The Deputy Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister.

The current Deputy Prime Minister is Labor politician Wayne Swan.

History

The sworn office of Deputy Prime Minister was created in January 1968, as an honour for John McEwen, the long-serving leader of the Country Party (later renamed the National Party) and the immediately preceding caretaker Prime Minister. Prior to that time the term was used unofficially for the second-highest ranking minister in the government.

In Labor governments, the Deputy Prime Minister is the party's deputy leader. In Liberal-National Coalition governments, the position has been held by the Leader of the National Party or its predecessors.

In November 2007, the Australian Labor Party won government and Julia Gillard became Australia's first female, and first foreign-born, Deputy Prime Minister.

Since the formalisation of the office only two Deputy Prime Ministers have gone on to become Prime Minister: Paul Keating and Julia Gillard. In both cases, they succeeded incumbent Prime Ministers who lost the support of the Labor Party caucus mid-term. Prior to 1968, Alfred Deakin, Joseph Cook, Earle Page, Frank Forde and Arthur Fadden all became Prime Minister after having previously been unofficial deputies (though Page, Fadden and Forde only served as caretakers).

John McEwen had served as Prime Minister prior to being appointed Deputy Prime Minister, as had the unofficial deputies Joseph Cook, Billy Hughes, and Arthur Fadden.

Duties

The duties of the Deputy Prime Minister are to act on behalf of the Prime Minister in his or her absence overseas or on leave. The Deputy Prime Minister has always been a member of the Cabinet, and has always held at least one substantive portfolio. (It would be technically possible for a minister to hold only the portfolio of Deputy Prime Minister, but this has never happened.)

If the Prime Minister were to die, become incapacitated or resign, the Governor-General would normally appoint the Deputy Prime Minister as Prime Minister on an interim basis until the governing party elects a new leader. This has not occurred since the title has been created as a portfolio, however the previous unofficial deputies Arthur Fadden and Frank Forde both briefly served as Prime Minister on this basis (following Robert Menzies' resignation and John Curtin's death, respectively). In the case of both Gillard and Keating their election as party leader preceded their predecessor's resignations and their subsequent appointments as Prime Minister.

Living former Deputy Prime Ministers

Eight former Deputy Prime Ministers of Australia are living:

• Doug Anthony (1971–72, 75-83)
• Paul Keating (1990–91)
• Brian Howe (1991–95)
• Kim Beazley (1995–96)
• Tim Fischer (1996–99)
• John Anderson (1999–2005)
• Mark Vaile (2005–07)
• Julia Gillard (2007–10).

List of Deputy Prime Ministers of Australia

Name		Picture	Term of Office		Political party and position	Ministerial Offices	Prime Minister
	John McEwen		10 January 1968	5 February 1971	Country Leader 1958-71	Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Trade and Industry		John Gorton
	Doug Anthony		5 February 1971	10 March 1971	Country Leader 1971–84	Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Trade and Industry
			10 March 1971	5 December 1972				William McMahon
	Lance Barnard		5 December 1972	12 June 1974	Labor Deputy Leader 1967-74	Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Defence		Gough Whitlam
	Jim Cairns		12 June 1974	2 July 1975	Labor Deputy Leader 1974-75	Deputy Prime Minister Treasurer
	Frank Crean		2 July 1975	11 November 1975	Labor Deputy Leader 1975	Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Overseas Trade
	Doug Anthony		12 November 1975	11 March 1983	Country National Leader 1971–84	Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Trade and Industry		Malcolm Fraser
	Lionel Bowen		11 March 1983	4 April 1990	Labor Deputy Leader 1977-90	Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Trade Vice-President of the Executive Council Attorney-General		Bob Hawke
	Paul Keating		4 April 1990	3 June 1991	Labor Deputy Leader 1990-91	Deputy Prime Minister Treasurer
	Brian Howe		3 June 1991	20 June 1995	Labor Deputy Leader 1991-95	Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Health Minister for Housing Minister for Community Services Minister for Local Government Minister for Regional Affairs		Paul Keating
	Kim Beazley		20 June 1995	11 March 1996	Labor Deputy Leader 1995-96	Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Finance
	Tim Fischer		11 March 1996	20 July 1999	National Leader 1990-99	Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Trade		John Howard
	John Anderson		20 July 1999	6 July 2005	National Leader 1999-2005	Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Transport and Regional Development
	Mark Vaile		6 July 2005	3 December 2007	National Leader 2005-2007	Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Trade Minister for Transport and Regional Services
	Julia Gillard		3 December 2007	24 June 2010	Labor Deputy Leader 2006-2010	Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Minister for Education Minister for Social Inclusion		Kevin Rudd
	Wayne Swan		24 June 2010		Labor Deputy Leader 2010-	Deputy Prime Minister Treasurer		Julia Gillard

Informal Deputy Prime Ministers

The office of Deputy Prime Minister was created in January 1968 but prior to that time the term was used unofficially for the second-highest ranking minister in the government.

Name		Picture	Term of Office		Political party and position	Ministerial Offices	Prime Minister
	Alfred Deakin		1901	1903	Protectionist Party Deputy Leader 1901-03	Attorney-General		Edmund Barton
	William Lyne		1903	1904	Protectionist Party Deputy Leader 1901-09	Minister for Trade and Customs		Alfred Deakin
	Gregor McGregor		1904	1904	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1901-14	Vice-President of the Executive Council		Chris Watson
	Joseph Cook		1904	1905	Free Trade Party Deputy Leader 1903-08	No Portfolio		George Reid
	William Lyne		1905	1908	Protectionist Party Deputy Leader 1901-09	Minister for Trade and Customs Treasurer		Alfred Deakin
	Gregor McGregor		1908	1909	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1901-14	Vice-President of the Executive Council		Andrew Fisher
	Joseph Cook		1909	1910	Commonwealth Liberal Party Deputy Leader 1909-13	Minister for Defence		Alfred Deakin
	Gregor McGregor		1910	1913	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1901-14	Vice-President of the Executive Council		Andrew Fisher
	John Forrest		1913	1914	Commonwealth Liberal Party Deputy Leader 1913-16	Treasurer		Joseph Cook
	Billy Hughes		1914	1915	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1914-15	Attorney-General		Andrew Fisher
	George Pearce		1915	1916	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1915-16	Minister for Defence		Billy Hughes
			1916	1917	National Labor Party Deputy Leader 1916-17
	Joseph Cook		1917	1921	Nationalist Deputy Leader 1917-21	Minister for the Navy Treasurer
	Earle Page		1923	1929	Country Party Leader 1921-39	Treasurer		Stanley Bruce
	Ted Theodore		1929	1932	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1929-32	Treasurer		James Scullin
	John Latham		1932	1934	United Australia Party Deputy Leader 1932-34	Attorney-General Minister for External Affairs Minister for Industry		Joseph Lyons
	George Pearce		1934	1934	United Australia Party Deputy Leader 1934	Minister for External Affairs Minister in Charge of Territories
	Earle Page		1934	1939	Country Party Leader 1921-39	Minister for Commerce Minister for Health
	Archie Cameron		1939	1940	Country Party Leader 1939-40	Postmaster-General Minister for Commerce Minister for the Navy		Robert Menzies
	Arthur Fadden		1940	1941	Country Party Leader 1940-58	Minister for the Air Minister for Civil Aviation Treasurer
	Billy Hughes		1941	1941	United Australia Party Leader 1941-43	Minister for the Navy Attorney-General		Arthur Fadden
	Frank Forde		1941	1946	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1932-46	Minister for the Army Minister for Defence		John Curtin
								Ben Chifley
	H. V. Evatt		1946	1949	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1946-51	Minister for External Affairs Attorney-General
	Arthur Fadden		1949	1958	Country Party Leader 1940-58	Treasurer		Robert Menzies
	John McEwen		1958	1967	Country Party Leader 1958-71	Minister for Trade and Industry
								Harold Holt

References

• "Deputy Prime Ministers of Australia". Museum of Australian Democracy. Retrieved 1 April 2012. 

External links

• The official site of the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia