Deputy Premier of Victoria
The Deputy Premier of Victoria is the second-most senior officer in the Government of Victoria. The Deputy Premier position was created in May 1932, with Robert Menzies being the first person to hold the position. The Deputy Premier is appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Premier. The Deputy Premier is usually also a minister in the government.
| Deputy Premier of Victoria | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| Department of Premier and Cabinet | |
| Style | The Honourable |
| Member of |
|
| Reports to | Premier of Victoria |
| Seat | 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne |
| Nominator | Premier of Victoria |
| Appointer | Governor of Victoria on the advice of the premier |
| Term length | At the Governor's pleasure contingent on serving as deputy leader of party or coalition commanding a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly |
| Formation | 16 May 1932 |
| First holder | Robert Menzies |
When the Labor Party forms government, the deputy leader of the Labor parliamentary party typically becomes the Deputy Premier. The same was the case when the Liberal Party formed government on its own. When the Liberal-National coalition is in government, the Deputy Premier is usually the leader of the junior coalition partner, the Nationals (or its predecessor, the Country Party). The current Deputy Premier is James Merlino of the Labor Party, who has held the position since 4 December 2014.
Duties
The duties of the Deputy Premier are to act on behalf of the Premier in his or her absence overseas or on leave. The Deputy Premier 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 Premier, but this has never happened).
If the Premier were to die, become incapacitated or resign, the Governor would normally appoint the Deputy Premier as acting Premier. If the governing or majority party had not yet elected a new leader, that appointment would be on an interim basis. Should a different leader emerge, that person would then be appointed Premier.
List of Deputy Premiers of Victoria
Please note that this list may be incomplete due to lack of information
| No. | Name | Portrait | Term of Office | Affiliation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Menzies |  |
May 1932 | July 1934 | Nationalist | |
| 2 | Wilfrid Kent Hughes |  |
March 1935 | April 1935 | Nationalist | |
| 3 | Murray Bourchier |  |
April 1935 | June 1936 | Country | |
| 4 | Francis Old |  |
June 1936 | October 1937 | Country | |
| 5 | Albert Lind |  |
13 October 1937 | 14 September 1943 | Country | |
| 6 | Bert Cremean |  |
14 September 1943 | 18 September 1943 | Labor | |
| 7 | Thomas Hollway |  |
18 September 1943 | 2 October 1945 | United Australia | |
| 8 | Thomas Maltby |  |
2 October 1945 | 21 November 1945 | United Australia | |
| 9 | Frank Field |  |
November 1945 | November 1947 | Labor | |
| 10 | John McDonald |  |
November 1947 | December 1948 | Country | |
| (2) | Wilfrid Kent Hughes | |
December 1948 | October 1949 | Liberal/Liberal and Country | |
| 11 | Trevor Oldham |  |
November 1949 | June 1950 | Liberal and Country | |
| 12 | Keith Dodgshun |  |
June 1950 | October 1952 | Country | |
| 13 | Alexander Dennett |  |
October 1952 | October 1952 | Independent | |
| (12) | Keith Dodgshun | |
October 1952 | December 1952 | Country | |
| 14 | Bill Galvin |  |
17 December 1952 | 7 June 1955 | Labor | |
| 15 | Sir Arthur Rylah |  |
June 1955 | March 1971 | Liberal | |
| 16 | Rupert Hamer |  |
March 1971 | August 1972 | Liberal | |
| 17 | Lindsay Thompson |  |
August 1972 | June 1981 | Liberal | |
| 18 | Bill Borthwick |  |
5 June 1981 | 8 April 1982 | Liberal | |
| 19 | Robert Fordham | |
8 April 1982 | 31 January 1989 | Labor | |
| 20 | Joan Kirner |  |
7 February 1989 | 10 August 1990 | Labor | |
| 21 | Jim Kennan | |
10 August 1990 | 6 October 1992 | Labor | |
| 22 | Pat McNamara | |
6 October 1992 | 21 October 1999 | National | |
| 23 | John Thwaites |  |
21 October 1999 | 30 July 2007 | Labor | |
| 24 | Rob Hulls |  |
30 July 2007 | 2 December 2010 | Labor | |
| 25 | Peter Ryan |  |
2 December 2010 | 4 December 2014 | National | |
| 26 | James Merlino |  |
4 December 2014 | Incumbent | Labor | |
Living former Deputy Premiers
As of January 2016, there are five living former Deputy Premiers. The most recent Deputy Premier to die was Joan Kirner on 1 June 2015.
| Name | Term of office | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Fordham | 1982–1989 | 10 February 1942 |
| Pat McNamara | 1992–1999 | 11 August 1949 |
| John Thwaites | 1999–2007 | 15 October 1955 |
| Rob Hulls | 2007–2010 | 23 January 1957 |
| Peter Ryan | 2010–2014 | 30 October 1950 |
Notable careers
Among the most notable former Deputy Premiers of Victoria have been Robert Menzies (1932–1934) who went on to become the longest serving Prime Minister of Australia. One of Menzies' federal ministers was Wilfrid Kent Hughes who like Menzies had served as Deputy Premier of Victoria prior to switching to federal politics. Others include Rupert Hamer (1971–1972) who later became a long serving Premier, Thomas Hollway (1943–1945) who was Premier on three occasions and Joan Kirner became the first female Deputy Premier in 1989 before becoming the first female Premier in 1990.