Premier of South Australia
The Premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The Premier is appointed by the Governor of South Australia, and by modern convention holds office by virtue of his or her ability to command the support of a majority of members of the lower house of Parliament, the House of Assembly.
Premier of South Australia | |
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Department of the Premier and Cabinet | |
Style |
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Status | Head of Government |
Member of |
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Reports to | Parliament |
Seat | State Administration Centre 200 Victoria Square, Adelaide |
Appointer | Governor of South Australia by convention, based on appointee's ability to command confidence in the House of Assembly |
Term length | At the Governor's pleasure contingent on the premier's ability to command confidence in the lower house of Parliament |
Constituting instrument | None (constitutional convention) |
Formation | 24 October 1856 |
First holder | Boyle Finniss |
Deputy | Deputy Premier of South Australia |
Salary | $374,648 (AUD)[1] |
Website | www.premier.sa.gov.au |
Steven Marshall is the current Premier, having served since 19 March 2018.
History
Pre-Party
Before the 1890s when there was no formal party system in South Australia, MPs tended to have historical liberal or conservative beliefs. The liberals dominated government from the 1893 election to 1905 election with the support of the South Australian United Labor Party, with the conservatives mostly in opposition. Labor took government with the support of eight dissident liberals in 1905 when Labor won the most seats for the first time. The rise of Labor saw non-Labor politics start to merge into various party incarnations.
The two independent conservative parties, the Australasian National League (formerly National Defence League) and the Farmers and Producers Political Union merged with the Liberal and Democratic Union to become the Liberal Union in 1910. Labor formed South Australia's first majority government after winning the 1910 state election, triggering the merger. The 1910 election came two weeks after federal Labor formed Australia's first elected majority government at the 1910 federal election.
No "Country" or rural conservative parties emerged as serious long-term forces in South Australian state politics, often folding into the main non-Labor party.
List of Premiers of South Australia
The first six Governors of South Australia oversaw governance from proclamation in 1836 until self-government and an elected Parliament of South Australia was enacted in the year prior to the inaugural 1857 election.
Colour key (for political parties) |
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No. | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency |
Portrait | Term of office | Elected (Parliament) |
Party | Government | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Start | End | Days | ||||||
Colonial Government (1856–1901) | ||||||||
1 | Boyle Finniss (1807–1893) MHA for Adelaide |
24 October 1856 | 21 August 1857 | 301 | 1857 (1st) | Independent | Finniss | |
2 | John Baker (1813–1872) Councillor |
21 August 1857 | 1 September 1857 | 11 | — (1st) | Independent | Baker | |
3 | Robert Richard Torrens (1814–1884) MHA for Adelaide |
1 September 1857 | 30 September 1857 | 29 | — (1st) | Independent | Torrens | |
4 | Richard Hanson (1805–1876) MHA for Adelaide |
30 September 1857 | 9 May 1860 | 952 | — (1st) | Independent | Hanson | |
5 | Thomas Reynolds (1818–1875) MHA for Adelaide |
9 May 1860 | 8 October 1861 | 517 | 1860 (2nd) | Independent | Reynolds (1st) Reynolds (2nd) | |
6 | George Waterhouse (1824–1906) Councillor |
8 October 1861 | 4 July 1863 | 634 | — (2nd) 1862 (3rd) |
Independent | Waterhouse (1st) Waterhouse (2nd) | |
7 | Francis Dutton (1818–1877) MHA for Light |
4 July 1863 | 15 July 1863 | 11 | — (3rd) | Independent | Dutton (1st) | |
8 | Henry Ayers (1821–1897) Councillor |
15 July 1863 | 4 August 1864 | 386 | — (3rd) | Independent | Ayers (1st) Ayers (2nd) | |
9 | Arthur Blyth (1823–1890) MHA for Gumeracha |
4 August 1864 | 22 March 1865 | 230 | — (3rd) | Independent | Blyth (1st) | |
(7) | Francis Dutton | 22 March 1865 | 20 September 1865 | 182 | 1865 (4th) | Independent | Dutton (2nd) | |
(8) | Henry Ayers | 20 September 1865 | 23 October 1865 | 33 | — (4th) | Independent | Ayers (3rd) | |
10 | John Hart (1809–1873) MHA for Port Adelaide |
23 October 1865 | 28 March 1866 | 156 | — (4th) | Independent | Hart (1st) | |
11 | James Boucaut (1831–1916) MHA for Encounter Bay |
28 March 1866 | 3 May 1867 | 401 | — (4th) | Independent | Boucaut (1st) | |
(8) | Henry Ayers | 3 May 1867 | 24 September 1868 | 510 | — (4th) 1868 (5th) |
Independent | Ayers (4th) | |
(10) | John Hart MHA for Light |
24 September 1868 | 13 October 1868 | 19 | — (5th) | Independent | Hart (2nd) | |
(8) | Henry Ayers | 13 October 1868 | 3 November 1868 | 21 | — (5th) | Independent | Ayers (5th) | |
12 | Henry Strangways (1832–1920) MHA for West Torrens |
3 November 1868 | 30 May 1870 | 573 | — (5th) 1870 (6th) |
Independent | Strangways (1st) Strangways (2nd) | |
(10) | John Hart MHA for The Burra |
30 May 1870 | 10 November 1871 | 529 | — (6th) | Independent | Hart (3rd) | |
(9) | Arthur Blyth | 10 November 1871 | 22 January 1872 | 73 | — (6th) 1871 (7th) |
Independent | Blyth (2nd) | |
(8) | Henry Ayers | 22 January 1872 | 22 July 1873 | 517 | — (7th) | Independent | Ayers (6th) Ayers (7th) | |
(9) | Arthur Blyth | 22 July 1873 | 3 June 1875 | 681 | — (7th) 1875 (8th) |
Independent | Blyth (3rd) | |
(11) | James Boucaut | 3 June 1875 | 6 June 1876 | 369 | — (8th) | Independent | Boucaut (2nd) Boucaut (3rd) | |
13 | John Colton (1823–1902) MHA for Noarlunga |
6 June 1876 | 26 October 1877 | 507 | — (8th) | Independent | Colton (1st) | |
(11) | James Boucaut | 26 October 1877 | 27 September 1878 | 336 | — (8th) 1878 (9th) |
Independent | Boucaut (4th) | |
14 | William Morgan (1828–1883) Councillor |
27 September 1878 | 24 June 1881 | 1001 | — (9th) 1881 (10th) |
Independent | Morgan | |
15 | John Bray (1842–1894) MHA for East Adelaide |
24 June 1881 | 16 June 1884 | 1088 | — (10th) 1884 (11th) |
Independent | Bray | |
(13) | John Colton | 16 June 1884 | 16 June 1885 | 365 | — (11th) | Independent | Colton (2nd) | |
16 | John Downer (1843–1915) MHA for Barossa |
16 June 1885 | 11 June 1887 | 725 | — (11th) 1887 (12th) |
Independent | Downer (1st) | |
17 | Thomas Playford (II) (1837–1915) MHA for Newcastle |
11 June 1887 | 27 June 1889 | 747 | — (12th) | Independent | Playford II (1st) | |
18 | John Cockburn (1850–1929) MHA for Mount Barker |
27 June 1889 | 19 August 1890 | 418 | — (12th) 1890 (13th) |
Liberalism | Cockburn | |
(17) | Thomas Playford (II) MHA for East Torrens |
19 August 1890 | 21 June 1892 | 672 | — (13th) | Conservatism | Playford II (2nd) | |
19 | Frederick Holder (1850–1909) MHA for Burra |
21 June 1892 | 15 October 1892 | 116 | — (13th) | Liberalism | Holder (1st) | |
(16) | John Downer | 15 October 1892 | 16 June 1893 | 244 | — (13th) | Conservatism | Downer (2nd) | |
20 | Charles Kingston (1850–1908) MHA for West Adelaide |
16 June 1893 | 1 December 1899 | 2359 | 1893 (14th) 1896 (15th) 1899 (16th) |
Liberalism | Kingston | |
21 | Vaiben Solomon (1853–1908) MHA for Northern Territory |
1 December 1899 | 8 December 1899 | 7 | — (16th) | Conservatism | Solomon | |
(19) | Frederick Holder | 8 December 1899 | 15 May 1901 | 523 | — (16th) | Liberalism | Holder (2nd) | |
State Government (1901–present) | ||||||||
22 | John Jenkins (1851–1923) MHA for Torrens |
15 May 1901 | 1 March 1905 | 1386 | — (16th) 1902 (17th) |
Liberalism | Jenkins | |
23 | Richard Butler (1850–1925) MHA for Barossa |
1 March 1905 | 26 July 1905 | 147 | — (17th) | Conservatism | Butler I | |
24 | Thomas Price (1852–1909) MHA for Torrens |
26 July 1905 | 5 June 1909 | 1410 | 1905 (18th) 1906 (19th) |
United Labor | Price | |
25 | Archibald Peake (1859–1920) MHA for Victoria & Albert |
5 June 1909 | 3 June 1910 | 363 | — (19th) | Liberal & Democratic Union |
Peake (1st) | |
26 | John Verran (1856–1932) MHA for Wallaroo |
3 June 1910 | 17 February 1912 | 624 | 1910 (20th) | United Labor | Verran | |
(25) | Archibald Peake | 17 February 1912 | 3 April 1915 | 1141 | 1912 (21st) | Liberal Union | Peake (2nd) | |
27 | Crawford Vaughan (1874–1947) MHA for Sturt |
3 April 1915 | 14 July 1917 | 833 | 1915 (22nd) | United Labor | Vaughan | |
(25) | Archibald Peake | 14 July 1917 | 8 April 1920 | 999 | — (22nd) 1918 (23rd) |
Liberal Union | Peake (3rd) | |
28 | Henry Barwell (1877–1959) MHA for Stanley |
8 April 1920 | 16 April 1924 | 1469 | — (23rd) 1921 (24th) |
Liberal Union (until 1923) Liberal Federation (from 1923) |
Barwell | |
29 | John Gunn (1884–1959) MHA for Adelaide |
16 April 1924 | 28 August 1926 | 864 | 1924 (25th) | Labor | Gunn | |
30 | Lionel Hill (1881–1963) MHA for Port Pirie |
28 August 1926 | 8 April 1927 | 223 | — (25th) | Labor | Hill (1st) | |
31 | Richard L. Butler (1885–1966) MHA for Wooroora |
8 April 1927 | 17 April 1930 | 1105 | 1927 (26th) | Liberal Federation | Butler II (1st) | |
(30) | Lionel Hill | 17 April 1930 | 13 February 1933 | 1033 | 1930 (27th) | Labor | Hill (2nd) | |
32 | Robert Richards (1885–1967) MHA for Wallaroo |
13 February 1933 | 18 April 1933 | 64 | — (27th) | Labor | Richards | |
(31) | Richard L. Butler | 18 April 1933 | 5 November 1938 | 2027 | 1933 (28th) 1938 (29th) |
Liberal and Country League |
Butler II (2nd) | |
33 | Thomas Playford (IV) (1896–1981) MHA for Gumeracha |
5 November 1938 | 10 March 1965 | 9622 | — (29th) 1941 (30th) 1944 (31st) 1947 (32nd) 1950 (33rd) 1953 (34th) 1956 (35th) 1959 (36th) 1962 (37th) |
Liberal and Country League |
Playford IV (1st) Playford IV (2nd) | |
34 | Frank Walsh (1897–1968) MHA for Edwardstown |
10 March 1965 | 1 June 1967 | 813 | 1965 (38th) | Labor | Walsh | |
35 | Don Dunstan (1926–1999) MHA for Norwood |
1 June 1967 | 17 April 1968 | 321 | — (38th) | Labor | Dunstan (1st) | |
36 | Steele Hall (born 1928) MHA for Gouger |
17 April 1968 | 2 June 1970 | 776 | 1968 (39th) | Liberal and Country League |
Hall | |
(35) | Don Dunstan | 2 June 1970 | 15 February 1979 | 3180 | 1970 (40th) 1973 (41st) 1975 (42nd) 1977 (43rd) |
Labor | Dunstan (2nd) | |
37 | Des Corcoran (1928–2004) MHA for Hartley |
15 February 1979 | 18 September 1979 | 215 | — (43rd) | Labor | Corcoran | |
38 | David Tonkin (1929–2000) MHA for Bragg |
18 September 1979 | 10 November 1982 | 1149 | 1979 (44th) | Liberal | Tonkin | |
39 | John Bannon (1943–2015) MHA for Ross Smith |
10 November 1982 | 4 September 1992 | 3586 | 1982 (45th) 1985 (46th) 1989 (47th) |
Labor | Bannon | |
40 | Lynn Arnold (born 1949) MHA for Ramsay |
4 September 1992 | 14 December 1993 | 466 | — (47th) | Labor | Arnold | |
41 | Dean Brown (born 1943) MHA for Finniss |
14 December 1993 | 28 November 1996 | 1080 | 1993 (48th) | Liberal | Brown | |
42 | John Olsen (born 1945) MHA for Kavel |
28 November 1996 | 22 October 2001 | 1789 | — (48th) 1997 (49th) |
Liberal | Olsen | |
43 | Rob Kerin (born 1954) MHA for Frome |
22 October 2001 | 5 March 2002 | 165 | — (49th) | Liberal | Kerin | |
44 | Mike Rann (born 1953) MHA for Ramsay |
5 March 2002 | 21 October 2011 | 3517 | 2002 (50th) 2006 (51st) 2010 (52nd) |
Labor | Rann | |
45 | Jay Weatherill (born 1964) MHA for Cheltenham |
21 October 2011 | 19 March 2018 | 2341 | — (52nd) 2014 (53rd) |
Labor | Weatherill | |
46 | Steven Marshall (born 1968) MHA for Dunstan |
19 March 2018 | — | 1058 | 2018 (54th) | Liberal | Marshall | |
Living former premiers
There are seven living former premiers, the oldest being Steele Hall (1968–70, born 1928). The most recent premier to die was John Bannon (Premier 1982–1992) on 13 December 2015.
Name | Term as premier | Date of birth |
---|---|---|
Steele Hall | 1968–1970 | 30 November 1928 |
Lynn Arnold | 1992–1993 | 27 January 1949 |
Dean Brown | 1993–1996 | 5 April 1943 |
John Olsen | 1996–2001 | 7 June 1945 |
Rob Kerin | 2001–2002 | 4 January 1954 |
Mike Rann | 2002–2011 | 5 January 1953 |
Jay Weatherill | 2011–2018 | 3 April 1964 |
Timeline
In the following timeline, the legend includes the Liberal and Democratic Union, the Liberal Union and the Liberal Federation represented as "Liberal (pre-1979)". The Liberal Party is represented as "Liberal (post-1979)" only. The grey area represents the duration of Playmander electoral malapportionment, beginning in 1936, in effect until the 1970 election.
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Premiers of South Australia. |
References
- "'Extraordinary' $30,000 MP pay rise under fire from South Australian welfare groups". ABC News. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2016.