Premier of South Australia

Last updated

Premier of South Australia

Incumbent
Steven Marshall
since 19 March 2018
Style The Honourable
(Formal)
Premier
(Spoken)
Seat Adelaide
Appointer Governor of South Australia
Term length At the Governor's pleasure
Inaugural holder Boyle Finniss
Formation 24 October 1856
Salary $374,648 (AUD) [1]
Website http://premier.sa.gov.au/

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.

Contents

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)
No.Name
(Birth–Death)
Constituency		PortraitTerm of Office
Start–End–Days		Elected
(Parliament)		PartyGovernment
Colonial Government (1856–1901)
1 Boyle Finniss
(1807–1893)
MHA for Adelaide 		24 October 185621 August 1857301 1857 (1st) Independent Finniss
2 John Baker
(1813–1872)
Councillor 		21 August 18571 September 185711— (1st) Independent Baker
3 Robert Torrens
(1814–1884)
MHA for Adelaide 		1 September 185730 September 185729— (1st) Independent Torrens
4 Richard Hanson
(1805–1876)
MHA for Adelaide 		30 September 18579 May 1860952— (1st) Independent Hanson
5 Thomas Reynolds
(1818–1875)
MHA for Adelaide 		9 May 18608 October 1861517 1860 (2nd) Independent Reynolds (1st)
Reynolds (2nd)
6 George Waterhouse
(1824–1906)
Councillor 		8 October 18614 July 1863634— (2nd)
1862 (3rd)		 Independent Waterhouse (1st)
Waterhouse (2nd)
7 Francis Dutton
(1818–1877)
MHA for Light 		4 July 186315 July 186311— (3rd) Independent Dutton (1st)
8 Henry Ayers
(1821–1897)
Councillor 		15 July 18634 August 1864386— (3rd) Independent Ayers (1st)
Ayers (2nd)
9 Arthur Blyth
(1823–1890)
MHA for Gumeracha 		4 August 186422 March 1865230— (3rd) Independent Blyth (1st)
(7)Francis Dutton 22 March 186520 September 1865182 1865 (4th) Independent Dutton (2nd)
(8)Henry Ayers 20 September 186523 October 186533— (4th) Independent Ayers (3rd)
10 John Hart
(1809–1873)
MHA for Port Adelaide 		23 October 186528 March 1866156— (4th) Independent Hart (1st)
11 James Boucaut
(1831–1916)
MHA for Encounter Bay 		28 March 18663 May 1867401— (4th) Independent Boucaut (1st)
(8)Henry Ayers 3 May 186724 September 1868510— (4th)
1868 (5th)		 Independent Ayers (4th)
(10)John Hart
MHA for Light 		24 September 186813 October 186819— (5th) Independent Hart (2nd)
(8)Henry Ayers 13 October 18683 November 186821— (5th) Independent Ayers (5th)
12 Henry Strangways
(1832–1920)
MHA for West Torrens 		3 November 186830 May 1870573— (5th)
1870 (6th)		 Independent Strangways (1st)
Strangways (2nd)
(10)John Hart
MHA for The Burra 		30 May 187010 November 1871529— (6th) Independent Hart (3rd)
(9)Arthur Blyth 10 November 187122 January 187273— (6th)
1871 (7th)		 Independent Blyth (2nd)
(8)Henry Ayers 22 January 187222 July 1873517— (7th) Independent Ayers (6th)
Ayers (7th)
(9)Arthur Blyth 22 July 18733 June 1875681— (7th)
1875 (8th)		 Independent Blyth (3rd)
(11)James Boucaut 3 June 18756 June 1876369— (8th) Independent Boucaut (2nd)
Boucaut (3rd)
13 John Colton
(1823–1902)
MHA for Noarlunga 		6 June 187626 October 1877507— (8th) Independent Colton (1st)
(11)James Boucaut 26 October 187727 September 1878336— (8th)
1878 (9th)		 Independent Boucaut (4th)
14 William Morgan
(1828–1883)
Councillor 		27 September 187824 June 18811001— (9th)
1881 (10th)		 Independent Morgan
15 John Bray
(1842–1894)
MHA for East Adelaide 		24 June 188116 June 18841088— (10th)
1884 (11th)		 Independent Bray
(13)John Colton 16 June 188416 June 1885365— (11th) Independent Colton (2nd)
16 John Downer
(1843–1915)
MHA for Barossa 		16 June 188511 June 1887725— (11th)
1887 (12th)		 Independent Downer (1st)
17 Thomas Playford (II)
(1837–1915)
MHA for Newcastle 		11 June 188727 June 1889747— (12th) Independent Playford II (1st)
18 John Cockburn
(1850–1929)
MHA for Mount Barker 		27 June 188919 August 1890418— (12th)
1890 (13th)		 Liberalism Cockburn
(17)Thomas Playford (II)
MHA for East Torrens 		19 August 189021 June 1892672— (13th) Conservatism Playford II (2nd)
19 Frederick Holder
(1850–1909)
MHA for Burra 		21 June 189215 October 1892116— (13th) Liberalism Holder (1st)
(16)John Downer 15 October 189216 June 1893244— (13th) Conservatism Downer (2nd)
20 Charles Kingston
(1850–1908)
MHA for West Adelaide 		16 June 18931 December 18992359 1893 (14th)
1896 (15th)
1899 (16th)		 Liberalism Kingston
21 Vaiben Solomon
(1853–1908)
MHA for Northern Territory 		1 December 18998 December 18997— (16th) Conservatism Solomon
(19)Frederick Holder 8 December 189915 May 1901523— (16th) Liberalism Holder (2nd)
State Government (1901–present)
22 John Jenkins
(1851–1923)
MHA for Torrens 		15 May 19011 March 19051386— (16th)
1902 (17th)		 Liberalism Jenkins
23 Richard Butler
(1850–1925)
MHA for Barossa 		1 March 190526 July 1905147— (17th) Conservatism Butler I
24 Thomas Price
(1852–1909)
MHA for Torrens 		26 July 19055 June 19091410 1905 (18th)
1906 (19th)		 United Labor Price
25 Archibald Peake
(1859–1920)
MHA for Victoria & Albert 		5 June 19093 June 1910363— (19th) Liberal &
Democratic Union 		Peake (1st)
26 John Verran
(1856–1932)
MHA for Wallaroo 		3 June 191017 February 1912624 1910 (20th) United Labor Verran
(25)Archibald Peake 17 February 19123 April 19151141 1912 (21st) Liberal Union Peake (2nd)
27 Crawford Vaughan
(1874–1947)
MHA for Sturt 		3 April 191514 July 1917833 1915 (22nd) United Labor Vaughan
(25)Archibald Peake 14 July 19178 April 1920999— (22nd)
1918 (23rd)		 Liberal Union Peake (3rd)
28 Henry Barwell
(1877–1959)
MHA for Stanley 		8 April 192016 April 19241469— (23rd)
1921 (24th)		 Liberal Union
(until 1923)
 Liberal Federation
(from 1923)		 Barwell
29 John Gunn
(1884–1959)
MHA for Adelaide 		16 April 192428 August 1926864 1924 (25th) Labor Gunn
30 Lionel Hill
(1881–1963)
MHA for Port Pirie 		28 August 19268 April 1927223— (25th) Labor Hill (1st)
31 Richard L. Butler
(1885–1966)
MHA for Wooroora 		8 April 192717 April 19301105 1927 (26th) Liberal Federation Butler II (1st)
(30)Lionel Hill 17 April 193013 February 19331033 1930 (27th) Labor Hill (2nd)
32 Robert Richards
(1885–1967)
MHA for Wallaroo 		13 February 193318 April 193364— (27th) Labor Richards
(31)Richard L. Butler 18 April 19335 November 19382027 1933 (28th)
1938 (29th)		 Liberal and
Country League 		Butler II (2nd)
33 Thomas Playford (IV)
(1896–1981)
MHA for Gumeracha 		5 November 193810 March 19659622— (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 19651 June 1967813 1965 (38th) Labor Walsh
35 Don Dunstan
(1926–1999)
MHA for Norwood 		1 June 196717 April 1968321— (38th) Labor Dunstan (1st)
36 Steele Hall
(born 1928)
MHA for Gouger 		17 April 19682 June 1970776 1968 (39th) Liberal and
Country League 		Hall
(35)Don Dunstan 2 June 197015 February 19793180 1970 (40th)
1973 (41st)
1975 (42nd)
1977 (43rd)
 Labor Dunstan (2nd)
37 Des Corcoran
(1928–2004)
MHA for Hartley 		15 February 197918 September 1979215— (43rd) Labor Corcoran
38 David Tonkin
(1929–2000)
MHA for Bragg 		18 September 197910 November 19821149 1979 (44th) Liberal Tonkin
39 John Bannon
(1943–2015)
MHA for Ross Smith 		10 November 19824 September 19923586 1982 (45th)
1985 (46th)
1989 (47th)		 Labor Bannon
40 Lynn Arnold
(born 1949)
MHA for Ramsay 		4 September 199214 December 1993466— (47th) Labor Arnold
41 Dean Brown
(born 1943)
MHA for Finniss 		14 December 199328 November 19961080 1993 (48th) Liberal Brown
42 John Olsen
(born 1945)
MHA for Kavel 		28 November 199622 October 20011789— (48th)
1997 (49th)		 Liberal Olsen
43 Rob Kerin
(born 1954)
MHA for Frome 		22 October 20015 March 2002165— (49th) Liberal Kerin
44 Mike Rann
(born 1953)
MHA for Ramsay 		5 March 200221 October 20113517 2002 (50th)
2006 (51st)
2010 (52nd)		 Labor Rann
45 Jay Weatherill
(born 1964)
MHA for Cheltenham 		21 October 201119 March 20182341— (52nd)
2014 (53rd)		 Labor Weatherill
46 Steven Marshall
(born 1968)
MHA for Dunstan 		19 March 2018—119 2018 (54th) Liberal Marshall

Living former premiers

Former South Australian premiers (from left) Robert Richards, Richard L. Butler, Lionel Hill and Henry Barwell meet with then Premier Tom Playford in 1940

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.

NameTerm as premierDate of birth
Steele Hall 1968–197028 November 1928 (age 89)
Lynn Arnold 1992–199327 January 1949 (age 69)
Dean Brown 1993–19965 April 1943 (age 75)
John Olsen 1996–20017 June 1945 (age 73)
Rob Kerin 2001–20024 January 1954 (age 64)
Mike Rann 2002–20115 January 1953 (age 65)
Jay Weatherill 2011–20183 April 1964 (age 54)

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.

Steven MarshallJay WeatherillMike RannRob KerinJohn OlsenDean BrownLynn ArnoldJohn BannonDavid TonkinDes CorcoranSteele HallDon DunstanFrank WalshThomas Playford IVRobert Richards (Australian politician)Richard Layton ButlerLionel HillJohn Gunn (Australian politician)Henry BarwellCrawford VaughanJohn VerranArchibald PeakeThomas PriceRichard Butler (Australian politician)John Jenkins (Australian politician)Vaiben SolomonCharles KingstonFrederick HolderJohn Cockburn (Australian politician)Thomas Playford IIJohn DownerJohn Cox BrayWilliam Morgan (Australian politician)John ColtonHenry StrangwaysJames BoucautJohn Hart (South Australian colonist)Arthur BlythHenry AyresFrancis DuttonGeorge Marsden WaterhouseThomas ReynoldsRichard Hanson (Australian politician)Robert TorrensJohn Baker (Australian politician)Boyle Finniss

See also

References

  1. ↑ "'Extraordinary' $30,000 MP pay rise under fire from South Australian welfare groups". ABC News. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
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