Premier of Western Australia
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The premier of Western Australia is the
head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a ...
of the state of
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...
. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the
prime minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is also accountable to federal parliament under the princip ...
at a federal level. The premier leads the executive branch of the
Government of Western Australia The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government o ...
and is accountable to the
Parliament of Western Australia The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Western Australia, forming the legislative branch of the Government of Western Australia. The parliament consists of a lower house, the Legislati ...
. The premier is appointed by the governor of Western Australia. By convention, the governor appoints as premier whoever has the support of the majority of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. In practice, this means that the premier is the leader of the political party or group of parties with a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly (
lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
). Since Western Australia achieved self-governance in 1890, there have been 31 premiers. Mark McGowan is the current premier, having been appointed to the position on 17 March 2017.


History

The position of premier is not mentioned in the constitution of Western Australia. From 1890 to 1917, the premier was not an official position, rather, it was the title unofficially given, but widely used to refer, to the head of the government. When Western Australia became a
self-governing colony In the British Empire, a self-governing colony was a colony with an elected government in which elected rulers were able to make most decisions without referring to the colonial power with nominal control of the colony. This was in contrast t ...
in 1890, Governor William Robinson initially indicated he would use the title ''prime minister'' to refer to the head of the government. However, after he selected
John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister ...
, the title ''premier'' was used for consistency with the other Australian colonies. The position was first officially mentioned when the governor appointed Henry Lefroy as premier on 28 June 1917. However, when the governor designated and declared the six executive offices of the government on 2 July 1917, the position of premier was not listed, creating an ambiguity. It was not until 3 April 1947 that the premier became one of the executive offices of the government. The most common cause for a change of premier is an election. Since the 1990s, elections have occurred roughly every four years. Before then, elections were at most three years apart, except for during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. A less common cause for a change of premier is the ruling party changing its leader. This can occur as a result of a resignation, death or leadership spill. In this case, the new premier is whoever the party elects as its new leader. Another cause for a change of premier is a loss of majority support in the legislative assembly. This commonly occurred in the first three decades of self-governance, but has not occurred since 1916. If this occurs, the premier must either resign or be dismissed by the governor.


Powers and function

The powers of the premier are set out by convention and by legislation. By convention, the premier advises the Monarch of Australia as to who to appoint as governor. The premier advises the governor as to who to appoint to
cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...
and which portfolios should be given to each cabinet minister, and the governor follows this advice by convention. The premier sets out the responsibilities of ministers and the acts that they would administer. The premier leads the cabinet and chairs cabinet meetings. They communicate with the governor, the cabinet, the state government, other state and territory governments, the federal government, and overseas governments. The premier advises the governor on when state elections should be held. They oversee the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. Whilst premier, they stay as a member of parliament, and they retain their responsibility for representing their electorate.


Characteristics

As of 2022, there have been 31 premiers of Western Australia.
Carmen Lawrence Carmen Mary Lawrence (born 2 March 1948) is an Australian academic and former politician who was the Premier of Western Australia from 1990 to 1993, the first woman to become the premier of an Australian state. A member of the Labor Party, s ...
, who was appointed on 12 February 1990, is the first and only woman to be premier of Western Australia. She is also the first woman to be premier of an Australian state. By convention, the premier is a member of the Legislative Assembly. However, the premier can be a member of either house of parliament.
Hal Colebatch Sir Harry Pateshall Colebatch (29 March 1872 – 12 February 1953) was a long-serving and occasionally controversial figure in Western Australian politics. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for nearly 20 years, the ...
is the only premier to be a member of the Legislative Council (
upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...
). He served for 30 days in 1919, making him the shortest serving premier of Western Australia. David Brand is the longest serving premier, serving for 11 years and 335 days between 1959 and 1971. The youngest premier is
John Scaddan John Scaddan, CMG (4 August 1876 – 21 November 1934), popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916. Early life John Scaddan was born in Moonta, South Australia, into a Cornish A ...
, who was 35 years, 2 months and 3 days old when he was sworn in in 1911. The oldest premier is
John Tonkin John Trezise Tonkin AC (2 February 1902 – 20 October 1995), popularly known as "Honest John", was an Australian politician. A member of the Labor Party, he served as a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for a record 44 ...
, who was 69 years, 1 month and 1 day old when he was sworn in in 1971. Newton Moore became premier after two years in parliament, the least time aside from John Forrest. John Tonkin became premier after almost 38 years in parliament, the most time in parliament before becoming premier. The only father and son pair to have both been premier is Charles Court and his son
Richard Court Richard Fairfax Court (born 27 September 1947) is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001 and as Australian Ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2020. A member of the Liberal Party, ...
. George Leake, who died of pneumonia on 24 June 1902, is the only premier to have died in office. Newton Moore, Philip Collier, John Willcock and
Geoff Gallop Geoffrey Ian Gallop (born 27 September 1951) is an Australian academic and former politician who served as the 27th Premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006. He is currently a professor and director of the Graduate School of Government a ...
are the only premiers to have resigned due to ill health. The only premier to subsequently serve as governor is James Mitchell. Two former premiers have been sentenced to jail. In 1994, Brian Burke was sentenced to two years in jail for defrauding the state by $17,000 by making false claims on the parliamentary imprest account. He was released on parole after serving seven months. In 1995, Ray O'Connor was sentenced to six months in jail for stealing a $25,000 cheque from the Bond Corporation during his time as premier. In 1997, Burke was sentenced to three years jail for stealing $122,585 in Labor Party campaign donations. He served six months before this conviction was quashed upon appeal.


List


Premiers to have gone into federal politics

The premiers to have gone into federal politics are
John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister ...
,
Hal Colebatch Sir Harry Pateshall Colebatch (29 March 1872 – 12 February 1953) was a long-serving and occasionally controversial figure in Western Australian politics. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for nearly 20 years, the ...
and
Carmen Lawrence Carmen Mary Lawrence (born 2 March 1948) is an Australian academic and former politician who was the Premier of Western Australia from 1990 to 1993, the first woman to become the premier of an Australian state. A member of the Labor Party, s ...
.


Ministries held by premiers

Prior to 2001, the premier was typically the
treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...
(colonial treasurer prior to 1924) as well. Since then, the only premiers to also be treasurer are Colin Barnett, who held the position intermittently, and Mark McGowan, who has held the position since March 2021.


Birthplace

There are 16 premiers born in Western Australia, eight premiers born in the eastern parts of Australia, and six premiers born outside Australia. Every premier born in the eastern parts of Australia is a Labor Premier, and every Labor premier prior to
John Tonkin John Trezise Tonkin AC (2 February 1902 – 20 October 1995), popularly known as "Honest John", was an Australian politician. A member of the Labor Party, he served as a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for a record 44 ...
was born in the eastern parts of Australia. Every premier born outside Australia is a non-Labor premier, and all were born in the
British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isl ...
. Two premiers came from Bunbury:
John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister ...
and James Mitchell.
Ross McLarty Sir Duncan Ross McLarty, (17 March 1891 – 22 December 1962) was an Australian politician and the 17th Premier of Western Australia. Early life McLarty was born in Pinjarra, Western Australia, the youngest of seven children of Edward McLarty ...
was born in the small town of Pinjarra, David Brand was born in Dongara, and
John Tonkin John Trezise Tonkin AC (2 February 1902 – 20 October 1995), popularly known as "Honest John", was an Australian politician. A member of the Labor Party, he served as a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for a record 44 ...
was born in
Boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In ...
.
Carmen Lawrence Carmen Mary Lawrence (born 2 March 1948) is an Australian academic and former politician who was the Premier of Western Australia from 1990 to 1993, the first woman to become the premier of an Australian state. A member of the Labor Party, s ...
was born in Northam but grew up in Gutha, Morawa and Dongara.
Geoff Gallop Geoffrey Ian Gallop (born 27 September 1951) is an Australian academic and former politician who served as the 27th Premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006. He is currently a professor and director of the Graduate School of Government a ...
was born and raised in Geraldton. Alan Carpenter was born and raised in Albany. The eight remaining premiers were born in
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
.


Age

The
median In statistics and probability theory, the median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as "the middle" value. The basic f ...
age of a premier on the first day of their first term is roughly 49 years, and 280 days which falls between Mark McGowan and Philip Collier. The youngest person to assume the office was
John Scaddan John Scaddan, CMG (4 August 1876 – 21 November 1934), popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916. Early life John Scaddan was born in Moonta, South Australia, into a Cornish A ...
at 35 years and 64 days. The oldest person to assume office was
John Tonkin John Trezise Tonkin AC (2 February 1902 – 20 October 1995), popularly known as "Honest John", was an Australian politician. A member of the Labor Party, he served as a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for a record 44 ...
at 69 years and 29 days. The oldest living former premier is Peter Dowding, born 6 October 1943 (age ). The youngest living former premier is Alan Carpenter, born 4 January 1957, (age ). The youngest living premier is the incumbent Mark McGowan, born 13 July 1967, (age ). The longest-lived premier was Charles Court who died on 22 December 2007 aged 96 years and 84 days.
John Tonkin John Trezise Tonkin AC (2 February 1902 – 20 October 1995), popularly known as "Honest John", was an Australian politician. A member of the Labor Party, he served as a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for a record 44 ...
was the second longest-lived premier, aged 93 years and 260 days, 2 years and 189 days short of Court. The oldest living premier, Peter Dowding will tie Tonkin if he lives to 23 June 2037, and tie Court if he lives to 29 December 2039. The shortest-lived premier was George Leake who died in office at the age of 45 years and 203 days on 24 June 1902. The premier with the longest retirement is
Frank Wise Frank Joseph Scott Wise Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (30 May 1897 – 29 June 1986) was a Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch), Labor Party politician who was the 16th Premier of Western Australia. He took office on 31 J ...
. He left office on 1 April 1947, and died 39 years and 89 days later on 29 June 1986. Brian Burke left office on 25 February 1988. If he's still alive on 25 May 2027, he will surpass Wise's record, and become the premier with the longest retirement. The premier with the shortest retirement is Frank Wilson, who died on 7 December 1918, 1 year and 162 days after leaving office on 28 June 1917.


Living former premiers

As of , there are seven former premiers alive, as well as the current premier. The most recent premier to die is Ray O'Connor, who died on 25 February 2013 aged 86.


Oldest living premiers of Western Australia

Not all premiers live to become the oldest of their time. Of the 22 deceased premiers, 12 eventually became the oldest of their time, while 10 did not.
Frank Wise Frank Joseph Scott Wise Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (30 May 1897 – 29 June 1986) was a Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch), Labor Party politician who was the 16th Premier of Western Australia. He took office on 31 J ...
became the oldest living premier when
Ross McLarty Sir Duncan Ross McLarty, (17 March 1891 – 22 December 1962) was an Australian politician and the 17th Premier of Western Australia. Early life McLarty was born in Pinjarra, Western Australia, the youngest of seven children of Edward McLarty ...
died in 1962 and remained so until his death in 1986, for a record 23 years and 189 days.
Hal Colebatch Sir Harry Pateshall Colebatch (29 March 1872 – 12 February 1953) was a long-serving and occasionally controversial figure in Western Australian politics. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for nearly 20 years, the ...
became the oldest living premier when James Mitchell died in 1951, but he survived Mitchell by only 1 year and 201 days. On one occasion the oldest living premier lost this distinction not by his death, but due to the appointment of a premier who was older.
John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister ...
lost this distinction when George Throssell was appointed, but when Throssell died in 1910, Forrest regained it again until his own death in 1918 for a total period of 18 years and 51 days.
John Tonkin John Trezise Tonkin AC (2 February 1902 – 20 October 1995), popularly known as "Honest John", was an Australian politician. A member of the Labor Party, he served as a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for a record 44 ...
was the oldest to acquire this distinction at the age of 84 years, and 147 days.
Albert Hawke Albert Redvers George Hawke (3 December 1900 – 14 February 1986) was the 18th Premier of Western Australia. He served from 23 February 1953 to 2 April 1959, and represented the Labor Party. Hawke was born in South Australia, and began ...
, who was aged 85 years, and 73 days when he died, on 14 February 1986 was the oldest and most recent premier to die without ever acquiring this distinction. Updated daily according to UTC.


Graphical timeline

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:12 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:100 right:150 left:15 AlignBars = late DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1890 till:07/06/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:1890 Colors= id:canvas value:gray(0.5) id:LIB value:blue legend:Liberal id:NAT value:powderblue legend:Nationalist id:LWA value:skyblue legend:Liberal_(pre–1917) id:LAB value:red legend:Labor id:MIN value:tan1 legend:Ministerialist id:OPP value:dullyellow legend:Opposition Legend = columns:3 left:150 top:50 columnwidth:200 TextData = pos:(20,55) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:"Political parties:" BarData = bar:JohnForrest bar:GeorgeThrossell bar:GeorgeLeake bar:AlfMorgans bar:WalterJames bar:HenryDaglish bar:HectorRason bar:NewtonMoore bar:FrankWilson bar:JohnScaddan bar:HenryLefroy bar:HalColebatch bar:JamesMitchell bar:PhilipCollier bar:JohnWillcock bar:FrankWise bar:RossMcLarty bar:AlbertHawke bar:DavidBrand bar:JohnTonkin bar:CharlesCourt bar:RayO'Connor bar:BrianBurke bar:PeterDowding bar:CarmenLawrence bar:RichardCourt bar:GeoffGallop bar:AlanCarpenter bar:ColinBarnett bar:MarkMcGowan PlotData = width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till bar:JohnForrest from:29/12/1890 till:14/02/1901 color:MIN text:"
John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister ...
(1890–1901)" bar:GeorgeThrossell from:14/02/1901 till:27/05/1901 color:MIN text:" George Throssell (1901)" bar:GeorgeLeake from:27/05/1901 till:21/11/1901 color:OPP from:23/12/1901 till:24/06/1902 color:OPP text:" George Leake (1901, 1901–1902)" bar:AlfMorgans from:21/11/1901 till:23/12/1901 color:MIN text:" Alf Morgans (1901)" bar:WalterJames from:01/07/1902 till:10/08/1904 color:OPP text:" Walter James (1902–1904)" bar:HenryDaglish from:10/08/1904 till:25/08/1905 color:LAB text:" Henry Daglish (1904–1905)" bar:HectorRason from:25/08/1905 till:07/05/1906 color:MIN text:" Hector Rason (1905–1906)" bar:NewtonMoore from:07/05/1906 till:16/09/1910 color:MIN text:" Newton Moore (1906–1910)" bar:FrankWilson from:16/09/1910 till:07/10/1911 color:MIN from:27/07/1916 till:28/06/1917 color:LWA text:" Frank Wilson (1910–1911, 1916–1917)" bar:JohnScaddan from:07/10/1911 till:27/07/1916 color:LAB text:"
John Scaddan John Scaddan, CMG (4 August 1876 – 21 November 1934), popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916. Early life John Scaddan was born in Moonta, South Australia, into a Cornish A ...
(1911–1916)" bar:HenryLefroy from:28/06/1917 till:17/04/1919 color:NAT text:" Henry Lefroy (1917–1919)" bar:HalColebatch from:17/04/1919 till:17/05/1919 color:NAT text:"
Hal Colebatch Sir Harry Pateshall Colebatch (29 March 1872 – 12 February 1953) was a long-serving and occasionally controversial figure in Western Australian politics. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for nearly 20 years, the ...
(1919)" bar:JamesMitchell from:17/05/1919 till:16/04/1924 color:NAT from:24/04/1930 till:24/04/1933 color:NAT text:" James Mitchell (1919–1924, 1930–1933)" bar:PhilipCollier from:16/04/1924 till:24/04/1930 color:LAB from:24/04/1933 till:19/08/1936 color:LAB text:" Philip Collier (1924–1930, 1933–1936)" bar:JohnWillcock from:20/08/1936 till:31/07/1945 color:LAB text:" John Willcock (1936–1945)" bar:FrankWise from:31/07/1945 till:01/04/1947 color:LAB text:"
Frank Wise Frank Joseph Scott Wise Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (30 May 1897 – 29 June 1986) was a Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch), Labor Party politician who was the 16th Premier of Western Australia. He took office on 31 J ...
(1945–1947)" bar:RossMcLarty from:01/04/1947 till:23/02/1953 color:LIB text:"
Ross McLarty Sir Duncan Ross McLarty, (17 March 1891 – 22 December 1962) was an Australian politician and the 17th Premier of Western Australia. Early life McLarty was born in Pinjarra, Western Australia, the youngest of seven children of Edward McLarty ...
(1947–1953)" bar:AlbertHawke from:23/02/1953 till:02/04/1959 color:LAB text:"
Albert Hawke Albert Redvers George Hawke (3 December 1900 – 14 February 1986) was the 18th Premier of Western Australia. He served from 23 February 1953 to 2 April 1959, and represented the Labor Party. Hawke was born in South Australia, and began ...
(1953–1959)" bar:DavidBrand from:02/04/1959 till:03/03/1971 color:LIB text:" David Brand (1959–1971)" bar:JohnTonkin from:03/03/1971 till:08/04/1974 color:LAB text:"
John Tonkin John Trezise Tonkin AC (2 February 1902 – 20 October 1995), popularly known as "Honest John", was an Australian politician. A member of the Labor Party, he served as a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for a record 44 ...
(1971–1974)" bar:CharlesCourt from:08/04/1974 till:25/01/1982 color:LIB text:" Charles Court (1974–1982)" bar:RayO'Connor from:25/01/1982 till:25/02/1983 color:LIB text:" Ray O'Connor (1982–1983)" bar:BrianBurke from:25/02/1983 till:25/02/1988 color:LAB text:" Brian Burke (1983–1988)" bar:PeterDowding from:25/02/1988 till:12/02/1990 color:LAB text:" Peter Dowding (1988–1990)" bar:CarmenLawrence from:12/02/1990 till:16/02/1993 color:LAB text:"
Carmen Lawrence Carmen Mary Lawrence (born 2 March 1948) is an Australian academic and former politician who was the Premier of Western Australia from 1990 to 1993, the first woman to become the premier of an Australian state. A member of the Labor Party, s ...
(1990–1993)" bar:RichardCourt from:16/02/1993 till:10/02/2001 color:LIB text:"
Richard Court Richard Fairfax Court (born 27 September 1947) is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001 and as Australian Ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2020. A member of the Liberal Party, ...
(1993–2001)" bar:GeoffGallop from:10/02/2001 till:25/01/2006 color:LAB text:"
Geoff Gallop Geoffrey Ian Gallop (born 27 September 1951) is an Australian academic and former politician who served as the 27th Premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006. He is currently a professor and director of the Graduate School of Government a ...
(2001–2006)" bar:AlanCarpenter from:25/01/2006 till:23/09/2008 color:LAB text:" Alan Carpenter (2006–2008)" bar:ColinBarnett from:23/09/2008 till:17/03/2017 color:LIB text:" Colin Barnett (2008–2017)" bar:MarkMcGowan from:17/03/2017 till:end color:LAB text:" Mark McGowan (2017–present)"


References


Bibliography

* * {{Western Australian ministerial portfolios
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...
* Premiers