The deputy prime minister of Australia is the deputy head of government and the second highest ranking officer of the Australian Government. The office of deputy prime minister was officially created as a ministerial portfolio in 1968, although the title had been used informally for many years previously. The deputy prime minister is appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister. When Australia has a Labor government, the deputy leader of the parliamentary party holds the position of deputy prime minister. When Australia has a Coalition government, the Coalition Agreement mandates that all Coalition members support the leader of the Liberal Party becoming prime minister and the leader of the National Party becoming the deputy prime minister.
History Early and unofficial usage
Originally the position of deputy prime minister was an unofficial or honorary position accorded to the second-highest ranking minister in the government. The unofficial position acquired more significance following the 1922 federal election, which saw the governing Nationalist Party lose its parliamentary majority. The Nationalists eventually reached a coalition agreement with the Country Party, which called for Country Party leader Earle Page to take the second rank in the Nationalist-led ministry of Stanley Bruce. While Page's only official title was treasurer, he was considered as a deputy to Bruce.PrimeFacts: Deputy Prime Ministers of Australia Since then, the Coalition agreement between the Liberals (and their predecessors) and Country Party called for the leader of the Country Party (subsequently the National Party) to rank second in Cabinet. That continues to be the case when the Coalition is in government. In the case of Labor governments, the party's deputy leader ranks second in Cabinet.
Although no office of that name had officially been created, by 1946 the title "deputy prime minister" was being used in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. According to political historian Colin Hughes, the title was in common usage in official ministerial lists by the 1960s but the designation was "not of an official post and no firm date for its inception can be provided".
According to parliamentary records, in the time before the position of deputy prime minister was officially created, the position was known as "deputy leader of the Government."
Official usage The formal title of "deputy prime minister" was created when the first Gorton ministry was formed on 10 January 1968. The inaugural holder was John McEwen, the long-serving leader of the Country Party, who had been appointed prime minister following the disappearance of Harold Holt in December 1967 and was succeeded by John Gorton after a Liberal leadership election. McEwen had been the de facto deputy prime minister since becoming Country Party leader in 1958.
Since 1968 three deputy prime ministers have gone on to become prime minister, all Australian Labor Party politicians: Paul Keating, Julia Gillard, and Anthony Albanese. Both Keating and Gillard succeeded incumbent prime ministers who lost the support of their party caucus mid-term, while Albanese briefly served as deputy prime minister in 2013 and later led Labor to victory at the 2022 federal election. Frank Forde, who had been deputy Labor leader when John Curtin died, was interim prime minister between 6 and 13 July 1945, when a leadership ballot took place that elected Ben Chifley as Curtin's successor.
In November 2007, when the Labor Party won government, Julia Gillard became Australia's first female, and first foreign-born, deputy prime minister.
Vacancies The position was vacant for 12 days in 1975 at the height of the Loans Affair; Jim Cairns had been dismissed from Cabinet on 2 July and had his office of deputy prime minister revoked by Gough Whitlam, but he remained deputy leader of the Labor Party until his successor, Frank Crean, was elected by Caucus on 14 July.
In 2017, the position became vacant for a period of 40 days, the longest time in its history when it has been unoccupied. As part of the 2017–18 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis, it emerged that the then-incumbent Barnaby Joyce was a citizen of New Zealand by descent (jus sanguinis – by right of blood) at the time of the 2016 federal election. Joyce told the House of Representatives that he was advised of his citizenship status on 10 August 2017 by the New Zealand High Commission and his renunciation of his dual citizenship became effective on 15 August 2017. Nevertheless, he asked for his case to be referred to the High Court of Australia (sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns) for adjudication, and they ruled that his election was invalid under section 44 of the Constitution of Australia. The government immediately issued writs for a by-election for the seat of New England to be held on 2 December 2017, which Joyce won easily. Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove re-appointed Joyce as deputy prime minister on 6 December 2017.
Duties The deputy prime minister has always been a member of the Cabinet, and has always held at least one substantive portfolio.
Succession
The deputy prime minister becomes acting prime minister if the prime minister is unable to undertake their role for a short time, for example if they are ill, overseas or on leave (and if both are unavailable, then another senior minister takes on this role). If the prime minister were to die, the established convention is that the deputy prime minister would be appointed prime minister by the governor-general, until the government votes for another member to be its leader.
Salary , members of parliament receive a base salary of $203,030, which is set by the Remuneration Tribunal (an independent statutory authority). Ministers receive an additional amount, which is determined by the government itself based on the recommendations of the Remuneration Tribunal.Determination 2017/23: Members of Parliament, Remuneration Tribunal. Retrieved 20 February 2018. the deputy prime minister receives an additional 105 percent of the base salary, making for a total salary of $416,212.Report on Ministers of State - Salaries Additional to the Basic Parliamentary Salary, Remuneration Tribunal. Retrieved 20 February 2018. The holder of the office also receives various other allowances and entitlements.
List of deputy prime ministers of Australia The following individuals have been officially appointed as deputy prime minister of Australia since the office of deputy prime minister was created as a ministerial portfolio in 1968: Portrait Deputy Prime MinisterPolitical Party and position Portfolio(s) Term of office Prime MinisterTook officeLeft officeTime in office1 John McEwen(1900–1980) Country Leader 1958–71 Trade and Industry John Gorton2 Doug Anthony(1929–2020) Country Leader 1971–84 William McMahon3 Lance Barnard(1919–1997) Labor Deputy Leader 1967–74 Defence Gough Whitlam4 Jim Cairns(1914–2003) Labor Deputy Leader 1974–75 Treasurer Office vacant5 Frank Crean(1916–2008) Labor Deputy Leader 1975 Overseas Trade (2) Doug Anthony(1929–2020) Country NationalLeader 1971–84 Trade and Resources Malcolm Fraser6 Lionel Bowen(1922–2012) Labor Deputy Leader 1977–90 TradeAttorney-General Bob Hawke7 Paul Keating(b. 1944) Labor Deputy Leader 1990–91 Treasurer 8 Brian Howe(b. 1936)Labor Deputy Leader 1991–95 Health, Housing and Community Services, Assisting for Social Justice, Assisting for Commonwealth-State Relations Paul Keating Housing, Local Government and Community Services Housing, Local Government and Human Services Housing and Regional Development 9 Kim Beazley(b.1948) Labor Deputy Leader 1995–96 Finance 10 Tim Fischer(1946–2019) National Leader 1990–99 Trade John Howard11 John Anderson(b. 1956) National Leader 1999–2005 Transport and Regional Development 12 Mark Vaile(b. 1956) National Leader 2005–2007 TradeTransport and Regional Services 13 Julia Gillard(b. 1961) LaborDeputy Leader 2006–10 Employment and Workplace RelationsEducationSocial Inclusion Kevin Rudd14 Wayne Swan(b. 1954) Labor Deputy Leader 2010–13 Treasurer Julia Gillard15 Anthony Albanese(b. 1963) Labor Deputy Leader 2013 Broadband, Communications and the Digital EconomyInfrastructure and Transport Kevin Rudd16 Warren Truss(b. 1948) National Leader 2007–16 Infrastructure and Regional Development Tony AbbottMalcolm Turnbull17 Barnaby Joyce(b. 1967) NationalLeader 2016–18 Agriculture and Water ResourcesResources and Northern Australia (2017) Office vacantInfrastructure and Transport 18 Michael McCormack(b.1964) National Leader 2018–2021 Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Scott Morrison(17)Barnaby Joyce(b. 1967)National Leader 2021–2022 19 Richard Marles(b. 1967) Labor Deputy Leader 2019–present Defence Incumbent Anthony Albanese
Living former deputy prime ministers As of , there are 11 living former deputy prime ministers of Australia, the oldest being Brian Howe (born 1936). The most recent former deputy prime minister to die was Doug Anthony (1971–72, 1975–83), on 20 December 2020. The most recent serving former deputy prime minister to die was Tim Fischer (1996–99), on 22 August 2019. Paul Keating (1990–91) Brian Howe (1991–95) Kim Beazley (1995–96) John Anderson (1999–05) Mark Vaile (2005–07) Julia Gillard (2007–10) Wayne Swan (2010–13) Anthony Albanese (2013) Warren Truss (2013–16) Barnaby Joyce (2016–18, 2021–22) Michael McCormack (2018–21)
List of assistant ministers to the deputy prime minister The role of assistant minister to the deputy prime minister was created in the first Turnbull ministry in September 2015 where Michael McCormack was appointed as the inaugural officeholder under Warren Truss. The retirement of Truss saw Barnaby Joyce elected as leader of National Party and deputy prime minister and with it Keith Pitt's appointment. Luke Hartsuyker was appointed to the role as the start of Turnbull's second ministry serving until the reshuffle in December 2017 where Damian Drum took over. With Joyce's resignation in February 2018 and the subsequent election of McCormack as leader, the cabinet was reshuffled again. Drum was dropped from the ministry and Pitt was once again appointed. Andrew Broad was appointed as McCormack's assistant minister in the first Morrison ministry but resigned in December 2018 following a sex scandal. He was replaced by Andrew Gee in January 2019. Following the Coalition's election victory in May 2019, Gee remained in the position at the start of the second Morrison ministry until the National Party leadership spill in February 2020. This resulted in a reshuffle with Gee being promoted to the outer ministry and Kevin Hogan appointment to the role. Hogan became the longest-serving assistant minister, remaining in the role until the end of the Morrison government in May 2022 and seeing the return of Joyce as the deputy prime minister in June 2021. The role has not been included in either of Albanese's ministries since being elected prime minister.
Order Minister Party affiliation Ministry Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office Ref 1 Michael McCormack National 1st Turnbull Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister 2 Keith Pitt National 3 Luke Hartsuyker National 2nd Turnbull 4 Damian Drum (2) Keith Pitt National 5 Andrew Broad National 1st Morrison 6 Andrew Gee National 1st Morrison Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister 2nd Morrison 7 Kevin Hogan
References
External links The official site of the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia