The Deputy Premier of South Australia is the deputy head of government and the second highest ranking minister of the Government of South Australia. The current deputy premier is Kyam Maher, who was selected by Premier Peter Malinauskas in September 2025 during a reshuffle of the ministry.
History The office of Deputy Premier was created in March 1968. The first to serve in the position was Labor deputy leader Des Corcoran. Prior to that time the term was sometimes used unofficially for the second-highest ranking minister in the government, usually the Treasurer.
In both Labor and Liberal governments, the deputy premier is usually the party's deputy leader.
Two deputy premiers have subsequently become Premier in their own right: Des Corcoran and Rob Kerin. This last happened in 2001, when Rob Kerin became premier after John Olsen's resignation. Dean Brown did the reverse, becoming Deputy Premier to Rob Kerin, 5 years after his own premiership ended at the hands of John Olsen.
South Australia's longest-serving deputy premier is Kevin Foley, who served in the position from March 2002 to February 2011.
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 additionally always held at least one substantive portfolio. It is 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 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 The following is a list of deputy premiers of South Australia, from 1968 to present. Order Minister Politicalparty Premier Term of office Took office Left office Tenure 1 Des Corcoran Labor Dunstan 26 March 1968 16 April 1968 (1) Des Corcoran Labor Dunstan 2 June 1970 15 March 1979 2 Hugh Hudson Labor Corcoran 15 March 1979 18 September 1979 3 Roger Goldsworthy Liberal Tonkin 18 September 1979 10 November 1982 4 Jack Wright Labor Bannon 10 November 1982 16 July 1985 5 Don Hopgood Labor 16 July 1985 4 September 1992 6 Frank Blevins Labor Arnold 4 September 1992 14 December 1993 7 Stephen Baker Liberal Brown 14 December 1993 28 November 1996 8 Graham Ingerson Liberal Olsen 28 November 1996 7 July 1998 9 Rob Kerin Liberal 7 July 1998 22 October 2001 10 Dean Brown Liberal Kerin 22 October 2001 5 March 2002 11 Kevin Foley Labor Rann 5 March 2002 8 February 2011 12 John Rau Labor Rann 8 February 2011 19 March 2018 Weatherill 13 Vickie Chapman Liberal Marshall 19 March 2018 23 November 2021 14 Dan van Holst Pellekaan Liberal 23 November 2021 21 March 2022 15 Susan Close Labor Malinauskas 21 March 2022 19 September 2025 16 Kyam Maher Labor 19 September 2025 Incumbent
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