A total of sixteen women have served, or are serving, as the head of an Australian government. Of these, one has served as the prime minister of Australia, eight as the premier of a state and seven as the chief minister of a territory. Twenty women have also served, or are serving, as the deputy head of government in Australian states and territories; one has served as the deputy prime minister of the country, thirteen as the deputy premier of a state, and six as the deputy chief minister of a territory.
The first female head of government in Australia, was Rosemary Follett in 1989, who was the 1st Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory. Carmen Lawrence became the first female premier of a state in 1990, by serving as the 25th Premier of Western Australia. In 2010, Julia Gillard became the first, and to date, only female prime minister of Australia.
Today, every Australian state and territory has had at least one female head of government, except for South Australia; the Northern Territory has had the most, with four; the Australian Capital Territory has had three; Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria have each had a second female head of government serving in their respective jurisdiction. The most female heads to serve concurrently was four, during the 315 days between 16 May 2011 and 26 March 2012. Annastacia Palaszczuk, who served as the 39th Premier of Queensland from 2015 to 2023, had the longest tenure of any female head of government in Australia. The shortest tenure belongs to Eva Lawler, who served as the 13th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from December 2023 to August 2024.
There are currently one serving female heads of government in Australia: Lia Finocchiaro (14th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory) who was appointed on 28 August 2024. In addition, four women currently serve as deputy heads of government in Australia; Prue Car (Deputy Premier of New South Wales) since 28 March 2023; Rita Saffioti (Deputy Premier of Western Australia) since 8 June 2023; Rachel Stephen-Smith (Deputy Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory) since 23 July 2026 and Gabrielle Williams (Deputy Premier of Victoria) since 28 July 2026
Female heads of government Heads PortraitTitleName State territory Term start Term end Elections Duration Party NotesAustralian Capital Territory 198919921995 4 years, 122 days PremierWestern Australia1993 PremierVictoria1992 Chief MinisterAustralian Capital Territory19951998 Chief MinisterNorthern Territory20012005 PremierQueensland20092012 PremierNew South Wales2011 Prime MinisterAustralia2010 PremierTasmania2014 Chief MinisterAustralian Capital Territory2012 PremierQueensland201520172020 PremierNew South Wales2019 Chief MinisterNorthern Territory— PremierJacinta AllanVictoria28 July 2026— Chief MinisterEva LawlerNorthern Territory 28 August 20242024 Chief MinisterLia FinocchiaroNorthern TerritoryIncumbent2024
Deputy heads Name State/territory Party Head of government Term start Term end Duration Joan Kirner Victoria Labor John Cain II 7 February 1989 10 August 1990 Joan Sheldon Queensland Liberal Rob Borbidge 19 February 1996 26 June 1998 Sue Napier Tasmania Liberal Tony Rundle 18 March 1996 14 September 1998 Anna Bligh Queensland Labor Peter Beattie 28 July 2005 13 September 2007 Katy Gallagher Australian Capital Territory Labor Jon Stanhope 20 April 2006 16 May 2011 Marion Scrymgour Northern Territory Labor Paul Henderson 26 November 2007 8 February 2009 Julia Gillard Australia Labor Kevin Rudd 3 December 2007 24 June 2010 Lara Giddings Tasmania Labor David Bartlett 26 May 2008 24 January 2011 Carmel Tebbutt New South Wales Labor Nathan ReesKristina Keneally 5 September 2008 28 March 2011 Delia Lawrie Northern Territory Labor Paul Henderson 9 February 2009 29 August 2012 Robyn Lambley Northern Territory Country Liberal Terry Mills 29 August 2012 6 April 2013 Jackie Trad Queensland Labor Annastacia Palaszczuk 14 February 2015 10 May 2020 Liza Harvey Western Australia Liberal Colin Barnett 16 February 2016 17 March 2017 AAP. (13 March 2017). "WA election: Alannah MacTiernan seeks cabinet role in McGowan government". The Australian. Retrieved 13 March 2017. Nicole Manison Northern Territory Labor Michael GunnerNatasha Fyles 12 September 2016 21 December 2023 Yvette Berry Australian Capital Territory Labor Andrew Barr 31 October 2016 23 July 2026 Lawson, Kirsten. (17 October 2016). "ACT election 2016: Yvette Berry backed for Labor deputy as Greens weigh up coalition or crossbench". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 17 October 2016. Vickie Chapman South Australia Liberal Steven Marshall 19 March 2018 22 November 2021 Susan Close South Australia Labor Peter Malinauskas 21 March 2022 18 September 2025 Jacinta Allan Victoria Labor Daniel Andrews 27 June 2022 27 September 2023 Prue CarNew South Wales LaborChris Minns 28 March 2023Incumbent Rita SaffiotiWestern Australia LaborRoger Cook 8 June 2023Incumbent Rachel Stephen-Smith Australian Capital Territory Labor Andrew Barr 23 July 2026 Incumbent Gabrielle Williams Victoria LaborBen Carroll 28 July 2026Incumbent
Female opposition leaders PortraitName State territory Term start Term end Elections Duration Party Notes Australian Capital Territory Victoria Western Australia Australian Capital Territory1995 Australian Capital Territory Northern Territory1997 New South Wales 1999 Northern Territory 2001 Tasmania Northern Territory Country Liberal South Australia 2010 Queensland2015 Northern Territory Tasmania 20182021 2024 Queensland 2020 Liberal National Western Australia Liberal New South Wales Labor Northern Territory 28 August 2024 2024 Country Liberal Australian Capital Territory Liberal Western Australia 30 January 2023 1 year, 291 days National Australian Capital Territory 10 November 2025 LiberalVictoria Incumbent LiberalNew South WalesIncumbent LiberalSouth AustraliaIncumbent Liberal
Timeline Heads
Red represents members of the Australian Labor Party, blue represents members of the Liberal Party of Australia and orange represents the Country Liberal Party.
Deputy heads
Red represents members of the Australian Labor Party, blue represents members of the Liberal Party of Australia and orange represents the Country Liberal Party.
See also Women and government in Australia List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government List of female first ministers in Canada List of female governors in the United States
Notes
References
External links Australian Electoral Commission: Electoral Milestones for Women