Premier of South Australia

The Premier of South Australia is the head of government in the Australian state of South Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with the 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 their ability to command the support of a majority of members of the lower house of Parliament, the House of Assembly.

Peter Malinauskas is the current Premier, having served since 21 March 2022. Thomas Playford IV is the longest serving Premier, and the longest serving head of government in Australian history, serving for over 26 years from 1938 until 1965, holding on to power thanks to the "Playmander" system of district apportionment.

History The office of Premier of South Australia was established upon the commencement of responsible government with the passage of the Constitution Act 1856. The role was based upon that of the prime minister of the United Kingdom, with the premier requiring the support of a majority of the members of the lower house to remain head of government. For the early years of responsible government, the office was held in conjunction with that of Chief Secretary of South Australia, a role that had existed since colonisation, but by the 1890s, this was no longer a convention.

No parties or solid groupings would be formed until after the 1890 election, which resulted in frequent changes of the premier of South Australia. If for any reason the incumbent premier lost sufficient support through a successful motion of no confidence at any time on the floor of the house, he would tender his resignation to the governor of South Australia, which would result in another member deemed to have the support of the House of Assembly being sworn in by the governor as the next premier.

Informal groupings began and increased government stability occurred from the 1887 election. The United Labor Party would be formed in 1891, while the National Defence League would be formed later in the same year.

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 the 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, the majority 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.

Political parties

PortraitNameElectionParliamentTerm of officePolitical partyMinistryTook officeAgestartedLeft officeAgeleftTime in office Colonial Government (1856–1901) 1 Boyle Finniss(1807–1893)MHA for Adelaide 1857 (1st) 24 October 1856 49 21 August 1857 50 Independent Finniss 2 John Baker(1813–1872)Councillor — (1st) 21 August 1857 44 1 September 1857 44 Independent Baker 3 Robert Richard Torrens(1814–1884)MHA for Adelaide — (1st) 1 September 1857 43 30 September 1857 43 Independent Torrens 4 Richard Hanson(1805–1876)MHA for Adelaide — (1st) 30 September 1857 52 9 May 1860 55 Independent Hanson 5 Thomas Reynolds(1818–1875)MHA for Adelaide 1860 (2nd) 9 May 1860 42 8 October 1861 43 Independent Reynolds IReynolds II 6 George Waterhouse(1824–1906)Councillor — (2nd)1862 (3rd) 8 October 1861 37 4 July 1863 39 Independent Waterhouse IWaterhouse II 7 Francis Dutton(1818–1877)MHA for Light — (3rd) 4 July 1863 45 15 July 1863 45 Independent Dutton I 8 Henry Ayers(1821–1897)Councillor — (3rd) 15 July 1863 42 4 August 1864 43 Independent Ayers IAyers II 9 Arthur Blyth(1823–1891)MHA for Gumeracha — (3rd) 4 August 1864 41 22 March 1865 42 Independent Blyth I (7) Francis Dutton(1818–1877)MHA for Light 1865 (4th) 22 March 1865 47 20 September 1865 47 Independent Dutton II (8) Henry Ayers(1821–1897)Councillor — (4th) 20 September 1865 44 23 October 1865 44 Independent Ayers III 10 John Hart(1809–1873)MHA for Port Adelaide — (4th) 23 October 1865 56 28 March 1866 57 Independent Hart I 11 James Boucaut(1831–1916)MHA for Encounter Bay — (4th) 28 March 1866 35 3 May 1867 36 Independent Boucaut I(8) Henry Ayers(1821–1897)Councillor — (4th)1868 (5th) 3 May 1867 46 24 September 1868 47 Independent Ayers IV (10) John Hart(1809–1873)MHA for Light — (5th) 24 September 1868 59 13 October 1868 59 Independent Hart II (8) Henry Ayers(1821–1897)Councillor — (5th) 13 October 1868 47 3 November 1868 47 Independent Ayers V 12 Henry Strangways(1832–1920)MHA for West Torrens — (5th)1870 (6th) 3 November 1868 36 30 May 1870 38 Independent Strangways IStrangways II (10) John Hart(1809–1873)MHA for The Burra — (6th) 30 May 1870 61 10 November 1871 62 Independent Hart III (9) Arthur Blyth(1823–1891)MHA for Gumeracha — (6th)1871 (7th) 10 November 1871 48 22 January 1872 49 Independent Blyth II (8) Henry Ayers(1821–1897)Councillor — (7th) 22 January 1872 51 22 July 1873 52 Independent Ayers VIAyers VII (9) Arthur Blyth(1823–1891)MHA for Gumeracha — (7th)1875 (8th) 22 July 1873 50 3 June 1875 52 Independent Blyth III (11) James Boucaut(1831–1916)MHA for Encounter Bay — (8th) 3 June 1875 44 6 June 1876 45 Independent Boucaut IIBoucaut III 13 John Colton(1823–1902)MHA for Noarlunga — (8th) 6 June 1876 53 26 October 1877 54 Independent Colton I (11) James Boucaut(1831–1916)MHA for Encounter Bay — (8th)1878 (9th) 26 October 1877 46 27 September 1878 47 Independent Boucaut IV 14 William Morgan(1828–1883)Councillor — (9th)1881 (10th) 27 September 1878 50 24 June 1881 53 Independent Morgan 15 John Bray(1842–1894)MHA for East Adelaide — (10th)1884 (11th) 24 June 1881 39 16 June 1884 42 Independent Bray (13) John Colton(1823–1902)MHA for Noarlunga — (11th) 16 June 1884 61 16 June 1885 62 Independent Colton II 16 John Downer(1843–1915)MHA for Barossa — (11th)1887 (12th) 16 June 1885 42 11 June 1887 44 Independent Downer I 17 Thomas Playford(1837–1915)MHA for Newcastle — (12th) 11 June 1887 50 27 June 1889 52 Independent Playford II I 18 John Cockburn(1850–1929)MHA for Mount Barker — (12th)1890 (13th) 27 June 1889 39 19 August 1890 40 Liberalism Cockburn(17) Thomas Playford(1837–1915)MHA for East Torrens — (13th) 19 August 1890 53 21 June 1892 55 Conservatism Playford II II 19 Frederick Holder(1850–1909)MHA for Burra — (13th) 21 June 1892 42 15 October 1892 42 Liberalism Holder I(16) John Downer(1843–1915)MHA for Barossa — (13th) 15 October 1892 49 16 June 1893 50 Conservatism Downer II 20 Charles Kingston(1850–1908)MHA for West Adelaide 1893 (14th)1896 (15th)1899 (16th) 16 June 1893 43 1 December 1899 49 Liberalism Kingston 21 Vaiben Solomon(1853–1908)MHA for Northern Territory — (16th) 1 December 1899 46 8 December 1899 46 Conservatism Solomon (19) Frederick Holder(1850–1909)MHA for Burra — (16th) 8 December 1899 49 15 May 1901 51 Liberalism Holder II State Government (1901–present) 22 John Jenkins(1851–1923)MHA for Torrens — (16th)1902 (17th) 15 May 1901 50 1 March 1905 54 Liberalism Jenkins 23 Richard Butler(1850–1925)MHA for Barossa — (17th) 1 March 1905 55 26 July 1905 55 Conservatism Butler I 24 Thomas Price(1852–1909)MHA for Torrens 1905 (18th)1906 (19th) 26 July 1905 53 31 May 1909 (†) 57 United Labor Price 25 Archibald Peake(1859–1920)MHA for Victoria & Albert — (19th) 5 June 1909 50 3 June 1910 51 Liberal &Democratic Union Peake I 26 John Verran(1856–1932)MHA for Wallaroo 1910 (20th) 3 June 1910 54 17 February 1912 56 United Labor Verran(25) Archibald Peake(1859–1920) 1912 (21st) 17 February 1912 53 3 April 1915 56 Liberal Union Peake II 27 Crawford Vaughan(1874–1947)MHA for Sturt 1915 (22nd) 3 April 1915 41 14 July 1917 43 United Labor Vaughan(25) Archibald Peake(1859–1920) — (22nd)1918 (23rd) 14 July 1917 58 6 April 1920 (†) 61 Liberal Union Peake III 28 Henry Barwell(1877–1959)MHA for Stanley — (23rd)1921 (24th) 8 April 1920 43 16 April 1924 47 Liberal Union(until 1923)Liberal Federation(from 1923) Barwell 29 John Gunn(1884–1959)MHA for Adelaide 1924 (25th) 16 April 1924 40 28 August 1926 42 Labor Gunn 30 Lionel Hill(1881–1963)MHA for Port Pirie — (25th) 28 August 1926 45 8 April 1927 46 Labor Hill I 31 Richard L. Butler(1885–1966)MHA for Wooroora 1927 (26th) 8 April 1927 42 17 April 1930 45 Liberal Federation Butler II I(30) Lionel Hill(1881–1963) 1930 (27th) 17 April 1930 49 13 February 1933 52 Labor Hill II 32 Robert Richards(1885–1967)MHA for Wallaroo — (27th) 13 February 1933 48 18 April 1933 48 Labor Richards(31) Richard L. Butler(1885–1966) 1933 (28th)1938 (29th) 18 April 1933 48 5 November 1938 53 Liberal andCountry League Butler II II 33 Thomas Playford(1896–1981)MHA for Gumeracha — (29th)1941 (30th)1944 (31st)1947 (32nd)1950 (33rd)1953 (34th)1956 (35th)1959 (36th)1962 (37th) 5 November 1938 42 10 March 1965 69 Liberal andCountry League Playford IV IPlayford IV II 34 Frank Walsh(1897–1968)MHA for Edwardstown 1965 (38th) 10 March 1965 68 1 June 1967 70 Labor Walsh 35 Don Dunstan(1926–1999)MHA for Norwood — (38th) 1 June 1967 41 17 April 1968 42 Labor Dunstan I 36 Steele Hall(1928–2024)MHA for Gouger 1968 (39th) 17 April 1968 40 2 June 1970 42 Liberal andCountry League Hall (35) Don Dunstan(1926–1999)MHA for Norwood 1970 (40th)1973 (41st)1975 (42nd)1977 (43rd) 2 June 1970 44 15 February 1979 53 Labor Dunstan II 37 Des Corcoran(1928–2004)MHA for Hartley — (43rd) 15 February 1979 51 18 September 1979 51 Labor Corcoran 38 David Tonkin(1929–2000)MHA for Bragg 1979 (44th) 18 September 1979 50 10 November 1982 53 Liberal Tonkin 39 John Bannon(1943–2015)MHA for Ross Smith 1982 (45th)1985 (46th)1989 (47th) 10 November 1982 39 4 September 1992 49 Labor Bannon 40 Lynn Arnold(born 1949)MHA for Ramsay — (47th) 4 September 1992 43 14 December 1993 44 Labor Arnold 41 Dean Brown(born 1943)MHA for Finniss 1993 (48th) 14 December 1993 50 28 November 1996 53 Liberal Brown 42 John Olsen(born 1945)MHA for Kavel — (48th)1997 (49th) 28 November 1996 51 22 October 2001 56 Liberal Olsen 43 Rob Kerin(born 1954)MHA for Frome — (49th) 22 October 2001 47 5 March 2002 48 Liberal Kerin 44 Mike Rann(born 1953)MHA for Ramsay 2002 (50th)2006 (51st)2010 (52nd) 5 March 2002 49 21 October 2011 58 Labor Rann 45 Jay Weatherill(born 1964)MHA for Cheltenham — (52nd)2014 (53rd) 21 October 2011 47 19 March 2018 54 Labor Weatherill 46 Steven Marshall(born 1968)MHA for Dunstan 2018 (54th) 19 March 2018 50 21 March 2022 54 Liberal Marshall 47 Peter Malinauskas(born 1980)MHA for Croydon 2022 (55th)2026 (56th) 21 March 2022 42 — — Labor Malinauskas IMalinauskas II

Timeline

Premier of South Australia

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