List of prime ministers of Australia by military service

Of the 31 individuals who have served as prime minister of Australia, 8 have had prior or concurrent military service, while 23 have had no prior military service. Despite the fact that the democratically accountable Australian Cabinet (chaired by the prime minister) de facto controls the Australian Defence Force, prior military service is not a prerequisite for prime ministers of Australia. They are as follows:

+PortraitNameMilitary serviceNotesRankBranch/serviceYears of serviceAllegianceUnitBattles/wars1Edmund BartonHas no prior military service2Alfred DeakinHas no prior military service3Chris WatsonHas no prior military service4George ReidHas no prior military service(2)Alfred DeakinHas no prior military service5Andrew FisherHas no prior military service(2)Alfred DeakinHas no prior military service(5)Andrew FisherHas no prior military service6Joseph Cook(1860–1947)Has no prior military service(5)Andrew FisherHas no prior military service7Billy HughesBritish Army1874–1884United KingdomRoyal Fusiliers (volunteer battalion)*NoneJoined a volunteer battalion of the Royal Fusiliers while a teenager in London. Claimed to have served briefly in both the Queensland Defence Force and the Queensland Maritime Defence Force, but biographers have not been able to verify this.UnknownQueensland Defence ForceUnknownUnknownQueensland Maritime Defence Force8Stanley BruceCaptainBritish Army1914–1917United Kingdom2nd Battalion, Royal FusiliersWorld War 1Was severely wounded at Gallipoli; awarded the Military Cross and the Croix de Guerre avec Palme.9James ScullinHas no prior military service10Joseph Lyons(1879–1939)Has no prior military service11Earle PageCaptainAustralian Army1916–1917AustraliaAustralian Army Medical CorpsWorld War 1Officer in the Australian Army Medical Corps, stationed in Egypt and France during World War I12Robert MenziesHas no prior military service13Arthur FaddenHas no prior military service14John CurtinHas no prior military service15Frank FordeHas no prior military service16Ben ChifleyHas no prior military service(12)Robert MenziesHas no prior military service17Harold HoltGunnerSecond Australian Imperial Force, Australian Army1939–1940Australia2/4th Field RegimentWorld War IIEnlisted in the Army in 1939 while a Member of Parliament and was a gunner for 5 months before being recalled after the death of three senior ministers in the Canberra air disaster in 1940.18John McEwenPrivateAustralian Army1918AustraliaWorld War 1 (did not see conflict)Enlisted in the Army in 1918, and was in camp awaiting embarkation for France when the armistice was declared.19Sir John GortonFlight LieutenantRoyal Australian Air Force1940–1944Australia No. 61 Operational Training Unit RAF No. 232 Squadron RAF No. 77 Squadron RAAF No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAFWorld War IIEnlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1940. A fighter pilot in World War II, flying Hurricanes out of Singapore and later Kittyhawks out of Milne Bay, Flight Lieutenant Gorton had three serious crashes, one of which gave him serious facial injuries. He also survived being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine while evacuating from Singapore aboard an ammunition ship, spending 24 hours in the water before rescue.20William McMahonMajorSecond Australian Imperial Force, Australian Army1940–1945Australia6th DivisionWorld War IIEnlisted in the Army in 1939/40. Reached rank of Major, but due to a hearing impediment was deemed unfit for overseas service and was confined to work in Australia, where he was a quartermaster for the II Corps and the Second Army.Commonwealth Members of Parliament who have served in war: the Second World War , Australian Parliamentary Library, 9 September 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2023.21Gough WhitlamFlight LieutenantRoyal Australian Air Force1941–1945AustraliaNo. 13 SquadronWorld War IIServed in World War II in the RAAF as a navigator, reached the rank of Flight Lieutenant. Stationed in northern Australia, protecting convoys and conducting bombing raids on islands to the north.22Malcolm FraserHas no prior military service23Bob HawkeHas no prior military service24Paul KeatingHas no prior military service25John HowardHas no prior military service26Kevin RuddHas no prior military service27Julia GillardHas no prior military service(26)Kevin RuddHas no prior military service28Tony AbbottHas no prior military service29Malcolm TurnbullHas no prior military service30Scott MorrisonHas no prior military service31Anthony AlbaneseHas no prior military service

Notes

References

Commonwealth Members of Parliament who have served in war