Premier of New South Wales

The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature. The premier is appointed by the governor of New South Wales, and by modern convention holds office by his or her ability to command the support of a majority of members of the lower house of Parliament, the Legislative Assembly.

Premier of New South Wales
Coat of arms of New South Wales
Flag of New South Wales
Incumbent Chris Minns since 28 March 2023
Department of Premier and Cabinet
Style	The Honourable (formal) Premier (informal)
Status	Head of Government
Member of	New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Reports to	Parliament
Appointer	Governor of New South Wales by convention, based on appointee's ability to command confidence in the Legislative Assembly
Term length	At the Governor's pleasure contingent on the premier's ability to command confidence in the lower house of Parliament
Constituting instrument	None (constitutional convention)
Formation	6 June 1856
First holder	Stuart Donaldson
Deputy	Deputy Premier of New South Wales
Salary	A$407,980^[1]

Before Federation in 1901 the term "prime minister of New South Wales" was also used. "Premier" has been used more or less exclusively from 1901, to avoid confusion with the federal prime minister of Australia.^[2][3]

The current premier is Chris Minns, the leader of the New South Wales Labor Party, who assumed office on 28 March 2023. Minns defeated Dominic Perrottet at the election held on 25 March 2023, after twelve years of Liberal/National Coalition rule.^[4]

List of premiers of New South Wales

No.	Portrait	Name (lifespan)	Election	Term of office			Political party	Constituency	Ministry
				Took office	Left office	Term of office
1		Stuart Donaldson (1812–1867)	1856	6 June 1856	25 August 1856	80 days	Independent	Sydney Hamlets	Donaldson
2		Charles Cowper (1807–1875)	—	26 August 1856	2 October 1856	37 days	Independent	Sydney	Cowper I
3		Henry Parker (1808–1881)	—	3 October 1856	7 September 1857	339 days	Independent	Parramatta	Parker
(2) II		Charles Cowper (1807–1875)	1858	7 September 1857	26 October 1859	2 years, 49 days	Independent	Sydney East Sydney	Cowper II
4		William Forster (1818–1882)	1859	27 October 1859	9 March 1860	1 year, 165 days	Independent	Queanbeyan	Forster
5		John Robertson (1816–1891)	—	9 March 1860	9 January 1861	306 days	Independent	Upper Hunter	Robertson I
(2) III		Charles Cowper (1807–1875)	1860	10 January 1861	15 October 1863	2 years, 278 days	Independent	East Sydney	Cowper III
6		James Martin (1820–1886)	—	16 October 1863	2 February 1865	1 year, 109 days	Independent	Tumut Monaro	Martin I
(2) IV		Charles Cowper (1807–1875)	1864–65	3 February 1865	21 January 1866	352 days	Independent	East Sydney	Cowper IV
(6) II		James Martin (1820–1886)	—	22 January 1866	26 October 1868	2 years, 278 days	Independent	Lachlan	Martin II
(5) II		John Robertson (1816–1891)	—	27 October 1868	12 January 1870	1 year, 77 days	Independent	Clarence West Sydney	Robertson II
(2) V		Charles Cowper (1807–1875)	1869–70	13 January 1870	15 December 1870	336 days	Independent	Liverpool Plains	Cowper V
(6) III		Sir James Martin (1820–1886)	—	16 December 1870	13 May 1872	1 year, 149 days	Independent	East Sydney East Macquarie	Martin III
7		Henry Parkes (1815–1896)	1872	14 May 1872	8 February 1875	2 years, 270 days	Independent	East Sydney	Parkes I
(5) III		John Robertson (1816–1891)	1874–75	9 February 1875	21 March 1877	2 years, 40 days	Independent	West Sydney	Robertson III
(7) II		Henry Parkes (1815–1896)	—	22 March 1877	16 August 1877	175 days	Independent	East Sydney Canterbury	Parkes II
(5) IV		Sir John Robertson (1816–1891)	—	17 August 1877	17 December 1877	122 days	Independent	West Sydney East Macquarie Mudgee	Robertson IV
8		James Farnell (1825–1888)	1877	18 December 1877	20 December 1878	1 year, 2 days	Independent	St Leonards	Farnell
(7) III		Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896)	1880	21 December 1878	4 January 1883	4 years, 14 days	Independent	Canterbury East Sydney Tenterfield	Parkes III
9		Alexander Stuart (1824–1886)	1882	5 January 1883	6 October 1885	2 years, 274 days	Independent	Illawarra	Stuart
10		George Dibbs (1834–1904)	1885	7 October 1885	21 December 1885	75 days	Independent	St Leonards Murrumbidgee	Dibbs I
(5) V		Sir John Robertson (1816–1891)	—	22 December 1885	22 February 1886	62 days	Independent	Mudgee	Robertson V
11		Sir Patrick Jennings (1831–1897)	—	26 February 1886	19 January 1887	327 days	Independent	Bogan	Jennings
(7) IV		Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896)	1887	25 January 1887	16 January 1889	1 year, 357 days	Free Trade	St Leonards	Parkes IV
(10) II		George Dibbs (1834–1904)	—	17 January 1889	7 March 1889	49 days	Protectionist	Murrumbidgee	Dibbs II
(7) V		Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896)	1889 1891	8 March 1889	23 October 1891	2 years, 229 days	Free Trade	St Leonards	Parkes V
(10) III		George Dibbs (1834–1904)	—	23 October 1891	2 August 1894	2 years, 283 days	Protectionist	Murrumbidgee	Dibbs III
12		George Reid (1845–1918)	1894 1895 1898	3 August 1894	13 September 1899	5 years, 41 days	Free Trade	East Sydney Sydney-King	Reid
13		Sir William Lyne (1844–1913)	—	14 September 1899	27 March 1901	1 year, 194 days	Protectionist	Hume	Lyne
14		Sir John See (1844–1907)	1901	28 March 1901	14 June 1904	3 years, 78 days	Progressive	Grafton	See
15		Thomas Waddell (1854–1940)	—	15 June 1904	29 August 1904	75 days	Progressive	Cowra	Waddell
16		Sir Joseph Carruthers (1857–1932)	1904 1907	29 August 1904	1 October 1907	3 years, 33 days	Liberal Reform	St George	Carruthers
17		Charles Wade (1863–1922)	—	2 October 1907	1 October 1910	2 years, 364 days	Liberal Reform	Gordon	Wade
18		James McGowen (1855–1922)	1910	21 October 1910	29 June 1913	2 years, 251 days	Labor	Redfern	McGowen
19		William Holman (1871–1934)	1913 1917	30 June 1913	15 November 1916	6 years, 287 days	Labor	Cootamundra	Holman I
(19)				15 November 1916	12 April 1920		Nationalist		Holman II
20		John Storey (1869–1921)	1920	13 April 1920	5 October 1921	1 year, 175 days	Labor	Balmain	Storey
21		James Dooley (1877–1950)	—	5 October 1921	20 December 1921	76 days	Labor	Bathurst	Dooley I
22		Sir George Fuller (1861–1940)	—	20 December 1921	20 December 1921	0 days	Nationalist	Wollondilly	Fuller I
(21) II		James Dooley (1877–1950)	—	20 December 1921	13 April 1922	114 days	Labor	Bathurst	Dooley II
(22) II		Sir George Fuller (1861–1940)	1922	13 April 1922	17 June 1925	3 years, 55 days	Nationalist	Wollondilly	Fuller II
23		Jack Lang (1876–1975)	1925	17 June 1925	18 October 1927	2 years, 123 days	Labor	Parramatta	Lang I Lang II
24		Thomas Bavin (1874–1941)	1927	18 October 1927	4 November 1930	3 years, 17 days	Nationalist	Gordon	Bavin
(23) II		Jack Lang (1876–1975)	1930	4 November 1930	16 May 1932	1 year, 194 days	Labor	Auburn	Lang III
25		Bertram Stevens (1889–1973)	1932 1935 1938	16 May 1932	5 August 1939	7 years, 81 days	United Australia	Croydon	Stevens I Stevens II Stevens III
26		Alexander Mair (1889–1969)	—	5 August 1939	16 May 1941	1 year, 284 days	United Australia	Albury	Mair
27		William McKell (1891–1985)	1941 1944	16 May 1941	6 February 1947	5 years, 266 days	Labor	Redfern	McKell I McKell II
28		James McGirr (1890–1957)	1947 1950	6 February 1947	2 April 1952	5 years, 56 days	Labor	Bankstown Liverpool	McGirr I McGirr II McGirr III
29		Joseph Cahill (1891–1959)	1953 1956 1959	2 April 1952	22 October 1959	7 years, 203 days	Labor	Cook's River	Cahill I Cahill II Cahill III Cahill IV
30		Bob Heffron (1890–1978)	1962	23 October 1959	30 April 1964	4 years, 190 days	Labor	Maroubra	Heffron I Heffron II
31		Jack Renshaw (1909–1987)	—	30 April 1964	13 May 1965	1 year, 13 days	Labor	Castlereagh	Renshaw
32		Sir Robert Askin (1907–1981)	1965 1968 1971 1973	13 May 1965	3 January 1975	9 years, 235 days	Liberal	Collaroy Pittwater	Askin I Askin II Askin III Askin IV Askin V Askin VI
33		Tom Lewis (1922–2016)	—	3 January 1975	23 January 1976	1 year, 20 days	Liberal	Wollondilly	Lewis I Lewis II
34		Sir Eric Willis (1922–1999)	—	23 January 1976	14 May 1976	112 days	Liberal	Earlwood	Willis
35		Neville Wran (1926–2014)	1976 1978 1981 1984	14 May 1976	4 July 1986	10 years, 21 days	Labor	Bass Hill	Wran I Wran II Wran III Wran IV Wran V Wran VI Wran VII Wran VIII
36		Barrie Unsworth (1934–)	—	4 July 1986	25 March 1988	1 year, 295 days	Labor	Rockdale	Unsworth
37		Nick Greiner (1947–)	1988 1991	25 March 1988	24 June 1992	4 years, 91 days	Liberal	Ku-ring-gai	Greiner I Greiner II
38		John Fahey (1945–2020)	—	24 June 1992	4 April 1995	2 years, 284 days	Liberal	Southern Highlands	Fahey I Fahey II Fahey III
39		Bob Carr (1947–)	1995 1999 2003	4 April 1995	3 August 2005	10 years, 121 days	Labor	Maroubra	Carr I Carr II Carr III Carr IV
40		Morris Iemma (1961–)	2007	3 August 2005	5 September 2008	3 years, 36 days	Labor	Lakemba	Iemma I Iemma II
41		Nathan Rees (1968–)	—	5 September 2008	4 December 2009	1 year, 90 days	Labor	Toongabbie	Rees
42		Kristina Keneally (1968–)	—	4 December 2009	28 March 2011	1 year, 114 days	Labor	Heffron	Keneally
43		Barry O'Farrell (1959– )	2011	28 March 2011	17 April 2014	3 years, 20 days	Liberal	Ku-ring-gai	O'Farrell
44		Mike Baird (1968–)	2015	17 April 2014	23 January 2017	2 years, 281 days	Liberal	Manly	Baird I Baird II
45		Gladys Berejiklian (1970–)	2019	23 January 2017	5 October 2021	4 years, 255 days	Liberal	Willoughby	Berejiklian I Berejiklian II
46		Dominic Perrottet (1982–)	—	5 October 2021	28 March 2023	1 year, 174 days	Liberal	Epping	Perrottet I Perrottet II
47		Chris Minns (1979–)	2023	28 March 2023		37 days	Labor	Kogarah	Minns I

See also

•  New South Wales portal
•  Politics portal

• List of premiers of New South Wales by time in office
• Deputy Premier of New South Wales
• List of New South Wales government agencies

References

1. Tyeson, Cam (1 June 2021). "Here's How Much Every State Premier Gets Paid If You Wanna Get Boomer-Tier Mad About Yr Taxes". Pedestrian. from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
2. Mennell, Philip (1892). "Parkes, Hon. Sir Henry" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
3. "Speeches of Sir Henry Parkes, G.G.M.G., M.P., Prime Minister of New South Wales". from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
4. "Labor wins NSW election after big swing against Coalition government (smh.com.au)". from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.

External links

•   Media related to Premiers of New South Wales at Wikimedia Commons