Premier of Tasmania

The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of Tasmania to be premier and principal adviser.^[2]

Premier of Tasmania
Tasmanian coat of arms
Flag of Tasmania
Incumbent Jeremy Rockliff since 8 April 2022
Department of Premier and Cabinet
Style	The Honourable (formal) Premier (informal)
Status	Head of government
Member of	Parliament National Cabinet Cabinet Executive Council
Reports to	Parliament
Seat	Executive Building 15 Murray Street, Hobart
Appointer	Governor of Tasmania by convention, based on appointee's ability to command confidence in the House of 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	1 November 1856
First holder	William Champ
Deputy	Deputy Premier of Tasmania
Salary	A$301,397^[1]
Website	www.premier.tas.gov.au

Since 8 April 2022, the premier of Tasmania has been Jeremy Rockliff, leader of the Liberal Party, which holds 13 of the 25 seats in the House of Assembly.

List of premiers of Tasmania

Before the 1890s, there was no formal party system in Tasmania. Party labels before that time indicate a general tendency only. The current convention of appointing the premier from the House of Assembly was not generally applied prior to 1920, with premiers often appointed from the Legislative Council.^[2]

No.	Portrait	Name	Election	Term of office			Political party	Constituency
				Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		William Champ	1856	1 November 1856	26 February 1857	117 days	Independent	Launceston
2		Thomas Gregson	—	26 February 1857	25 April 1857	58 days	Independent	Richmond
3		William Weston	—	25 April 1857	12 May 1857	17 days	Independent	Ringwood
4		Francis Smith	—	12 May 1857	1 November 1860	3 years, 173 days	Independent	Fingal
(3)		William Weston	—	1 November 1860	2 August 1861	274 days	Independent	Longford
5		Thomas Chapman	1861	2 August 1861	20 January 1863	1 year, 171 days	Independent	Queensborough Campbell Town
6		James Whyte	1862	20 January 1863	24 November 1866	3 years, 308 days	Independent	Pembroke
7		Sir Richard Dry	1866	24 November 1866	4 August 1869	2 years, 253 days	Independent	Tamar
8		James Wilson	1871	4 August 1869	4 November 1872	3 years, 92 days	Independent	Hobart
9		Frederick Innes	1872	4 November 1872	4 August 1873	273 days	Independent	Selby
10		Alfred Kennerley	—	4 August 1873	20 July 1876	2 years, 351 days	Independent	Hobart
11		Thomas Reibey	—	20 July 1876	9 August 1877	1 year, 20 days	Independent	Westbury
12		Philip Fysh	1877	9 August 1877	5 March 1878	208 days	Independent	East Hobart
13		William Giblin	—	5 March 1878	20 December 1878	290 days	Independent	Wellington
14		William Crowther	—	20 December 1878	30 October 1879	314 days	Independent	Queensborough
(13)		William Giblin	1882	30 October 1879	15 August 1884	4 years, 290 days	Independent	Wellington
15		Adye Douglas	—	15 August 1884	8 March 1886	1 year, 205 days	Independent	South Esk
16		James Agnew	1886	8 March 1886	29 March 1887	1 year, 21 days	Independent	Macquarie
(12)		Philip Fysh	1891	29 March 1887	17 August 1892	5 years, 141 days	Protectionist	Buckingham
17		Henry Dobson	1893	17 August 1892	14 April 1894	1 year, 240 days	Free Trade	Brighton
18		Sir Edward Braddon	1897	14 April 1894	12 October 1899	5 years, 181 days	Free Trade	West Devon
19		Elliott Lewis	1900	12 October 1899	9 April 1903	3 years, 179 days	Free Trade	Richmond
20		William Propsting	1903	9 April 1903	12 July 1904	1 year, 94 days	Protectionist	North Hobart
21		John Evans	1906 1909	12 July 1904	19 June 1909	4 years, 342 days	Anti-Socialist	Kingborough Franklin
(19)		Sir Elliott Lewis	—	19 June 1909	20 October 1909	123 days	Liberal League	Denison
22		John Earle	—	20 October 1909	27 October 1909	7 days	Labor	Franklin
(19)		Sir Elliott Lewis	1912	27 October 1909	14 June 1912	2 years, 231 days	Liberal League	Denison
23		Albert Solomon	1913	14 June 1912	6 April 1914	1 year, 296 days	Liberal League	Bass
(22)		John Earle	—	6 April 1914	15 April 1916	2 years, 9 days	Labor	Franklin
24		Walter Lee	1916	15 April 1916	12 August 1922	6 years, 119 days	Liberal League	Wilmot
			1919 1922				Nationalist
25		John Hayes	—	12 August 1922	14 August 1923	1 year, 2 days	Nationalist	Bass
(24)		Sir Walter Lee	—	14 August 1923	25 October 1923	72 days	Nationalist	Wilmot
26		Joseph Lyons	1925	25 October 1923	15 June 1928	4 years, 234 days	Labor	Wilmot
27		John McPhee	1928 1931	15 June 1928	15 March 1934	5 years, 273 days	Nationalist	Denison
(24)		Sir Walter Lee	—	15 March 1934	22 June 1934	99 days	Nationalist	Wilmot
28		Albert Ogilvie	1934 1937	22 June 1934	10 June 1939	4 years, 354 days	Labor	Franklin
29		Edmund Dwyer-Gray	—	11 June 1939	18 December 1939	190 days	Labor	Denison
30		Robert Cosgrove	1941 1946	18 December 1939	18 December 1947	8 years	Labor	Denison
31		Edward Brooker	—	18 December 1947	25 February 1948	69 days	Labor	Franklin
(30)		Robert Cosgrove	1948 1950 1955 1956	25 February 1948	26 August 1958	10 years, 182 days	Labor	Denison
32		Eric Reece	1959 1964	26 August 1958	26 May 1969	10 years, 273 days	Labor	Braddon
33		Angus Bethune	1969	26 May 1969	3 May 1972	2 years, 343 days	Liberal	Wilmot
(32)		Eric Reece	1972	3 May 1972	31 March 1975	2 years, 332 days	Labor	Braddon
34		Bill Neilson	1976	31 March 1975	1 December 1977	2 years, 245 days	Labor	Franklin
35		Doug Lowe	1979	1 December 1977	11 November 1981	3 years, 345 days	Labor	Franklin
36		Harry Holgate	—	11 November 1981	26 May 1982	196 days	Labor	Bass
37		Robin Gray	1982 1986	26 May 1982	29 June 1989	7 years, 34 days	Liberal	Wilmot Lyons
38		Michael Field	1989	29 June 1989	17 February 1992	2 years, 233 days	Labor	Braddon
39		Ray Groom	1992 1996	17 February 1992	18 March 1996	4 years, 30 days	Liberal	Denison
40		Tony Rundle	—	18 March 1996	14 September 1998	2 years, 180 days	Liberal	Braddon
41		Jim Bacon	1998 2002	14 September 1998	21 March 2004	5 years, 189 days	Labor	Denison
42		Paul Lennon	2006	21 March 2004	26 May 2008	4 years, 66 days	Labor	Franklin
43		David Bartlett	2010	26 May 2008	24 January 2011	2 years, 243 days	Labor	Denison
44		Lara Giddings	—	24 January 2011	31 March 2014	3 years, 66 days	Labor	Franklin
45		Will Hodgman	2014 2018	31 March 2014	20 January 2020	5 years, 295 days	Liberal	Franklin
46		Peter Gutwein	2021	20 January 2020	8 April 2022	2 years, 78 days	Liberal	Bass
47		Jeremy Rockliff	—	8 April 2022	Incumbent	287 days	Liberal	Braddon

Graphical timeline

See also

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Premiers of Tasmania.

• List of premiers of Tasmania by time in office
• Leader of the Opposition (Tasmania)
• Governors of Tasmania

Notes

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. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
2. Premier and Leader of the Opposition, Tasmanian Parliamentary Library.

External links

• PREMIERS OF TASMANIA Parliament of Tasmania