Premier of Tasmania

Premier of Tasmania
Tasmanian Coat of arms
Flag of Tasmania
Incumbent Peter Gutwein since 20 January 2020
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
Website	www.premier.tas.gov.au

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.^[1]

Since 20 January 2020, the premier of Tasmania has been Peter Gutwein, 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.^[1]

No.		Premier	Portrait	Party	Term of office		Time in office	Elections
	1	William Champ			1 November 1856	26 February 1857	117 days	1856
	2	Thomas Gregson			26 February 1857	25 April 1857	58 days	-
	3	William Weston			25 April 1857	12 May 1857	17 days	-
	4	Francis Smith			12 May 1857	1 November 1860	3 years, 173 days	-
	—	William Weston			1 November 1860	2 August 1861	274 days	-
	5	Thomas Chapman			2 August 1861	20 January 1863	1 year, 171 days
	6	James Whyte			20 January 1863	24 November 1866	3 years, 308 days
	7	Sir Richard Dry			24 November 1866	4 August 1869	2 years, 253 days
	8	James Wilson			4 August 1869	4 November 1872	3 years, 92 days
	9	Frederick Innes			4 November 1872	4 August 1873	273 days
	10	Alfred Kennerley			4 August 1873	20 July 1876	2 years, 351 days	-
	11	Thomas Reibey			20 July 1876	9 August 1877	1 year, 20 days	-
	12	Philip Fysh			9 August 1877	5 March 1878	208 days
	13	William Giblin			5 March 1878	20 December 1878	290 days	-
	14	William Crowther			20 December 1878	30 October 1879	314 days	-
	—	William Giblin			30 October 1879	15 August 1884	4 years, 290 days
	15	Adye Douglas			15 August 1884	8 March 1886	1 year, 205 days	-
	16	James Agnew			8 March 1886	29 March 1887	1 year, 21 days
	—	Philip Fysh		Protectionist	29 March 1887	17 August 1892	5 years, 141 days
	17	Henry Dobson		Free Trade	17 August 1892	14 April 1894	1 year, 240 days
	18	Sir Edward Braddon		Free Trade	14 April 1894	12 October 1899	5 years, 181 days
	19	Elliott Lewis		Free Trade	12 October 1899	9 April 1903	3 years, 179 days	1900
	20	William Propsting		Protectionist	9 April 1903	12 July 1904	1 year, 94 days	1903
	21	John Evans		Anti-Socialist	12 July 1904	19 June 1909	4 years, 342 days	1906 1909
	—	Sir Elliott Lewis		Liberal League	19 June 1909	20 October 1909	123 days	-
	22	John Earle		Labor	20 October 1909	27 October 1909	7 days	-
	—	Sir Elliott Lewis		Liberal League	27 October 1909	14 June 1912	2 years, 231 days	1912
	23	Albert Solomon			14 June 1912	6 April 1914	1 year, 296 days	1913
	—	John Earle		Labor	6 April 1914	15 April 1916	2 years, 9 days	-
	24	Walter Lee		Liberal League	15 April 1916	12 August 1922	6 years, 119 days	1916
				Nationalist				1919 1922
	25	John Hayes		Nationalist	12 August 1922	14 August 1923	1 year, 2 days	-
	—	Sir Walter Lee			14 August 1923	25 October 1923	72 days	-
	26	Joseph Lyons		Labor	25 October 1923	15 June 1928	4 years, 234 days	1925
	27	John McPhee		Nationalist	15 June 1928	15 March 1934	5 years, 273 days	1928 1931
	—	Sir Walter Lee			15 March 1934	22 June 1934	99 days	-
	28	Albert Ogilvie		Labor	22 June 1934	10 June 1939	4 years, 354 days	1934 1937
	29	Edmund Dwyer-Gray			11 June 1939	18 December 1939	190 days	-
	30	Robert Cosgrove			18 December 1939	18 December 1947	8 years, 0 days	1941 1946
	31	Edward Brooker			18 December 1947	25 February 1948	69 days	-
	—	Robert Cosgrove			25 February 1948	26 August 1958	10 years, 182 days	1948 1950 1955 1956
	32	Eric Reece			26 August 1958	26 May 1969	10 years, 273 days	1959 1964
	33	Angus Bethune		Liberal	26 May 1969	3 May 1972	2 years, 343 days	1969
	—	Eric Reece		Labor	3 May 1972	31 March 1975	2 years, 332 days	1972
	34	Bill Neilson			31 March 1975	1 December 1977	2 years, 245 days	1976
	35	Doug Lowe			1 December 1977	11 November 1981	3 years, 345 days	1979
	36	Harry Holgate			11 November 1981	26 May 1982	196 days	-
	37	Robin Gray		Liberal	26 May 1982	29 June 1989	7 years, 34 days	1982 1986
	38	Michael Field		Labor	29 June 1989	17 February 1992	2 years, 233 days	1989
	39	Ray Groom		Liberal	17 February 1992	18 March 1996	4 years, 30 days	1992 1996
	40	Tony Rundle			18 March 1996	14 September 1998	2 years, 180 days	-
	41	Jim Bacon		Labor	14 September 1998	21 March 2004	5 years, 189 days	1998 2002
	42	Paul Lennon			21 March 2004	26 May 2008	4 years, 66 days	2006
	43	David Bartlett			26 May 2008	24 January 2011	2 years, 243 days	2010
	44	Lara Giddings			24 January 2011	31 March 2014	3 years, 66 days	-
	45	Will Hodgman		Liberal	31 March 2014	20 January 2020	5 years, 295 days	2014 2018
	46	Peter Gutwein			20 January 2020	Incumbent	1 year, 342 days	2021

Graphical timeline[]

Living former premiers[]

As of 20 January 2020, nine former premiers are alive, the oldest being Tony Rundle (1996–98, born 1939). The most recent premier to die was Sir Angus Bethune (1969–72), on 22 August 2004. The most recently serving premier to die was Jim Bacon (1998–2004), on 20 June 2004.

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[]

External links[]

• PREMIERS OF TASMANIA Parliament of Tasmania