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Prime Ministers of Australia

Australia has had 27 prime ministers since Federation in 1901. Follow the links below to learn about their lives and the times in which they lived.

The National Museum of Australia has a range of objects related to prime ministers.

For information on the current Prime Minister Julia Gillard, please visit the official Prime Minister's website.

Prime ministers are listed in order from earliest to latest, starting with Edmund Barton.

Edmund Barton
Edmund Barton
Prime Minister from 1 January 1901 to 24 September 1903
Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin
Prime Minister three times from 24 September 1903 to 27 April 1904,
from 5 July 1905 to 13 November 1908,
and from 2 June 1909 to 29 April 1910
John Watson
Prime Minister from 27 April 1904 to 17 August 1904
George Reid
Prime Minister from 18 August 1904 to 5 July 1905
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Andrew Fisher
Prime Minister three times from 13 November 1908 to 2 June 1909,
from 29 April 1910 to 24 June 1913
and from 17 September 1914 to 27 October 1915
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Joseph Cook
Prime Minister from 24 June 1913 to 17 September 1914
William Hughes
Prime Minister from 27 October 1915 to 9 February 1923
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Stanley Bruce
Prime Minister from 9 February 1923 to 22 October 1929
James Scullin
Prime Minister from 22 October 1929 to 6 January 1932
Joseph Lyons
Prime Minister from 6 January 1932 to 7 April 1939
Earle Page
Prime Minister from 7 April 1939 to 26 April 1939
Robert Menzies
Prime Minister two times from 26 April 1939 to 29 August 1941,
and from 19 December 1949 to 26 January 1966
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Arthur Fadden
Prime Minister from 29 August 1941 to 7 October 1941
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John Curtin
Prime Minister from 7 October 1941 to 5 July 1945
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Francis Forde
Prime Minister from 6 July 1945 to 13 July 1945
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Ben Chifley
Prime Minister from 13 July 1945 to 19 December 1949
Harold Holt
Prime Minister from 26 January 1966 to 19 December 1967
John McEwen
Prime Minister from 19 December 1967 to 10 January 1968
John Gorton
Prime Minister from 10 January 1968 to 10 March 1971
William McMahon
Prime Minister from 10 March 1971 to 5 December 1972
Gough Whitlam
Prime Minister from 5 December 1972 to 11 November 1975
Malcolm Fraser
Prime Minister from 11 November 1975 to 11 March 1983
Bob Hawke
Prime Minister from 11 March 1983 to 20 December 1991
Paul Keating
Prime Minister from 20 December 1991 to 11 March 1996
John Howard
Prime Minister from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007
Kevin Rudd
Prime Minister from 3 December 2007 to 24 June 2010
Julia Gillard
Prime Minister from 24 June 2010