| Deputy Prime Minister of Australia | |
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| Incumbent: Julia Gillard |
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| Style: | The Honourable |
| Appointed by: | Major General Michael Jeffery as Governor-General of Australia |
| First: | John McEwen |
| Formation: | January 1968 |
| Australia |
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The Deputy Prime Minister of Australia is the second-most senior officer in the Government of Australia. The Deputy Prime Ministership has been a ministerial portfolio since 1968, and the Deputy Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister.
The current Deputy Prime Minister is Labor's Julia Gillard, who took over from the Nationals' leader Mark Vaile on 3 December 2007, following the 2007 federal election. She is Australia's first female Deputy Prime Minister. She is also one of the most powerful ministers in Australia's history, holding the positions of Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for Social Inclusion.
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History
The office of Deputy Prime Minister was created in January 1968, as an honour for John McEwen, the long-serving leader of the Country Party (later renamed the National Party). Prior to that time the term was sometimes used unofficially (without capital letters) for the second-highest ranking minister in the government.
In Labor governments, the Deputy Prime Minister is the party's deputy leader. In Liberal-National Coalition governments, the position has been held by the Leader of the National Party or its predecessors.
In November 2007, the Australian Labor Party won government and Julia Gillard became Australia's first female, and first foreign-born, Deputy Prime Minister.
Duties
The duties of the Deputy Prime Minister are to act on behalf of the Prime Minister in his or her absence overseas or on leave. The Deputy Prime Minister has always been a member of the Cabinet, and has always held at least one substantive portfolio. (It would be technically possible for a minister to hold only the portfolio of Deputy Prime Minister, but this has never happened.)
If the Prime Minister were to die, become incapacitated or resign, the Governor-General would normally appoint the Deputy Prime Minister as Prime Minister. If the governing or majority party had not yet elected a new leader, that appointment would be on an interim basis. Should a different leader emerge, that person would then be appointed Prime Minister.
List of Deputy Prime Ministers of Australia
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party | Prime Minister(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John McEwen | 10 January 1968 | 5 February 1971 | Country | John Gorton |
| 2 | Doug Anthony | 5 February 1971 | 5 December 1972 | Country | |
| William McMahon | |||||
| 3 | Lance Barnard | 5 December 1972 | 12 June 1974 | Labor | Gough Whitlam |
| 4 | Jim Cairns | 12 June 1974 | 2 July 1975 | Labor | |
| 5 | Frank Crean | 2 July 1975 | 11 November 1975 | Labor | |
| 6 | Doug Anthony | 12 November 1975 | 11 March 1983 | National Country | Malcolm Fraser |
| 7 | Lionel Bowen | 11 March 1983 | 4 April 1990 | Labor | Bob Hawke |
| 8 | Paul Keating | 4 April 1990 | 3 June 1991 | Labor | |
| 9 | Brian Howe | 3 June 1991 | 20 June 1995 | Labor | |
| Paul Keating | |||||
| 10 | Kim Beazley | 20 June 1995 | 11 March 1996 | Labor | |
| 11 | Tim Fischer | 11 March 1996 | 20 July 1999 | National | John Howard |
| 12 | John Anderson | 20 July 1999 | 6 July 2005 | National | |
| 13 | Mark Vaile | 6 July 2005 | 3 December 2007 | National | |
| 14 | Julia Gillard | 3 December 2007 | Present | Labor | Kevin Rudd |
External links
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