The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland.
By convention, the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is appointed by the governor of Queensland.
The incumbent premier is David Crisafulli.
Constitutional role Under section 43 of the Constitution of Queensland the premier and other members of Cabinet are appointed by the governor. They are collectively responsible to Parliament in accordance with responsible government. The text of the Constitution assigns to the premier certain powers, such as the power to assign roles (s 25) to assistant ministers (formerly known as parliamentary secretaries), and to appoint ministers as acting ministers (s 45) for a period of 14 days.
In practice, under the conventions of the Westminster System followed in Queensland, the premier's power is derived from two sources: command of a majority in the Legislative Assembly, and the premier's role as chair of Cabinet, determining the appointment and roles of ministers. Although ministerial appointments are the prerogative of the governor of Queensland, in normal circumstances the governor will make these appointments on the advice of the premier.
Immediately following an election for the Legislative Assembly, the governor will call on the leader of the party which commands a majority in the Legislative Assembly to become premier and ask them to commission a government. A re-elected government will be resworn, with adjustments to the ministry as determined by the premier.
Prior to the existence of political parties within the Leglislative Assembly, to become premier, that member had to be able to command the support of a majority of the individual members of the assembly; this group of members were known informally as Ministerialists, while those who did not support the member who became premier were known informally as Oppositionists (or the Opposition).
Premier's office The premier has an office in the Executive Annexe of Parliament House, Brisbane, which is primarily utilised during sitting weeks. Their main office is located on the 40th floor of 1 William Street, a skyscraper adjacent to Parliament House. The office faces south-west, with floor-to-ceiling windows granting impressive views of Brisbane and its surrounds. The premier's office was formerly located on the 15th floor of the Executive Building, which was closed in 2016 and demolished in 2017 to make way for the Queen's Wharf development.
List of premiers of Queensland Before the 1890s, there was no developed party system in Queensland. Political affiliation labels before that time indicate a general tendency only. Before the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, political parties were more akin to parliamentary factions, and were fluid, informal and disorganised by modern standards.
Portrait Name Election Term of office Political party Constituency Took office Left office Term in office 1 Robert Herbert(1831–1905) 18601863 10 December 1859 1 February 1866 Squatter Conservative Leichhardt 2 Arthur Macalister(1818–1883)— 1 February 1866 20 July 1866 Independent Town of Ipswich (1) Robert Herbert(1831–1905)— 20 July 1866 7 August 1866 Squatter Conservative West Moreton (2) Arthur Macalister(1818–1883)— 7 August 1866 15 August 1867 Independent Town of Ipswich 3 Robert Mackenzie(1811–1873) 1867 15 August 1867 25 November 1868 Squatter Conservative Burnett 4 Charles Lilley(1827–1897) 1868 25 November 1868 2 May 1870 Independent Hamlet of Fortitude Valley 5 Arthur Hunter Palmer(1819–1898) 18701871 3 May 1870 7 January 1874 Squatter Conservative Port Curtis (2) Arthur Macalister(1818–1883) 1873 8 January 1874 5 June 1876 Independent Ipswich 6 George Thorn(1838–1905)— 5 June 1876 8 March 1877 Independent Ipswich 7 John Douglas(1828–1904)— 8 March 1877 21 January 1879 Independent Maryborough 8 Sir Thomas McIlwraith(1835–1900) 1878 21 January 1879 13 November 1883 Conservative Mulgrave 9 Sir Samuel Griffith(1845–1920) 1883 13 November 1883 13 June 1888 Liberal North Brisbane (8) Sir Thomas McIlwraith(1835–1900)— 13 June 1888 30 November 1888 Conservative Brisbane North 10 Boyd Dunlop Morehead(1843–1905) 1888 30 November 1888 12 August 1890 Conservative Balonne (9) Sir Samuel Griffith(1845–1920)— 12 August 1890 27 March 1893 Liberal North Brisbane (8) Sir Thomas McIlwraith(1835–1900) 1893 27 March 1893 27 October 1893 Conservative Brisbane North 11 Sir Hugh Nelson(1833–1906) 1896 27 October 1893 13 April 1898 Ministerial Murilla 12 Thomas Joseph Byrnes(1860–1898)— 13 April 1898 27 September 1898 (†) Ministerial Warwick 13 James Dickson(1832–1901) 1899 1 October 1898 1 December 1899 Ministerial Bulimba 14 Anderson Dawson(1863–1910)— 1 December 1899 7 December 1899 Labour Charters Towers 15 Robert Philp(1851–1922) 1902 7 December 1899 17 September 1903 Ministerial Townsville 16 Arthur Morgan(1856–1916) 1904 17 September 1903 19 January 1906 Liberal Warwick 17 William Kidston(1849–1919) 1907 19 January 1906 19 November 1907 Labor Rockhampton (17) Kidstonite (15) Robert Philp(1851–1922)— 19 November 1907 18 February 1908 Conservative Townsville (17) William Kidston(1849–1919) 19081909 18 February 1908 7 February 1911 Kidston; Liberal Rockhampton 18 Digby Denham(1859–1944) 1912 7 February 1911 1 June 1915 Liberal Oxley 19 T. J. Ryan(1876–1921) 19151918 1 June 1915 22 October 1919 Labor Barcoo 20 Ted Theodore(1884–1950) 19201923 22 October 1919 26 February 1925 Labor Chillagoe 21 William Gillies(1868–1928)— 26 February 1925 22 October 1925 Labor Eacham 22 William McCormack(1879–1947) 1926 22 October 1925 21 May 1929 Labor Cairns 23 Arthur Edward Moore(1876–1963) 1929 21 May 1929 17 June 1932 CPNP Aubigny 24 William Forgan Smith(1887–1953) 193219351938 1941 17 June 1932 16 September 1942 Labor Mackay 25 Frank Arthur Cooper(1872–1949) 1944 16 September 1942 7 March 1946 Labor Bremer 26 Ned Hanlon(1887–1952) 1947 1950 7 March 1946 15 January 1952 (†) Labor Ithaca 27 Vince Gair(1901–1980) 19531956 17 January 1952 12 August 1957 Labor South Brisbane (27) Queensland Labor 28 Frank Nicklin(1895–1978) 1957196019631966 12 August 1957 17 January 1968 Country Landsborough 29 Jack Pizzey(1911–1968)— 17 January 1968 31 July 1968 (†) Country Isis 30 Gordon Chalk(1913–1991)— 1 August 1968 8 August 1968 Liberal Lockyer 31 Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen(knighted in 1984)(1911–2005) 1969197219741977198019831986 8 August 1968 1 December 1987 Country/National Barambah 32 Mike Ahern(1942–2023)— 1 December 1987 25 September 1989 National Landsborough 33 Russell Cooper(born 1941)— 25 September 1989 7 December 1989 National Roma 34 Wayne Goss(1951–2014) 198919921995 7 December 1989 19 February 1996 Labor Logan 35 Rob Borbidge(born 1954)— 19 February 1996 20 June 1998 National Surfers Paradise 36 Peter Beattie(born 1952) 1998200120042006 20 June 1998 13 September 2007 Labor Brisbane Central 37 Anna Bligh(born 1960) 2009 13 September 2007 26 March 2012 Labor South Brisbane 38 Campbell Newman(born 1963) 2012 26 March 2012 14 February 2015 Liberal National Ashgrove 39 Annastacia Palaszczuk(born 1969) 201520172020 14 February 2015 15 December 2023 Labor Inala 40 Steven Miles(born 1977)— 15 December 2023 28 October 2024 Labor Murrumba 41 David Crisafulli(born 1979) 2024 28 October 2024 Incumbent Liberal National Broadwater
Timelines
See also List of premiers of Queensland by time in office Government of Queensland Politics of Queensland
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References
External links