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Premier of Victoria

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Premier of Victoria
Victorian coat of arms
Flag of Victoria
Incumbent
Jacinta Allan
since 27 September 2023
Department of Premier and Cabinet
Style
StatusHead of government
Member of
Reports toParliament
Seat1 Treasury Place,Melbourne
AppointerGovernor of Victoria
Term lengthAt the governor's pleasure
byconvention,based on appointee's ability tocommand confidencein theLegislative Assembly
Constituting instrumentNone (constitutional convention)
Formation28 November 1855
First holderWilliam Haines
DeputyDeputy premier of Victoria
SalaryA$481,190[1]
Websitewww.premier.vic.gov.au

Thepremier of Victoriais thehead of governmentofVictoria,Australia. The premier leads theCabinet of Victoriaand selects itsministers.The premier is appointed by thegovernor of Victoriaand must be a member of andcommand confidencein theVictorian Legislative Assembly,the lower house of theParliament of Victoria,meaning the support of a majority of Legislative Assembly members. This is usually the leader of the political party that holds a majority of lower house members.[2]

Each premier since 1933, apart from short-serving PremierIan Macfarlan,has had a portrait commissioned for the Victorian Parliament's portrait collection. The tradition was initiated byLegislative Council PresidentFred Grimwade.Premiers who have served for over 3,000 days have a statue created in their honor. Six premiers have achieved this milestone and four have their statues near the premier's office at1 Treasury Place.[3]

The longest-serving premier wasHenry Bolteof theLiberal Party,who served for over 17 years. The shortest-serving premier wasGeorge Elmslie,also the first premier from theLabor Party,who served for 13 days.[4]The current premier isJacinta Allanof theLabor Party,who assumed the office on 27 September 2023 following the resignation ofDaniel Andrews.[5]

History[edit]

Before federation[edit]

The first meeting of theLegislative Councilwas on 11 November 1851, at St Patrick's Hall,Bourke Street West,with its primary focus the drafting of a constitution, for theParliament of the United Kingdom'sapproval, to separate thePort Phillip DistrictfromNew South Wales.Responsible governmentwas established in 1855, when its constitution was passed by the British Parliament and receivedroyal assent.This allowed Victoria to become its own colony, named after the reigning monarch,Queen Victoria.GovernorCharles HothamappointedWilliam Hainesto be Victoria's first premier on 28 November 1855, with the first election, provided for by theElectoral Act 1856,organised the following year.[6][7]

Victoria's first election re-elected Haines, also marking the beginning of Victoria'sbicameralsystem. The first sitting of parliament was on 25 November 1856, taking place inParliament House, Melbourne.[7]

Initially, formal political parties did not exist. Everymember of parliament(MP) was anindependent,making it difficult for an MP to command the confidence of the Legislative Assembly. Between 1855 and 1863, there were seven changes of government, and eleven instances where GovernorHenry Barklywas unable to find neither an MP who would be willing to serve as premier, nor an MP who could form a ministry.[8]

Post federation[edit]

FromAustralia's federationin 1901 until the 1950s, Victorian political history was marked by instability, with 24 changes in government during that time.[9]Henry Bolte,then leader of theLiberal Party,won the1955 election,and went on to serve as premier for 17 years and 83 days. Following Bolte, two more Liberal Party leaders,Rupert HamerandLindsay Thompson,would serve as premier, before theLabor Partywon government in 1982 withJohn Cain,whose father had also served as Premier. Cain resigned from the office of premier in 1990[10]and was succeeded byJoan Kirner,Victoria's first female premier.[11]

Between 2014 and 2023,Daniel Andrewsserved as premier, winning three elections before resigning in favour of current premier, Jacinta Allan.[12]

Appointment and succession[edit]

A premier must hold a seat in the Legislative Assembly and have the support of a majority of lower house members. This is usually the leader of the political party or coalition with the majority of lower house seats.[2]In the event of aminority government,where the government does not hold a majority of seats, the government is formed by a party and the support ofcrossbenchers,usually through commitments ofconfidence and supplyto the party they wish to form government.[13]

Following a premier's resignation or an election loss, thegovernor of Victoriaappoints a new premier byswearing them in.[14]If a government loses an election, the existing premier and ministers continue on acaretaker basisby convention until a new government is appointed, ensuring Victoria always has a government.[14]An outgoing premier will typically advise the governor to request they call on theLeader of the Oppositionto form a government and to tender their and their ministers' resignation. The governor then accepts the resignations and appoints a new government.[14]When a premier loses an election, the Leader of the Opposition must assure the governor that they have majority support in the Legislative Assembly. The governor then commissions them to form a government, and the new premier and parliamentarians nominated as ministers are then sworn in asMinisters of the Crown.[14]

Elections are held every four years, on the last Saturday of November, with the next election set for28 November 2026.[15]There are noterm limitsimposed on a premier.[16]

Powers and role[edit]

The role of the premier includes leading parliament, serving as the Chief Minister and Chair of Cabinet, choosing ministers and assigning portfolios, handling portfolio responsibilities, and communicating between the Victorian Government, the Governor and Cabinet, other state and territory governments, the Commonwealth Government, and overseas governments.[2]The Premier's executive powers are derived from acts passed through Parliament and the Constitution Act 1975 (Vic).[17]

The premier represents Victoria as a member of theNational Cabinet.The National Cabinet was established on 13 March 2020 in response to theCOVID-19 pandemicand replaced theCouncil of Australian Governments.[18][19]The National Cabinet exists as a forum for Australian states and theCommonwealth Governmentto coordinate national priorities with the premier of Victoria, or their proxy, acting as Victoria's representative.[20]

Amenities of office[edit]

Rupert Hamer's statue at1 Treasury Place

Salary[edit]

As of 1 July 2023, the premier is paid a total salary ofA$481,190. This is made up of the basic salary received by all members of parliament ($198,839), an additional salary for the role of premier ($221,871), and an expense allowance of $60,480. Changes to the premier's salary are determined by the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal.[1]

Portrait[edit]

Each premier since 1933, apart fromIan Macfarlan,who served for only 51 days, has had a portrait commissioned for the Victorian Parliament's portrait collection. The tradition was initiated by Legislative Council PresidentFred Grimwade.Deceased premiers have their portraits painted from images and living former premiers have their portrait painted in person.[21]

Statue[edit]

Premiers who hold the office for 3,000 days have a statue made in their likeness as a commemoration of their legacy. Six premiers,Daniel Andrews,Henry Bolte,John Cain Jr,Albert Dunstan,Rupert Hamer,andJames McCullochhave done so, but four have had their statues completed.[3]Daniel Andrews' statue is pending completion and James McCulloch, despite serving for over 3,000 days, did not get a statue. Historians Paul Strangio and Brian J. Costar have suggested that this is likely due to McCulloch serving his terms before federation and/or non-consecutively.[22]The statues, sculpted in bronze byPeter Corlett,were installed in September 1999 after premierJeff Kennettinstituted the policy. The statues are located near the premier's office at1 Treasury Place.[23]

Retirement[edit]

Once retired, former premiers get an office in theOld Treasury Building, Melbourne.[24]

Lists relating to the premiers of Victoria[edit]

The longest-serving premier wasHenry Bolte,who served from 7 June 1955 to 23 August 1972 for a total of 17 years and 77 days. He was a member of theLiberal Party.The shortest-serving premier wasGeorge Elmslie,who served from 9 December 1913 to 22 December 1913, for a total of 13 days in office. He was also the first premier from theLabor Party.[4]

Lists of people who have been premier:

References[edit]

  1. ^abMcCann, Warren; Acton, Jennifer; Gardner, Laurinda (20 June 2023).Members of Parliament (Victoria) Determination No. 01/2023(PDF).Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal.pp. 5, 8.ISBN978-1-925789-93-5.Archived(PDF)from the original on 9 October 2023.Retrieved6 October2023.
  2. ^abc"The Premier".Victorian Government.2 October 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 12 May 2023.Retrieved6 October2023.This article incorporatestextfrom this source, which is by the State Government of Victoria available under theCC BY 4.0license.
  3. ^abKolovos, Benita (18 February 2023)."A bronze North Face jacket? Daniel Andrews sized up for statue after 3,000 days as premier".Guardian Australia.Archivedfrom the original on 26 September 2023.Retrieved5 October2023.
  4. ^abToy, Mitchell (21 April 2022)."How Victoria's first Labor premier lasted just 13 days".Herald Sun.Retrieved6 October2023.
  5. ^Kolovos, Benita; Ore, Adeshola (27 September 2023)."Jacina Allan to become premier of Victoria".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 27 September 2023.Retrieved27 September2023.
  6. ^"Electoral Act 1856 (Vic)".Museum of Australian Democracy.Archivedfrom the original on 6 April 2023.Retrieved20 October2023.
  7. ^abCostar & Strangio 2006,p. 4.
  8. ^Costar & Strangio 2006,p. 13.
  9. ^Costar & Strangio 2006,p. ix-x.
  10. ^Forristal, Tom (16 April 1982)."Ministers of the Crown".Victoria Government Gazette.Victorian Government Printer. p. 1982:1025.Retrieved4 October2023.
  11. ^"Fact Sheet I1: Victoria's Parliamentary History".Parliament of Victoria.25 February 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 9 March 2022.Retrieved9 October2023.
  12. ^Evans, Duncan (27 September 2023)."Jacinta Allan elected 49th premier of Victoria".news.com.au.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2023.Retrieved10 January2024.
  13. ^Snowden, Angelica (25 November 2022)."How minority governments work".The Australian.Retrieved5 October2023.
  14. ^abcd"Governor's role".Governor of Victoria.22 September 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 10 March 2018.Retrieved5 October2023.This article incorporatestextfrom this source, which is by the Governor of Victoria available under theCC BY 4.0license.
  15. ^"State elections".Victorian Electoral Commission.Archivedfrom the original on 12 August 2023.Retrieved10 January2024.
  16. ^"Fact Sheet H1: Roles in the Assembly".Parliament of Victoria.25 February 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 3 December 2021.Retrieved9 October2023.
  17. ^Allan, Jacinta (3 October 2023)."General Order dated 2 October 2023 – Premier".Victorian Government.Archivedfrom the original on 9 October 2023.Retrieved6 October2023.
  18. ^First interim report(Report).The Senate- Select Committee on COVID-19. December 2020. p. 182.ISBN978-1-76093-173-5.Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2022.Retrieved28 May2024– viaParliament of Australia.
  19. ^Hitch, Georgia (29 May 2020)."Scott Morrison says National Cabinet here to stay, will replace COAG meetings in wake of coronavirus".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 31 May 2020.Retrieved28 May2024.
  20. ^"National Cabinet Terms of Reference"(PDF).federation.gov.au.Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.December 2022. p. 1.Archived(PDF)from the original on 10 May 2024.Retrieved28 May2024.
  21. ^"History of the Premiers Portraits".Parliament of Victoria.11 August 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 10 May 2022.Retrieved9 October2023.
  22. ^Costar & Strangio 2006,p. 2.
  23. ^Costar & Strangio 2006,p. 1.
  24. ^Donnelly, Stephen; Andrews, Dan (8 December 2023)."Ep.220: Haters Hate and the Rest Vote Labor with Dan Andrews".Socially Democratic(Podcast). Dunn Street. 6:21 minutes in.Archivedfrom the original on 20 December 2023.Retrieved10 January2023.

Sources[edit]

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