Premier of South Australia

Premier of South Australia
South Australian coat of arms
Flag of South Australia
Incumbent Peter Malinauskas since 21 March 2022
Department of the Premier and Cabinet Government of South Australia
Style	The Honourable (formal) Premier (informal)
Status	Head of government
Member of	Parliament National Cabinet Cabinet Executive Council
Reports to	Parliament
Seat	State Administration Centre 200 Victoria Square, Adelaide
Appointer	Governor of South Australia 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 House of Assembly
Constituting instrument	None (constitutional convention)
Formation	24 October 1856
First holder	Boyle Finniss
Deputy	Deputy Premier of South Australia
Salary	A$418,000[1]
Website	www.premier.sa.gov.au

The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier is appointed by the governor of South Australia, and by modern convention holds office by virtue of their ability to command the support of a majority of members of the lower house of Parliament, the House of Assembly.

Peter Malinauskas is the current premier, having served since 21 March 2022.

The office of premier of South Australia was established upon the commencement of responsible government with the passage of the Constitution Act 1856. The role was based upon that of the prime minister of the United Kingdom, with the premier requiring the support of a majority of the members of the lower house to remain head of government.

No parties or solid groupings would be formed until after the 1890 election, which resulted in frequent changes of the premier of South Australia. If for any reason the incumbent premier lost sufficient support through a successful motion of no confidence at any time on the floor of the house, he would tender his resignation to the governor of South Australia, which would result in another member deemed to have the support of the House of Assembly being sworn in by the governor as the next premier.

Informal groupings began and increased government stability occurred from the 1887 election. The United Labor Party would be formed in 1891, while the National Defence League would be formed later in the same year.

Before the 1890s when there was no formal party system in South Australia, MPs tended to have historical liberal or conservative beliefs. The liberals dominated government from the 1893 election to 1905 election with the support of the South Australian United Labor Party, with the conservatives mostly in opposition. Labor took government with the support of eight dissident liberals in 1905 when Labor won the most seats for the first time. The rise of Labor saw non-Labor politics start to merge into various party incarnations.

The two independent conservative parties, the Australasian National League (formerly the National Defence League) and the Farmers and Producers Political Union merged with the Liberal and Democratic Union to become the Liberal Union in 1910. Labor formed South Australia's first majority government after winning the 1910 state election, triggering the merger. The 1910 election came two weeks after federal Labor formed Australia's first elected majority government at the 1910 federal election.

No "Country" or rural conservative parties emerged as serious long-term forces in South Australian state politics, the majority folding into the main non-Labor party.

The first six governors of South Australia oversaw governance from proclamation in 1836 until self-government and an elected Parliament of South Australia was enacted in the year prior to the inaugural 1857 election.

Political parties

No.	Portrait	Name Birth–death Constituency	Election Parliament	Term of office			Political party	Ministry
				Took office	Left office	Time in office
Colonial Government (1856–1901)
1		Boyle Finniss (1807–1893) MHA for Adelaide	1857 (1st)	24 October 1856	21 August 1857	301 days	Independent	Finniss
2		John Baker (1813–1872) Councillor	— (1st)	21 August 1857	1 September 1857	11 days	Independent	Baker
3		Robert Richard Torrens (1814–1884) MHA for Adelaide	— (1st)	1 September 1857	30 September 1857	29 days	Independent	Torrens
4		Richard Hanson (1805–1876) MHA for Adelaide	— (1st)	30 September 1857	9 May 1860	2 years, 222 days	Independent	Hanson
5		Thomas Reynolds (1818–1875) MHA for Adelaide	1860 (2nd)	9 May 1860	8 October 1861	1 year, 152 days	Independent	Reynolds (1st) Reynolds (2nd)
6		George Waterhouse (1824–1906) Councillor	— (2nd) 1862 (3rd)	8 October 1861	4 July 1863	1 year, 269 days	Independent	Waterhouse (1st) Waterhouse (2nd)
7		Francis Dutton (1818–1877) MHA for Light	— (3rd)	4 July 1863	15 July 1863	11 days	Independent	Dutton (1st)
8		Henry Ayers (1821–1897) Councillor	— (3rd)	15 July 1863	4 August 1864	1 year, 20 days	Independent	Ayers (1st) Ayers (2nd)
9		Arthur Blyth (1823–1891) MHA for Gumeracha	— (3rd)	4 August 1864	22 March 1865	230 days	Independent	Blyth (1st)
(7)		Francis Dutton	1865 (4th)	22 March 1865	20 September 1865	182 days	Independent	Dutton (2nd)
(8)		Henry Ayers	— (4th)	20 September 1865	23 October 1865	33 days	Independent	Ayers (3rd)
10		John Hart (1809–1873) MHA for Port Adelaide	— (4th)	23 October 1865	28 March 1866	156 days	Independent	Hart (1st)
11		James Boucaut (1831–1916) MHA for Encounter Bay	— (4th)	28 March 1866	3 May 1867	1 year, 36 days	Independent	Boucaut (1st)
(8)		Henry Ayers	— (4th) 1868 (5th)	3 May 1867	24 September 1868	1 year, 144 days	Independent	Ayers (4th)
(10)		John Hart MHA for Light	— (5th)	24 September 1868	13 October 1868	19 days	Independent	Hart (2nd)
(8)		Henry Ayers	— (5th)	13 October 1868	3 November 1868	21 days	Independent	Ayers (5th)
12		Henry Strangways (1832–1920) MHA for West Torrens	— (5th) 1870 (6th)	3 November 1868	30 May 1870	1 year, 208 days	Independent	Strangways (1st) Strangways (2nd)
(10)		John Hart MHA for The Burra	— (6th)	30 May 1870	10 November 1871	1 year, 164 days	Independent	Hart (3rd)
(9)		Arthur Blyth	— (6th) 1871 (7th)	10 November 1871	22 January 1872	73 days	Independent	Blyth (2nd)
(8)		Henry Ayers	— (7th)	22 January 1872	22 July 1873	1 year, 151 days	Independent	Ayers (6th) Ayers (7th)
(9)		Arthur Blyth	— (7th) 1875 (8th)	22 July 1873	3 June 1875	1 year, 316 days	Independent	Blyth (3rd)
(11)		James Boucaut	— (8th)	3 June 1875	6 June 1876	1 year, 3 days	Independent	Boucaut (2nd) Boucaut (3rd)
13		John Colton (1823–1902) MHA for Noarlunga	— (8th)	6 June 1876	26 October 1877	1 year, 142 days	Independent	Colton (1st)
(11)		James Boucaut	— (8th) 1878 (9th)	26 October 1877	27 September 1878	336 days	Independent	Boucaut (4th)
14		William Morgan (1828–1883) Councillor	— (9th) 1881 (10th)	27 September 1878	24 June 1881	2 years, 270 days	Independent	Morgan
15		John Bray (1842–1894) MHA for East Adelaide	— (10th) 1884 (11th)	24 June 1881	16 June 1884	2 years, 358 days	Independent	Bray
(13)		John Colton	— (11th)	16 June 1884	16 June 1885	1 year, 0 days	Independent	Colton (2nd)
16		John Downer (1843–1915) MHA for Barossa	— (11th) 1887 (12th)	16 June 1885	11 June 1887	1 year, 360 days	Independent	Downer (1st)
17		Thomas Playford (1837–1915) MHA for Newcastle	— (12th)	11 June 1887	27 June 1889	2 years, 16 days	Independent	Playford II (1st)
18		John Cockburn (1850–1929) MHA for Mount Barker	— (12th) 1890 (13th)	27 June 1889	19 August 1890	1 year, 53 days	Liberalism	Cockburn
(17)		Thomas Playford MHA for East Torrens	— (13th)	19 August 1890	21 June 1892	1 year, 307 days	Conservatism	Playford II (2nd)
19		Frederick Holder (1850–1909) MHA for Burra	— (13th)	21 June 1892	15 October 1892	116 days	Liberalism	Holder (1st)
(16)		John Downer	— (13th)	15 October 1892	16 June 1893	244 days	Conservatism	Downer (2nd)
20		Charles Kingston (1850–1908) MHA for West Adelaide	1893 (14th) 1896 (15th) 1899 (16th)	16 June 1893	1 December 1899	6 years, 168 days	Liberalism	Kingston
21		Vaiben Solomon (1853–1908) MHA for Northern Territory	— (16th)	1 December 1899	8 December 1899	7 days	Conservatism	Solomon
(19)		Frederick Holder	— (16th)	8 December 1899	15 May 1901	1 year, 158 days	Liberalism	Holder (2nd)
State Government (1901–present)
22		John Jenkins (1851–1923) MHA for Torrens	— (16th) 1902 (17th)	15 May 1901	1 March 1905	3 years, 290 days	Liberalism	Jenkins
23		Richard Butler (1850–1925) MHA for Barossa	— (17th)	1 March 1905	26 July 1905	147 days	Conservatism	Butler I
24		Thomas Price (1852–1909) MHA for Torrens	1905 (18th) 1906 (19th)	26 July 1905	5 June 1909	3 years, 314 days	United Labor	Price
25		Archibald Peake (1859–1920) MHA for Victoria & Albert	— (19th)	5 June 1909	3 June 1910	363 days	Liberal & Democratic Union	Peake (1st)
26		John Verran (1856–1932) MHA for Wallaroo	1910 (20th)	3 June 1910	17 February 1912	1 year, 259 days	United Labor	Verran
(25)		Archibald Peake (1859–1920)	1912 (21st)	17 February 1912	3 April 1915	3 years, 45 days	Liberal Union	Peake (2nd)
27		Crawford Vaughan (1874–1947) MHA for Sturt	1915 (22nd)	3 April 1915	14 July 1917	2 years, 102 days	United Labor	Vaughan
(25)		Archibald Peake (1859–1920)	— (22nd) 1918 (23rd)	14 July 1917	8 April 1920	2 years, 269 days	Liberal Union	Peake (3rd)
28		Henry Barwell (1877–1959) MHA for Stanley	— (23rd) 1921 (24th)	8 April 1920	16 April 1924	4 years, 8 days	Liberal Union (until 1923) Liberal Federation (from 1923)	Barwell
29		John Gunn (1884–1959) MHA for Adelaide	1924 (25th)	16 April 1924	28 August 1926	2 years, 134 days	Labor	Gunn
30		Lionel Hill (1881–1963) MHA for Port Pirie	— (25th)	28 August 1926	8 April 1927	223 days	Labor	Hill (1st)
31		Richard L. Butler (1885–1966) MHA for Wooroora	1927 (26th)	8 April 1927	17 April 1930	3 years, 9 days	Liberal Federation	Butler II (1st)
(30)		Lionel Hill (1881–1963)	1930 (27th)	17 April 1930	13 February 1933	2 years, 302 days	Labor	Hill (2nd)
32		Robert Richards (1885–1967) MHA for Wallaroo	— (27th)	13 February 1933	18 April 1933	64 days	Labor	Richards
(31)		Richard L. Butler (1885–1966)	1933 (28th) 1938 (29th)	18 April 1933	5 November 1938	5 years, 201 days	Liberal and Country League	Butler II (2nd)
33		Thomas Playford (1896–1981) MHA for Gumeracha	— (29th) 1941 (30th) 1944 (31st) 1947 (32nd) 1950 (33rd) 1953 (34th) 1956 (35th) 1959 (36th) 1962 (37th)	5 November 1938	10 March 1965	26 years, 125 days	Liberal and Country League	Playford IV (1st) Playford IV (2nd)
34		Frank Walsh (1897–1968) MHA for Edwardstown	1965 (38th)	10 March 1965	1 June 1967	2 years, 83 days	Labor	Walsh
35		Don Dunstan (1926–1999) MHA for Norwood	— (38th)	1 June 1967	17 April 1968	321 days	Labor	Dunstan (1st)
36		Steele Hall (1928–2024) MHA for Gouger	1968 (39th)	17 April 1968	2 June 1970	2 years, 46 days	Liberal and Country League	Hall
(35)		Don Dunstan	1970 (40th) 1973 (41st) 1975 (42nd) 1977 (43rd)	2 June 1970	15 February 1979	8 years, 258 days	Labor	Dunstan (2nd)
37		Des Corcoran (1928–2004) MHA for Hartley	— (43rd)	15 February 1979	18 September 1979	215 days	Labor	Corcoran
38		David Tonkin (1929–2000) MHA for Bragg	1979 (44th)	18 September 1979	10 November 1982	3 years, 53 days	Liberal	Tonkin
39		John Bannon (1943–2015) MHA for Ross Smith	1982 (45th) 1985 (46th) 1989 (47th)	10 November 1982	4 September 1992	9 years, 299 days	Labor	Bannon
40		Lynn Arnold (born 1949) MHA for Ramsay	— (47th)	4 September 1992	14 December 1993	1 year, 101 days	Labor	Arnold
41		Dean Brown (born 1943) MHA for Finniss	1993 (48th)	14 December 1993	28 November 1996	2 years, 350 days	Liberal	Brown
42		John Olsen (born 1945) MHA for Kavel	— (48th) 1997 (49th)	28 November 1996	22 October 2001	4 years, 328 days	Liberal	Olsen
43		Rob Kerin (born 1954) MHA for Frome	— (49th)	22 October 2001	5 March 2002	165 days	Liberal	Kerin
44		Mike Rann (born 1953) MHA for Ramsay	2002 (50th) 2006 (51st) 2010 (52nd)	5 March 2002	21 October 2011	9 years, 230 days	Labor	Rann
45		Jay Weatherill (born 1964) MHA for Cheltenham	— (52nd) 2014 (53rd)	21 October 2011	19 March 2018	6 years, 149 days	Labor	Weatherill
46		Steven Marshall (born 1968) MHA for Dunstan	2018 (54th)	19 March 2018	21 March 2022	4 years, 2 days	Liberal	Marshall
47		Peter Malinauskas (born 1980) MHA for Croydon	2022 (55th)	21 March 2022	—	2 years, 249 days	Labor	Malinauskas

In the following timeline, the legend includes the Liberal and Democratic Union, the Liberal Union and the Liberal Federation represented as "Liberal (pre-1979)". The Liberal Party is represented as "Liberal (post-1979)" only. The grey area represents the duration of Playmander electoral malapportionment, beginning in 1936, in effect until the 1970 election.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Premiers of South Australia.

• List of premiers of South Australia by time in office
• Deputy Premier of South Australia
• Leader of the Opposition (South Australia)

• Statistical Record of the Legislature 1836 – 2007

• Biographies of all premiers at the SA Parliament web site
• UWA state and federal election results since 1890 Archived 18 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine