Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
Informal Deputy Prime Ministers
The office of Deputy Prime Minister was created in January 1968 but prior to that time the term was used unofficially for the second-highest ranking minister in the government.

Deputy Prime Minister of Australia

Section Title: Informal Deputy Prime Ministers
Table Section Text: The office of Deputy Prime Minister was created in January 1968 but prior to that time the term was used unofficially for the second-highest ranking minister in the government.

Name	Picture	Term of office	Political party and position	Ministerial Offices	Prime Minister

Alfred Deakin	-	1901	1903	Protectionist Party Deputy Leader 1901–03	Attorney-General Acting Prime Minister 1902	Edmund Barton

William Lyne	-	1903	1904	Protectionist Party Deputy Leader 1901–09	Minister for Trade and Customs	Alfred Deakin

Gregor McGregor	-	1904	1904	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1901–14	Vice-President of the Executive Council	Chris Watson

Allan McLean	-	1904	1905	Protectionist Party	Minister for Trade and Customs	George Reid

William Lyne	-	1905	1908	Protectionist Party Deputy Leader 1901–09	Minister for Trade and Customs Treasurer	Alfred Deakin

Gregor McGregor	-	1908	1909	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1901–14	Vice-President of the Executive Council	Andrew Fisher

Joseph Cook	-	1909	1910	Commonwealth Liberal Party Deputy Leader 1909–13	Minister for Defence	Alfred Deakin

Gregor McGregor	-	1910	1913	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1901–14	Vice-President of the Executive Council	Andrew Fisher

John Forrest	-	1913	1914	Commonwealth Liberal Party Deputy Leader 1913–16	Treasurer	Joseph Cook

Billy Hughes	-	1914	1915	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1914–15	Attorney-General Acting Prime Minister 1915	Andrew Fisher

George Pearce	-	1915	1916	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1915–16	Minister for Defence Acting Prime Minister 1916	Billy Hughes

1916	1917	National Labor Party Deputy Leader 1916–17

William Watt	-	1918	1920	Nationalist Deputy Leader 1918–20	Treasurer Acting Prime Minister 1918–19

Joseph Cook	-	1917	1921	Nationalist Deputy Leader 1920–21	Minister for the Navy Treasurer acting Prime Minister May–September 1921

Earle Page	-	1923	1929	Country Party Leader 1921–39	Treasurer	Stanley Bruce

Ted Theodore	-	1929	1932	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1929–32	Treasurer	James Scullin

James Fenton	-	1930	1931	Australian Labor Party Temporary Leader 1929–32	Acting Prime Minister 1930–31	James Scullin

John Latham	-	1932	1934	United Australia Party Deputy Leader 1932–34	Attorney-General Minister for External Affairs Minister for Industry	Joseph Lyons

George Pearce	-	1934	1934	United Australia Party Deputy Leader 1934	Minister for External Affairs Minister in Charge of Territories

Earle Page	-	1934	1939	Country Party Leader 1921–39	Minister for Commerce Minister for Health

Archie Cameron	-	1940	1940	Country Party Leader 1939–40	Postmaster-General Minister for Commerce Minister for the Navy	Robert Menzies

Arthur Fadden	-	1940	1941	Country Party Leader 1940–58	Minister for the Air Minister for Civil Aviation Treasurer Acting Prime Minister 1940

Robert Menzies	-	1941	1941	United Australia Party Leader 1939–41	Minister for Defence Co-ordination	Arthur Fadden

Frank Forde	-	1941	1946	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1932–46	Minister for the Army Minister for Defence Acting Prime Minister April–July 1944, November 1944 – January 1945, Prime Minister for one week in 1945	John Curtin

Ben Chifley

H. V. Evatt	-	1946	1949	Australian Labor Party Deputy Leader 1946–51	Minister for External Affairs Attorney-General

Arthur Fadden	-	1949	1958	Country Party Leader 1940–58	Treasurer	Robert Menzies

John McEwen	-	1958	1967	Country Party Leader 1958–71	Minister for Trade and Industry Acting Prime Minister June–July 1965

Harold Holt

Sentence(s)

John McEwen of the Country Party was sworn in as interim Prime Minister following Prime Minister Harold Holt.

final_sentence: John McEwen of the Country Party was sworn in as interim Prime Minister following Prime Minister Harold Holt.