# Deputy Premier of South Australia

The deputy premier of South Australia is the second-most senior officer in the Government of South Australia. The deputy premiership is a ministerial portfolio in the Cabinet of South Australia, and the deputy premier is appointed by the governor on the advice of the premier of South Australia.
The current deputy premier since 2022 is Susan Close of the South Australian Division of the Australian Labor Party.

## History

The office of Deputy Premier was created in March 1968. The first to serve in the position was Labor deputy leader Des Corcoran. Prior to that time the term was sometimes used unofficially for the second-highest ranking minister in the government, usually the Treasurer.
In both Labor and Liberal governments, the deputy premier is usually the party's deputy leader.
Two deputy premiers have subsequently become Premier in their own right: Des Corcoran and Rob Kerin. This last happened in 2001, when Rob Kerin became premier after John Olsen's resignation. Dean Brown did the reverse, becoming Deputy Premier to Rob Kerin, 5 years after his own premiership ended at the hands of John Olsen.
South Australia's longest-serving deputy premier is Kevin Foley, who served in the position from March 2002 to February 2011.

## Duties

The duties of the deputy premier are to act on behalf of the premier in his or her absence overseas or on leave. The deputy premier has additionally always held at least one substantive portfolio. It is possible for a minister to hold only the portfolio of Deputy Premier, but this has never happened.
If the premier were to die, become incapacitated or resign, the Governor would normally appoint the deputy premier as Premier. 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 Premier.

## List of deputy premiers of South Australia

| No. | Portrait | Name Electoral district (Birth–death) | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Premier | Premier |
| No. | Portrait | Name Electoral district (Birth–death) | Term start | Term end | Party | Party | Premier | Premier |
| 1 | | Des Corcoran MHA for Millicent (1928–2004) | 26 March 1968 | 16 April 1968 | | Labor | | Don Dunstan Labor (1967–1968) |
| None (16 April 1968–2 July 1970) | None (16 April 1968–2 July 1970) | None (16 April 1968–2 July 1970) | None (16 April 1968–2 July 1970) | None (16 April 1968–2 July 1970) | None (16 April 1968–2 July 1970) | None (16 April 1968–2 July 1970) | | Steele Hall Liberal and Country League (1968–1970) |
| (1) | | Des Corcoran MHA for Millicent (until 1975) MHA for Coles (1975–1977) MHA for Hartley (from 1977) (1928–2004) | 2 July 1970 | 15 March 1979 | | Labor | | Don Dunstan Labor (1970–1979) |
| 2 | | Hugh Hudson MHA for Brighton (1930–1993) | 15 March 1979 | 18 September 1979 | | Labor | | Des Corcoran Labor (1979) |
| 3 | | Roger Goldsworthy MHA for Kavel (born 1929) | 18 September 1979 | 10 November 1982 | | Liberal | | David Tonkin Liberal (1979–1982) |
| 4 | | Roger Goldsworthy MHA for Adelaide (1927–1998) | 10 November 1982 | 16 July 1985 | | Labor | | John Bannon Labor (1982–1992) |
| 5 | | Don Hopgood MHA for Baudin (born 1938) | 16 July 1985 | 4 September 1992 | | Labor | | John Bannon Labor (1982–1992) |
| 6 | | Frank Blevins MHA for Giles (1939–2013) | 4 September 1992 | 14 December 1993 | | Labor | | Lynn Arnold Labor (1992–1993) |
| 7 | | Stephen Baker MHA for Waite (born 1946) | 14 December 1993 | 28 November 1996 | | Liberal | | Dean Brown Liberal (1993–1996) |
| 8 | | Graham Ingerson MHA for Bragg (born 1941) | 28 November 1996 | 7 July 1998 | | Liberal | | John Olsen Liberal (1996–2001) |
| 9 | | Rob Kerin MHA for Frome (born 1954) | 7 July 1998 | 22 October 2001 | | Liberal | | John Olsen Liberal (1996–2001) |
| 10 | | Dean Brown MHA for Finniss (born 1943) | 22 October 2001 | 5 March 2002 | | Liberal | | Rob Kerin Liberal (2001–2002) |
| 11 | | Kevin Foley MHA for Port Adelaide (born 1960) | 5 March 2002 | 6 February 2011 | | Labor | | Mike Rann Labor (2002–2011) |
| 12 | | John Rau MHA for Enfield (born 1959) | 7 February 2011 | 19 March 2018 | | Labor | | Jay Weatherill Labor (2011–2018) |
| 13 | | Vickie Chapman MHA for Bragg | 19 March 2018 | 22 November 2021 | | Liberal | | Steven Marshall Liberal (2018–2022) |
| 14 | | Dan van Holst Pellekaan MHA for Stuart | 23 November 2021 | 21 March 2022 | | Liberal | | Steven Marshall Liberal (2018–2022) |
| 15 | | Susan Close MHA for Port Adelaide (born 1967) | 21 March 2022 | Incumbent | | Labor | | Peter Malinauskas Labor (since 2022) |