Famous Australian Political Leaders
Australia is one of the largest countries of the world. Formerly under the British Empire, the country ended the British involvement in the government of Australia in 1986. Australia’s political system is a federal constitutional parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. The role of the head of the state of the country is divided between the monarch of Australia and the Governor General. The Prime Minister is vested with executive powers and is the highest government minister of the country. Commissioned by the Governor General of Australia, he holds the most powerful political office in Australia. Talking about political parties, the country has two major political groups that usually form the government both federally and in the states - the Australian Labor Party and the Coalition which comprises of the grouping of the Liberal Party and its minor partner, the National Party. Ever since the Constitution of Australia came into being, the country has had prominent political heads and leaders who have played a dominant role in the nation’s advancement and progress. And while talking about Australian leaders, one cannot but fail to mention the name of Sir Robert Menzies, the longest-serving Prime Minister whose contribution cannot be fathomed. Read on this section to get a list of Australian political leaders and their contribution to the country’s political, economic and social landscape through their biographies.
This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.
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Birthdate: October 24, 1954
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Sydney, Australia
Malcolm Turnbull is a retired Australian politician. From 2015 to 2018, Turnbull served as the 29th prime minister of Australia. He also served as the leader of the Liberal Party on two occasions. For his service to the Parliament of Australia, Turnbull was awarded Companion of the Order of Australia during the 2021 Australia Day Honours.
Birthdate: May 13, 1968
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Sydney
Scott Morrison served as the 30th prime minister of Australia between 2018 and 2022. He led his coalition to an unexpected victory in the 2019 election. Morrison's term witnessed increased tension between China and Australia. He was criticised for failure to adequately address climate change in Australia. His coalition was defeated in 2022 election and subsequently he resigned as the leader of the Liberal Party.
Birthdate: September 29, 1961
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Barry, Wales
Julia Gillard was the Australian prime minister from 2010 to 2013. She became the first lady prime minister, deputy prime minister, and leader of a political party in Australia. She has also held other significant positions, such as the minister of education. She has now devoted her life to academics.
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Birthdate: July 26, 1939
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Sydney, Australia
John Howard is an Australian former politician who served serving as the prime minister of Australia from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He is the second-longest-serving Australian prime minister, behind Sir Robert Menzies. As the prime minister, John Howard enforced new gun laws after the Port Arthur massacre of 1996. His tenure as PM has inspired several books.
Birthdate: December 9, 1929
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Bordertown, Australia
Died: May 16, 2019
The 23rd Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke was the longest-serving Labour leader and electorally most successful leader in the history. During his tenure he instituted a unified wage accord among the country's fractious labour unions that resulted in achieving greater industrial harmony. He also holds the feat of being the third longest-serving Prime Minister of the country.
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Tony Abbott(28th Prime Minister of Australia (2013-15))
Birthdate: November 4, 1957
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: London, England
Tony Abbott is a former politician who served as Australia's 28th prime minister from 2013 to 2015. Over the years, Abbott has had a major impact on society, thanks to his community service. He is an active volunteer for agencies and institutions like the New South Wales Rural Fire Service and Queenscliff's Surf Life Saving Club.
Birthdate: March 31, 1900
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: York Cottage, England
Died: June 10, 1974
Son of King George V and Queen Mary, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, was educated at Eton, becoming the first son of a monarch in Britain to attend school. He made headlines with his affair with Beryl Markham. Owing to his multiple strokes, he was wheelchair-bound in his final years.
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Birthdate: May 27, 1954
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Brisbane, Australia
Pauline Hanson is an Australian politician who has been serving as a senator for Queensland since 2016. Hanson is credited with founding a right-wing political party called One Nation, for which she also serves as the leader. Also an author, Pauline Hanson has published many books, including her autobiography, Untamed and Unashamed.
Birthdate: August 5, 1908
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Stanmore
Died: December 17, 1967
Harold Holt was an Australian politician and the 17th prime minister of Australia. On 17 December 1967, Holt disappeared while swimming in rough conditions at Cheviot Beach. Following his disappearance, which gave rise to several conspiracy theories, Harold Holt was presumed dead. The Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre in Melbourne is named in his honor.
Birthdate: January 18, 1944
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Darlinghurst, Australia
Paul Keating is an Australian politician who served as the 24th Prime Minister of Australia and was in the office from 1991 to 1996. He previously served as the deputy prime minister of Australia and the treasurer of Australia. His tenure as the prime minister witnessed the enactment of the landmark Native Title Act to enshrine Indigenous land rights.
Birthdate: December 20, 1894
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Jeparit
Died: May 15, 1978
Robert Menzies was an Australian politician who served as the prime minister of Australia on two non-consecutive terms. He served over 18 years in total, becoming the longest-serving prime minister in Australian history. His government is known for its emphasis on higher education, national security policies, and immigration schemes. After retirement, he became the chancellor of the University of Melbourne.
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Kevin Rudd(26th Prime Minister of Australia (June 2013 - September 2013))
Birthdate: September 21, 1957
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Nambour, Queensland, Australia
Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd has been an Australian Labor Party leader and his country’s foreign affairs minister, too. After graduating in Chinese studies, he directly stepped into a diplomatic career. He has also worked for KPMG Australia as a Senior China Consultant and has penned a memoir.
Birthdate: July 17, 1956
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Lobethal
Julie Bishop is an Australian former politician who once served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. For several years, she was the deputy leader of the Liberal Party. She studied law at the University of Adelaide and worked as a commercial lawyer before venturing into politics. In 2020, she became the first woman chancellor of the Australian National University.
Birthdate: April 16, 1953
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Wahroonga, Australia
Peter Garrett is an Australian musician, activist, environmentalist, and former politician. Renowned for his eccentric dance style and signature bald head, Garrett is best known for his association with the popular rock band Midnight Oil where he performs as the lead singer. A football fan, Peter Garrett supports the Essendon Bombers of the AFL.
Birthdate: January 8, 1885
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Creswick, Australia
Died: July 5, 1945
Born to Irish immigrants, John Curtin had witnessed working-class uprisings in his younger days, which led him to join Australia’s Labour Movement. He was the only Australian prime minister with a Western Australian seat. The strenuous job of leading his country during World War II affected his health.
Birthdate: November 5, 1968
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Penny Wong is an Australian politician. She has been a senator for South Australia since 2002. Currently, she is leader of the opposition in the senate. She is a qualified lawyer and has previously worked as a political advisor. She is a member of the LGBTQAI+ community and played a key role in the legalization of same-sex marriage in Australia.
Birthdate: July 28, 1947
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Peter Cosgrove is an Australian retired Army officer. From 2014 to 2019, he served as the governor-general of Australia. Cosgrove achieved popularity when he commanded the International Force for East Timor, a multinational peacemaking task force, which ensured peace and safety during East Timor's transition to independence in 1999. Peter Cosgrove also played an important role in the Vietnam War.
Birthdate: January 18, 1849
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Glebe, Australia
Died: January 7, 1920
The first prime minister of Australia, Edmund Barton had also been a senior judge at the High Court of Australia. The federation movement leader was also a major force behind the drafting of the constitution of his country. After rejecting the knighthood thrice, he finally accepted the honor in 1902.
Birthdate: September 22, 1970
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Former premier of New South Wales, the biggest state economy of Australia, Gladys Berejiklian was born to Armenian immigrants in Sydney. She made headlines when she resigned from her premiership in October 2021, amid investigations on corruption and the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a regular at the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Birthdate: May 21, 1930
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died: March 20, 2015
Birthdate: February 26, 1971
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Ulverstone
Jacqui Lambie is an Australian politician who was a senator for Tasmania from 2014 to 2017. she was re-elected in 2019. She was initially affiliated with the Palmer United Party (PUP). Following her resignation, she was an independent for a while. Today, she is the leader of her own political party, the Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN).
Birthdate: December 2, 1969
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Sydney
Birthdate: July 25, 1969
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Durack, Australia
Birthdate: March 24, 1961
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Palaio Faliro, Greece
Yanis Varoufakis is a Greek-Australian economist and politician who served as minister of finance for a few months in 2015 under Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. He has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Essex. He began a career in academic economics before entering politics. Along with US Senator Bernie Sanders, he launched the Progressive International.
Birthdate: June 6, 1972
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Williamstown
Daniel Andrews is an Australian politician who is currently serving as the premier of Victoria. He has been the leader of the Labor Party in Victoria since 2010. Prior to this, he worked as a research and political officer. He is a popular politician, and he received praise for his leadership during the 2019–20 Victorian bushfires and the Covod-19 pandemic.
Birthdate: May 27, 1815
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Canley, Coventry, England
Died: April 27, 1896
Henry Parkes was a politician who served as the premier of the Colony of New South Wales. Serving at different time periods throughout the 1870s and 1880s, Parkes was the longest non-consecutive premier in the Colony of New South Wales history. Considered the Father of Federation, Parkes was described as the most commanding figure in Australian politics by The Times.
Birthdate: July 11, 1916
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Kew Vic
Died: October 21, 2014
Gough Whitlam was an Australian politician who served as the prime minister of Australia from 1972 to 1975. During the 1972 election, Whitlam played a major role in bringing the Australian Labor Party to power. During the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, he was dismissed by Governor-General John Kerr, becoming the only prime minister to be dismissed in this manner.
Birthdate: October 14, 1949
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Bob Katter(Member of the Australian Parliament for Kennedy since 1993)
Birthdate: May 22, 1945
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Cloncurry, Australia
Birthdate: May 12, 1967
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Melbourne
Bill Shorten is an Australian politician who served as the leader of the Labor Party from 2013 to 2019. He was also the Leader of the Opposition during this period. He is considered a senior figure in the right faction of the Labor Party. He studied law at Monash University and pursued a legal career before joining politics.
Birthdate: December 23, 1942
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Brisbane
Quentin Bryce is an Australian academic and politician. She served as the 25th Governor-General of Australia from 2008 to 2014 and is the first woman to have held the position. She attended the University of Queensland, where she studied law and became one of the first women accepted to the Queensland Bar. Following a legal career, she entered politics.
Birthdate: January 29, 1959
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Adelaide, Australia
Birthdate: November 18, 1970
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Brisbane, Australia
Birthdate: September 22, 1885
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia
Died: June 13, 1951
Australian prime minister and Labor Party leader Ben Chifley is chiefly remembered for introducing banking reforms, the expansion of social programs such as immigration schemes, and his light on the hill speech. Born to a blacksmith, he initially worked as a railwayman and then joined politics through trade union movements.
Birthdate: April 17, 1967
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Tamworth
Birthdate: December 14, 1948
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Subiaco, Australia
Birthdate: April 16, 1974
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Manly, Australia
Zali Steggall is an Australian lawyer turned politician. She has been serving as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Division of Warringah since 2019. She is a former Olympic athlete as well and is considered Australia's most internationally successful alpine skier. She became a lawyer after retiring from skiing and eventually entered politics as well.
Birthdate: January 13, 1911
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Dannevirke, New Zealand
Died: April 23, 2005
Birthdate: August 13, 1967
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Christopher Pyne is an Australian retired politician. He was affiliated with the Australian Liberal Party and served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Sturt from 1993 to 2019. He has also served as the Minister for Industry, Innovation, and Science and the Minister for Defence in the past. He began a teaching and consulting career after leaving politics.
Birthdate: December 23, 1981
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Melbourne
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Josh Frydenberg(Treasurer of Australia, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party since 2018)
Birthdate: July 17, 1971
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Melbourne
Birthdate: November 6, 1969
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Adelaide, Australia
Birthdate: August 2, 1861
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Geraldton, Australia
Died: June 9, 1932
Edith Cowan was an Australian social reformer best remembered for serving as a member of parliament; she was the first Australian woman to do so. She is also remembered for working for the welfare and rights of children and women. In recognition of her contribution, Cowan has been depicted on Australia's fifty-dollar note since 1995.
Birthdate: November 18, 1965
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Melbourne
Birthdate: February 13, 1939
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Melbourne
Andrew Peacock was an Australian politician and diplomat who became the leader of the Liberal Party on two occasions. He studied law at the University of Melbourne and ventured into politics while simultaneously practicing law. He was appointed to cabinet in 1969 and held a variety of portfolios, including that of the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1975 to 1980.
Birthdate: September 25, 1862
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: London, England
Died: October 28, 1952
Birthdate: June 6, 1970
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Birthdate: July 29, 1964
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Sydney
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Sam Dastyari(First person of Iranian origin to sit in the Australian Parliament)
Birthdate: July 28, 1983
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Sari, Iran
Birthdate: March 2, 1948
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Melbourne