Premier of Tasmania

The premier of Tasmania is the head of government of the Australian state of Tasmania. This person leads the cabinet of Tasmania and chooses ministers who help run the state. The premier is chosen by the governor based on who can get the most support in the House of Assembly.

Since April 8, 2022, Jeremy Rockliff, from the Liberal Party, has been the premier. His party does not have a majority of seats, so he works with other smaller groups like the Jacqui Lambie Network, the Greens, and independents to keep his government running.

Jeremy Rockliff is one of the lowest-paid leaders in Australia. In 2025, he chose not to take a big pay increase, keeping his salary smaller than it could have been.

List of premiers of Tasmania

Before the 1890s, Tasmania did not have formal political parties. Today, we choose the premier from the House of Assembly, but this only began in the late 19th century. Before that, eight premiers were chosen from the Legislative Council. The last of these was Philip Fysh, who served from 1887 to 1892.

No.	Portrait	Name Electoral division (Birth–death)	Election	Term of office			Political party	Monarch
				Term start	Term end	Time in office
1		William Champ MHA for Launceston (1808–1892)	1856	1 November 1856	26 February 1857	117 days	Independent	Victoria (1837–1901) Governor: Sir Henry Young (1855–1861) Sir Thomas Browne (1862–1868) Sir Charles Du Cane (1869–1874) Sir Frederick Weld (1875–1880) Sir John Henry Lefroy (1880–1881) Sir George Strahan (1881–1886) Sir Robert Hamilton (1887–1892) The Viscount Gormanston (1893–1900)
2		Thomas Gregson MHA for Richmond (1796–1874)	—	26 February 1857	25 April 1857	58 days	Independent
3		William Weston MHA for Ringwood (1804–1888)	—	25 April 1857	12 May 1857	17 days	Independent
4		Francis Smith MHA for Fingal (1819–1909)	—	12 May 1857	1 November 1860	3 years, 173 days	Independent
(3)		William Weston MLC for Longford (1804–1888)	—	1 November 1860	2 August 1861	274 days	Independent
5		Thomas Chapman MHA for Queensborough (until 1862) MHA for Campbell Town (from 1862) (1815–1884)	1861	2 August 1861	20 January 1863	1 year, 171 days	Independent
6		James Whyte MLC for Pembroke (1820–1882)	1862	20 January 1863	24 November 1866	3 years, 308 days	Independent
7		Sir Richard Dry MLC for Tamar (1815–1869)	1866	24 November 1866	1 August 1869 (†)	2 years, 250 days	Independent
8		James Milne Wilson MLC for Hobart (1812–1880)	—	4 August 1869	4 November 1872	3 years, 92 days	Independent
			1871
9		Frederick Innes MHA for Selby (1816–1882)	1872	4 November 1872	4 August 1873	273 days	Independent
10		Alfred Kennerley MLC for Hobart (1810–1897)	—	4 August 1873	20 July 1876	2 years, 351 days	Independent
11		Thomas Reibey MHA for Westbury (1821–1912)	—	20 July 1876	9 August 1877	1 year, 20 days	Independent
12		Philip Fysh MHA for East Hobart (1835–1919)	1877	9 August 1877	5 March 1878	208 days	Independent
13		William Giblin MHA for Wellington (1840–1887)	—	5 March 1878	20 December 1878	290 days	Independent
14		William Crowther MHA for Queensborough (1817–1885)	—	20 December 1878	30 October 1879	314 days	Independent
(13)		William Giblin MHA for Wellington (1840–1887)	—	30 October 1879	15 August 1884	4 years, 290 days	Independent
			1882
15		Adye Douglas MLC for South Esk (1815–1906)	—	15 August 1884	8 March 1886	1 year, 205 days	Independent
16		James Agnew MLC for Macquarie (1815–1901)	—	8 March 1886	29 March 1887	1 year, 21 days	Independent
			1886
(12)		Philip Fysh MLC for Buckingham (1835–1919)	—	29 March 1887	27 August 1892	5 years, 141 days	Protectionist
			1891
17		Henry Dobson MHA for Brighton (1841–1918)	—	27 August 1892	14 April 1894	1 year, 240 days	Free Trade
			1893
18		Sir Edward Braddon MHA for West Devon (1829–1904)	—	14 April 1894	12 October 1899	5 years, 181 days	Free Trade
			1897
19		Sir Elliott Lewis MHA for Richmond (1858–1935)	—	12 October 1899	9 April 1903	3 years, 179 days	Free Trade
			1900
								Edward VII (1901–1910) Governor: Sir Arthur Havelock (1901–1904) Sir Gerald Strickland (1904–1909) Sir Harry Barron (from 1909)
20		William Propsting MHA for North Hobart (1861–1937)	1903	9 April 1903	12 July 1904	1 year, 94 days	Protectionist
21		John Evans MHA for Kingborough (until 1909) MHA for Franklin (from 1909) (1855–1943)	—	12 July 1904	19 June 1909	4 years, 342 days	Anti-Socialist
			1906
			1909
(19)		Sir Elliott Lewis MHA for Denison (1858–1935)	—	19 June 1909	20 October 1909	123 days	Liberal League
22		John Earle MHA for Franklin (1865–1932)	—	20 October 1909	27 October 1909	7 days	Labor
(19)		Sir Elliott Lewis MHA for Denison (1858–1935)	—	27 October 1909	14 June 1912	2 years, 231 days	Liberal League
								George V (1910–1936) Governor: Sir Harry Barron (until 1913) Sir William Ellison-Macartney (1913–1917) Sir Francis Newdegate (1917–1920) Sir William Allardyce (1920–1922) Sir James O'Grady (1924–1930) Sir Ernest Clark (from 1933)
			1912
23		Albert Solomon MHA for Bass (1876–1914)	—	14 June 1912	6 April 1914	1 year, 296 days	Liberal League
			1913
(22)		John Earle MHA for Franklin (1865–1932)	—	6 April 1914	15 April 1916	2 years, 9 days	Labor
24		Sir Walter Lee MHA for Wilmot (1874–1963)	1916	15 April 1916	12 August 1922	6 years, 119 days	Liberal League (until 1917)
							Nationalist
			1919
			1922
25		John Hayes MHA for Bass (1868–1956)	—	12 August 1922	14 August 1923	1 year, 2 days	Nationalist
(24)		Sir Walter Lee MHA for Wilmot (1874–1963)	—	14 August 1923	25 October 1923	1 year, 72 days	Nationalist
26		Joseph Lyons MHA for Wilmot (1879–1939)	—	25 October 1923	15 June 1928	4 years, 234 days	Labor
			1925
27		John McPhee MHA for Denison (1878–1952)	1928	15 June 1928	15 March 1934	5 years, 273 days	Nationalist
			1931
(24)		Sir Walter Lee MHA for Wilmot (1874–1963)	—	15 March 1934	22 June 1934	99 days	Nationalist
28		Albert Ogilvie MHA for Franklin (1890–1939)	1934	22 June 1934	10 June 1939 (†)	4 years, 353 days	Labor
								Edward VIII (1936) Governor: Sir Ernest Clark
								George VI (1936–1952) Governor: Sir Ernest Clark (until 1945) Sir Hugh Binney (1945–1951) Sir Ronald Cross (from 1951)
			1937
29		Edmund Dwyer-Gray MHA for Denison (1870–1945)	—	11 June 1939	18 December 1939	190 days	Labor
30		Robert Cosgrove MHA for Denison (1884–1969)	—	18 December 1939	18 December 1947	8 years, 0 days	Labor
			1941
			1946
31		Edward Brooker MHA for Franklin (1891–1948)	—	18 December 1947	25 February 1948	69 days	Labor
(30)		Robert Cosgrove MHA for Denison (1884–1969)	—	25 February 1948	26 August 1958	10 years, 182 days	Labor
			1948
			1950
								Elizabeth II (1952–2022) Governor: Sir Ronald Cross (until 1958) The Lord Rowallan (1959–1963) Sir Charles Gairdner (1963–1968) Sir Edric Bastyan (1968–1973) Sir Stanley Burbury (1973–1982) Sir James Plimsoll (1982–1987) Sir Phillip Bennett (1987–1995) Sir Guy Green (1995–2003) Richard Butler (2003–2004) William Cox (2004–2008) Peter Underwood (2008–2014) Kate Warner (2014–2021) Barbara Baker (from 2021)
			1955
			1956
32		Eric Reece MHA for Braddon (1909–1999)	—	26 August 1958	26 May 1969	10 years, 273 days	Labor
			1959
			1964
33		Angus Bethune MHA for Wilmot (1908–2004)	1969	26 May 1969	3 May 1972	2 years, 343 days	Liberal
(32)		Eric Reece MHA for Braddon (1909–1999)	1972	3 May 1972	31 March 1975	2 years, 332 days	Labor
34		Bill Neilson MHA for Franklin (1925–1989)	—	31 March 1975	1 December 1977	2 years, 245 days	Labor
			1976
35		Doug Lowe MHA for Franklin (born 1942)	—	1 December 1977	11 November 1981	3 years, 345 days	Labor
			1979
36		Harry Holgate MHA for Bass (1933–1997)		11 November 1981	26 May 1982	196 days	Labor
37		Robin Gray MHA for Wilmot (until 1984) MHA for Lyons (from 1984) (born 1940)	1982	26 May 1982	29 June 1989	7 years, 34 days	Liberal
			1986
38		Michael Field MHA for Braddon (born 1948)	1989	29 June 1989	17 February 1992	2 years, 233 days	Labor
39		Ray Groom MHA for Denison (born 1944)	1992	17 February 1992	18 March 1996	4 years, 30 days	Liberal
			1996
40		Tony Rundle MHA for Braddon (1939–2025)	—	18 March 1996	14 September 1998	2 years, 180 days	Liberal
41		Jim Bacon MHA for Denison (1950–2004)	1998	14 September 1998	21 March 2004	5 years, 189 days	Labor
			2002
42		Paul Lennon MHA for Franklin (born 1955)	—	21 March 2004	26 May 2008	4 years, 66 days	Labor
			2006
43		David Bartlett MHA for Denison (born 1968)	—	26 May 2008	24 January 2011	2 years, 243 days	Labor
			2010
44		Lara Giddings MHA for Franklin (born 1972)	—	24 January 2011	31 March 2014	3 years, 66 days	Labor
45		Will Hodgman MHA for Franklin (born 1969)	2014	31 March 2014	20 January 2020	5 years, 295 days	Liberal
			2018
46		Peter Gutwein MHA for Bass (born 1964)	—	20 January 2020	8 April 2022	2 years, 78 days	Liberal
			2021
47		Jeremy Rockliff MHA for Braddon (born 1970)	—	8 April 2022	Incumbent	4 years, 42 days	Liberal
			2024					Charles III (2022–present) Governor: Barbara Baker
			2025

Graphical timeline