Talk:Deputy Prime Minister of Australia

List

I just edited Earle Page's tenure of 1923-39 to 1923-29 since the ALP was in power in 1929-32 and the Country Party was not in Coalition with the UAP in its first term in government of 1932-34. The list is not complete since Ted Theodore was deputy in the Scullin Government and John Latham was deputy in the first term of the Lyons Government. --The Shadow Treasurer 28 June 2005 05:00 (UTC)

Second highest?

The article states that the Deputy is the second highest office. At the moment however, it seems as if Peter Costello, the Treasurer, has the second highest office. Costello is also tipped to succeed Howard if he ever decides to leave. Also, the media has also made it out that Treasurer is the most prominent position after the Prime Minister. Could someone please explain this to me?—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 203.134.132.150 (talk • contribs) 20:19, 14 November 2005 (ACST).

The Deputy PM is the second highest ministerial office in terms of precedence. In terms of cabinet, the treasurer and minister for foreign affairs have historically jostled for most important position after the Prime Minister. However, with the centralising of power in the Prime Minister ("presidentialisation", even), much of the responsibility for foreign affairs has been usurped by the PM thus leaving the treasurer more powerful than the minister for foreign affairs. Remember, in Coalition governments, Deputy PM is a position reserved for the Nationals, thus giving it less significance than it would in a Labor government. I think...--Cyberjunkie | Talk 11:16, 14 November 2005 (UTC)

Contra Cyberjunkie, I think the Treasurer has always been the second most important position in the federal government. Few Foreign Ministers have been regarded as the real No 2 in a government or as heir-apparent to the PM. I would think Evatt under Chifley was the last, and that was because Chifley was his own Treasurer. Spender and Casey under Menzies had ambitions, but it was Treasurer Holt who was the long-term heir. Ditto Howard under Fraser and Keating under Hawke. Cyber is right about the decline in the prestige of the Deputy PM in Coalition governments, since this is a function of the decline of the Nationals vis-a-vis the Liberals. Anyone who can recall the clout of McEwen or Anthony compared with Vaile's position today will know that. Adam 12:39, 14 November 2005 (UTC)

Pictures

Can anyone update the deputy prime ministers without pictures.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 210.50.176.20 (talk • contribs) 17:08, 5 December 2006 (ACST).

Succession

So far as I understand it, there is no convention obliging the G-G to appoint the Deputy PM as PM in the event of the PM's death. Am I mistaken? The article currently makes this appear the case, as a reflect of the situation following Holt's death.--cj | talk 09:19, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

A lot of "conventions" are really just coincidences of practice building up. It's certainly the case that de facto DPMs Page, Forde and McEwan were appointed but in the case of McEwan it appears the Governor General did give some thought to the matter - see Richard Casey, Baron Casey#Governor-General. Remember that when Page was appointed the UAP had no sitting deputy leader (Menzies had just resigned) whilst Forde was in a single party government. So in 1967 there was no federal precedent covering a situation where the main party had a sitting deputy whilst a different person held what was basically the DPM role. The Governor General's primary duty is to ensure the smooth business of government can carry on under an individual able to do so and practices and conventions follow that. Timrollpickering (talk) 13:19, 7 August 2009 (UTC)

Deputy PMs before 1968

Since the position of DPM did not exist before 1968, any statement that any person was known by that title before then requires a specific citation, otherwise it is just speculation and in fact original research. I have therefore deleted these sections. Some of the assertions in them were ridiculous, such as that McMahon was "DPM" during the McEwen caretaker PMship of 1967-68. Intelligent Mr Toad (talk) 12:51, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

The Australian Parliamentary Library has indicated there are 25 Deputy Prime Ministers that they have identified see http://www.facebook.com/notes/australian-parliamentary-library/how-many-deputy-prime-ministers-have-become-prime-ministers-in-australia/137923689557347. --Weblibraryguy 02:52, 26 June 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Weblibraryguy (talk • contribs)

Acting Prime Ministers

(Question moved to Talk:Prime Minister of Australia)

Numbering

The table shows Doug Anthony as both 2nd and 6th Deputy PM, and this is now reflected in his own article. Is this correct? We don't use the American presidential system when numbering our PMs. Menzies had one number, not two, despite having separate terms. Deakin had one number, not three. And so on. Why would it be any different for Deputy PMs? -- JackofOz (talk) 22:21, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

I agree entirely. It shouldn't. Frickeg (talk) 04:16, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

Only just noticed this. I've now revised the numbers here to be consistent with the way the PMs are numbered. Secondly, I've removed all numbering from the DPMs on their biographical pages. I've done so partly to do away with this confusion, partly because I don't think the numbering is all that important and partly because there were 2ICs long before McEwen. Digestible (talk) 03:05, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Well done. Thanks. -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 03:23, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

File:John Douglas Anthony.jpg Nominated for Deletion

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Pompous waffle

• What's this "Deputy Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia" rubbish in the lede and the info box? Where does it say the portfolio has that title? I've never heard of it.

• Also, what's this "Arms of Her Majesty's Australian Government" rubbish? It is the Coat of arms of Australia. The government does use it to signify their official involvement in things, but it represents more than the government, it is "the official symbol of Australia", i.e of the entire country. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 08:42, 25 February 2012 (UTC)

All fixed now. -- Jack of Oz ^{[your turn]} 09:19, 29 February 2012 (UTC)

Inform DPMs

Is there a clear source for this list? Some of the inclusions seem odd - Cook wasn't even a member of the Reid Ministry (he was left out because of the need to place ex Protectionists) and the list seems to skip over the Country Party leaving the Coalition in 1939-1940. Timrollpickering (talk) 19:46, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

Missing DPM

When Menzies first came to power Page broke off the Coalition, thus the informal Deputy PM at the time would not be a Country party member as the article states, but a member of the UAP. Does anyone have any idea who it was? I suspect Billy Hughes but can't find any solid information. The Tepes (talk) 14:22, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

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"Informal Deputy Prime Ministers"

Where did this list come from? Did someone just make it up? I guess it's mostly accurate, but some of it makes no sense. How could Archie Cameron have been deputy prime minister when his party wasn't even in government? Why would Billy Hughes be deputy prime minister in 1941 when Menzies was still UAP leader? Ivar the Boneful (talk) 18:38, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

There's been quite a bit of confusion about the UAP leadership during Fadden's reign. It appears that Hughes secured it in August 1941 upon Menzies's resignation as PM but he was considered too weak to serve as PM and so Fadden was appointed instead. There are sources and Wikipedia pages that have Hughes only assuming the leadership once the Coalition lost power though. Timrollpickering 22:25, 20 April 2018 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion

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Terminology and numbering

There is an ongoing discussion here about finding a consistent term to describe Earle Page, Frank Forde and John McEwen's premierships in their articles and beyond (acting, caretaker, interim etc). It has also touched upon how to number Australian Prime Ministers. It would be very much appreciated if any interested editors could join in and voice their thoughts on the matter! Thanks! FollowTheTortoise (talk) 19:52, 19 August 2021 (UTC)