The Opposition Leader is the leader of the second largest grouping of members in the House of Representatives. He or she is chosen by the parliamentary members of the Opposition.
There have been 32 men who have served as Opposition Leader since 1901. They have served 44 separate terms in the position. Eighteen of them have served as prime minister at some time.
There have been 10 Opposition Leaders who contested federal elections but never became prime minister: Tudor (1917, 1919), Charlton (1922, 1925), Evatt (1954, 1955, 1958), Calwell (1961, 1963, 1966), Snedden (1974), Hayden (1980), Peacock (1984, 1990), Hewson (1993), Beazley (1998, 2001), Latham (2004).
There have been 5 Opposition Leaders who never contested federal elections and never became prime minister: Latham (1929-31), Downer (1994-95), Crean (2001-03), Nelson (2007-08), and Turnbull (2008-09).
John Watson is the only person to have become Prime Minister before he became Opposition Leader but who never fought an election as Opposition Leader. He was Prime Minister for 4 months in 1904 and became Opposition Leader the day after he was defeated in the House of Representatives. He ceased to be Opposition Leader before the 1906 election.
| Federal Opposition Leaders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Party | Period in Office | Length |
|
1
|
Reid, George Houston |
FT
|
09.05.1901 – 18.08.1904 | 3 years, 3 months, 10 days |
|
2
|
Watson, John Christian |
ALP
|
18.08.1904 – 05.07.1905 | 10 months, 18 days |
| Reid, George Houston |
FT
|
07.07.1905 – 16.11.1908 | 3 years, 4 months, 10 days | |
|
3
|
Cook, Joseph |
FT
|
17.11.1908 – 26.05.1909 | 6 months, 10 days |
|
4
|
Deakin, Alfred |
LP
|
26.05.1909 – 02.06.1909 | 8 days |
|
5
|
Fisher, Andrew |
ALP
|
02.06.1909 – 29.04.1910 | 10 months, 28 days |
| Deakin, Alfred |
LP
|
01.07.1910 – 20.01.1913 | 2 years, 6 months, 20 days | |
| Cook, Joseph |
LP
|
20.01.1913 – 24.06.1913 | 5 months, 5 days | |
| Fisher, Andrew |
ALP
|
08.07.1913 – 17.09.1914 | 1 year, 2 months, 10 days | |
| Cook, Joseph |
LP
|
08.10.1914 – 17.02.1917 | 2 years, 4 months, 10 days | |
|
6
|
Tudor, Frank Gwynne |
ALP
|
17.02.1917 – 10.01.1922 | 4 years, 10 months, 25 days |
|
7
|
Charlton, Matthew |
ALP
|
16.05.1922 – 29.03.1928 | 5 years, 10 months, 14 days |
|
8
|
Scullin, James Henry |
ALP
|
26.04.1928 – 22.10.1929 | 1 year, 5 months, 27 days |
|
9
|
Latham, John Greig |
Nat
|
20.11.1929 – 07.05.1931 | 1 year, 5 months, 18 days |
|
10
|
Lyons, Joseph Aloysius |
UAP
|
07.05.1931 – 06.01.1932 | 9 months |
| Scullin, James Henry |
ALP
|
07.01.1932 – 01.10.1935 | 3 years, 8 months, 25 days | |
|
11
|
Curtin, John |
ALP
|
01.10.1935 – 07.10.1941 | 6 years, 7 days |
|
12
|
Fadden, Arthur William |
CP
|
08.10.1941 – 23.09.1943 | 1 year, 11 months, 16 days |
|
13
|
Menzies, Robert Gordon |
UAP
LP |
23.09.1943 – 19.12.1949 | 6 years, 2 months, 27 days |
|
14
|
Chifley, Joseph Benedict |
ALP
|
21.02.1950 – 13.06.1951 | 1 year, 3 months, 24 days |
|
15
|
Evatt, Herbert Vere, QC |
ALP
|
20.06.1951 – 09.02.1960 | 8 years, 7 months, 21 days |
|
16
|
Calwell, Arthur Augustus |
ALP
|
07.03.1960 – 08.02.1967 | 6 years, 11 months, 2 days |
|
17
|
Whitlam, Edward Gough, QC |
ALP
|
08.02.1967 – 05.12.1972 | 5 years, 9 months, 28 days |
|
18
|
Snedden, Billy Mackie, QC |
LP
|
20.12.1972 – 21.03.1975 | 2 years, 3 months, 2 days |
|
19
|
Fraser, John Malcolm |
LP
|
21.03.1975 – 11.11.1975 | 7 months, 22 days |
| Whitlam, Edward Gough, QC |
ALP
|
27.01.1976 – 22.12.1977 | 1 year, 10 months, 26 days | |
|
20
|
Hayden, William George |
ALP
|
22.12.1977 – 03.02.1983 | 5 years, 1 month, 13 days |
|
21
|
Hawke, Robert James Lee |
ALP
|
03.02.1983 – 11.03.1983 | 1 month, 9 days |
|
22
|
Peacock, Andrew Sharp |
LP
|
11.03.1983 – 05.09.1985 | 2 years, 5 months, 26 days |
|
23
|
Howard, John Winston |
LP
|
05.09.1985 – 09.05.1989 | 3 years, 8 months, 5 days |
| Peacock, Andrew Sharp |
LP
|
09.05.1989 – 03.04.1990 | 10 months, 26 days | |
|
24
|
Hewson, John Robert |
LP
|
03.04.1990 – 23.05.1994 | 4 years, 1 month, 21 days |
|
25
|
Downer, Alexander John Gosse |
LP
|
23.05.1994 – 30.01.1995 | 8 months, 8 days |
| Howard, John Winston |
LP
|
30.01.1995 – 11.03.1996 | 1 year, 1 month, 12 days | |
|
26
|
Beazley, Kim Christian |
ALP
|
19.03.1996 – 22.11.2001 | 5 years, 8 months, 3 days |
|
27
|
Crean, Simon |
ALP
|
22.11.2001 – 02.12.2003 | 2 years, 10 days |
|
28
|
Latham, Mark |
ALP
|
02.12.2003 – 18.01.2005 | 1 year, 1 month, 16 days |
| Beazley, Kim Christian |
ALP
|
28.01.2005 – 04.12.2006 | 1 year, 10 months, 6 days Total: 7 years, 6 months, 9 days |
|
|
29
|
Rudd, Kevin |
ALP
|
04.12.2006 – 03.12.2007 | 1 year |
|
30
|
Nelson, Brendan |
LP
|
elected 29.11.2007 – 16.09.2008 | 9 months, 17 days |
|
31
|
Turnbull, Malcolm |
LP
|
16.09.2008 – 01.12.2009 | 1 year, 2 months, 15 days |
|
32
|
Abbott, Tony |
LP
|
01.12.2009 – | - |
Key
- ALP = Australian Labor Party
- CP = Country Party
- FT = Free Traders
- LP = Liberal Party
- NAT = Nationalists
- PROT = Protectionists
- UAP = United Australia Party
