Premier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive branch of government in the Australian state of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions.
The incumbent Premier of Western Australia is Mark McGowan who won the 2017 state election and was sworn in on 17 March 2017 by Governor Kerry Sanderson as the 30th Premier of Western Australia.
Function
The premier must be a member of one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Western Australia; and by convention the premier is a member of the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. He or she is appointed by the governor on the advice of the lower house, and must resign if he or she loses the support of the majority of that house. Consequently, the premier is almost always the leader of the political party or coalition of parties with the majority of seats in the lower house.History
The office of premier of Western Australia was first formed in 1890, after Western Australia was officially granted responsible government by Britain in 1889. The Constitution of Western Australia does not explicitly provide for a premier, and the office was not formally listed as one of the executive offices until the appointment of Ross McLarty in 1947. Nonetheless, John Forrest immediately adopted the title on taking office as first premier of Western Australia in 1890, and it has been used ever since.John Forrest was the only premier of Western Australia as a self-governing colony. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, Western Australia became an Australian state and the responsibilities of the office of premier were diminished.
Party politics began in Western Australia with the rise of the Labor party in 1901. By 1904, the party system was entrenched in Western Australian politics. Since then the premiers have been associated with political parties.
Western Australia's constitution contains nothing to preclude the premier being a member of the upper house, the Western Australian Legislative Council. Historically and by convention, however, the premier is a member of the Assembly. The only exception has been Hal Colebatch, a member of the Legislative Council who accepted the premiership in April 1919 on the understanding that an Assembly seat would be found for him, only to resign a month later when no seat could be found.
During the economic boom of the 1980s, the Western Australian government became closely involved with a number of large businesses. A succession of deals were made between the government and businesses, and these ultimately caused great losses for the state. A subsequent royal commission found evidence of widespread corruption. Three former premiers were found to have acted improperly and two of them, Ray O'Connor and Brian Burke, were jailed. This scandal became popularly known as WA Inc.
List of Premiers of Western Australia
Living former premiers
As of, seven former premiers are alive, the oldest being Peter Dowding, who served from 1988 to 1990. The most recent premier to die was Ray O'Connor, on 25 February 2013, aged 86.| Name | Term as premier | Date of birth | Current age |
| Brian Burke | 1983–1988 | 25 February 1947 | |
| Peter Dowding | 1988–1990 | 6 October 1943 | |
| Dr Carmen Lawrence | 1990–1993 | 2 March 1948 | |
| Richard Court | 1993–2001 | 27 September 1947 | |
| Dr Geoff Gallop | 2001–2006 | 27 September 1951 | |
| Alan Carpenter | 2006–2008 | 4 January 1957 | |
| Colin Barnett | 2008–2017 | 15 July 1950 |
Graphical timeline
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id:canvas value:gray
id:LIB value:blue legend:Liberal
id:NAT value:powderblue legend:Nationalist
id:LWA value:skyblue legend:Liberal_
id:LAB value:red legend:Labor
id:FOR value:tan1 legend:Forrest
id:OPP value:dullyellow legend:Opposition
id:WAR value:gray
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width:25
from:1888 till:1899 color:FOR $right text:"1890–1901_John Forrest"
from:1899 till:1900 color:OPP $right text:"1901_George Leake"
from:1900 till:1901 color:FOR $left text:"Alf Morgans_1901"
from:1901 till:1902 color:OPP $right text:"1901–1902_George Leake"
from:1902 till:1904 color:OPP $right text:"1902–1904_Walter James"
from:1904 till:1905 color:LAB $left text:"Henry Daglish_1904–1905"
from:1905 till:1906 color:LWA $right text:"1905–1906_Hector Rason"
from:1906 till:1910 color:LWA $right text:"1906–1910_Newton Moore"
from:1910 till:1911 color:LWA $right text:"1910–1911_Frank Wilson"
from:1911 till:1916 color:LAB $left text:"John Scaddan_1911–1916"
from:1916 till:1917 color:LWA $right text:"1916–1917_Frank Wilson_"
from:1917 till:1919 color:NAT $left text:"Henry Lefroy_1917–1919"
from:1919 till:1919 color:NAT $right text:"1919_Hal Colebatch"
from:1919 till:1924 color:NAT $right text:"1919–1924_James Mitchell"
from:1924 till:1930 color:LAB $left text:"Philip Collier_1924–1930"
from:1930 till:1933 color:NAT $right text:"1930–1933_James Mitchell_"
from:1933 till:1936 color:LAB $left text:"_Philip Collier_1933–1936"
from:1936 till:1945 color:LAB $left text:"John Willcock_1936–1945"
from:1945 till:1947 color:LAB $left text:"Frank Wise_1945–1947"
from:1947 till:1953 color:LIB $right text:"1947–1953_Ross McLarty"
from:1953 till:1959 color:LAB $left text:"Bert Hawke_1953–1959"
from:1959 till:1971 color:LIB $right text:"1959–1971_David Brand"
from:1971 till:1974 color:LAB $left text:"John Tonkin_1971–1974"
from:1974 till:1982 color:LIB $right text:"1974–1982_Charles Court"
from:1982 till:1983 color:LIB $right text:"1982–1983_Ray O'Connor"
from:1983 till:1988 color:LAB $left text:"Brian Burke_1983–1988"
from:1988 till:1990 color:LAB $left text:"Peter Dowding_1988–1990"
from:1990 till:1993 color:LAB $left text:"Carmen Lawrence_1990–1993"
from:1993 till:2001 color:LIB $right text:"1993–2001_Richard Court"
from:2001 till:2006 color:LAB $left text:"Geoff Gallop_2001–2006"
from:2006 till:2008 color:LAB $left text:"Alan Carpenter_2006–2008"
from:2008 till:2017 color:LIB $right text:"2008–2017_Colin Barnett"
from:2017 till:end color:LAB $left text:"Mark McGowan_2017–present"