Australia's second-highest ranked political post is the position of Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. The Deputy Prime Minister is always the holder of a senior government post. In Labor governments, the Deputy Prime Minister is the party's deputy leader. In Liberal-National Party coalition governments, the Deputy Prime Minister is the leader of the National Party. The present Deputy Prime Minister is John Anderson.

The Deputy Prime Minister will usually act as Prime Minister when the Prime Minister is overseas or otherwise unavailable. The Deputy Prime Minister usually holds at least one portfolio in addition to that of Deputy Prime Minister. John Anderson, for example, is Minister for Transport.

The office of Deputy Prime Minister was created in January 1968, as an honour for John McEwen, the long-serving leader of the Country Party (predecessor of the National Party). Prior to that time the term was used unofficially for the second-highest ranking minister in the government.

List of Deputy Prime Ministers of Australia

Unofficial use

Earle Page (Country Party) 1923-39
Archie Cameron (Country Party) 1940-41
Arthur Fadden (Country Party) 1941
Robert Menzies (United Australia Party) 1941

These four men were all leaders of the junior party in coalition governments.

Frank Forde (Australian Labor Party) 1941-46

Forde was Deputy Labor Leader under John Curtin, and then under Ben Chifley. He was briefly Prime Minister himself in 1945 following the death of Curtin.

Dr Herbert Evatt (Australian Labor Party) 1946-49

Evatt succeeded Forde as Deputy Leader of the Labor Party

Arthur Fadden (Country Party) 1949-58
John McEwen (Country Party) 1958-67

McEwen was given the official title Deputy Prime Minister of Australia in January 1968. He was briefly Prime Minister himself in 1967-68 following the death of Harold Holt

Official use

John McEwen (Country Party) 1968-71
Doug Anthony (Country Party) 1971-72
Lance Barnard (Australian Labor Party) 1972-74
Jim Cairns (Australian Labor Party) 1974-75
Frank Crean (Australian Labor Party) 1975
Doug Anthony (National Country Party) 1975-83
Lionel Bowen (Australian Labor Party) 1983-91
Paul Keating (Australian Labor Party) 1991
Brian Howe (Australian Labor Party) 1991-95
Kim Beazley (Australian Labor Party) 1995-96
Tim Fischer (National Party of Australia) 1996-99
John Anderson (National Party of Australia) 1999-