Australian Prime Ministerial Trivia Quiz

Answer: Edmund Barton

Sir Edmund "Toby" Barton served as the first Prime Minister of Australia from 1901 to 1903. He resigned in 1903 and become a founding member of the High Court of Australia, on which he served until his death.

Answer: Benedict

Ben Chifley was born Joseph Benedict Chifley on 22 September 1885 in Bathurst, New South Wales. He served as the 16th prime minister of Australia from 1945 to 1949.

Answer: Frank Forde

Francis Michael "Frank" Forde served as the 15th Prime Minister of Australia from 6th to 13th July 1945. He was deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party from 1932 to 1946 and served as Prime Minister in a caretaker capacity following the death of John Curtin. He is the shortest-serving Prime Minister in Australia's history.

Answer: John McEwen

McEwen served as the 18th Prime Minister of Australia from 1967 to 1968. He was the leader of the Country Party, and served as Prime Minister in a caretaker capacity following the disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt. McEwen had previously been a minister in the government led by Sir Robert Menzies. Menzies nicknamed him "Black Jack", due to his dark eyebrows, austere nature, and temper.

Answer: Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard was born on 29 September 1961 in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Her father, John Gillard, was born in Cwmgwrach, but was of English descent. Her mother Moira (nee McKenzie) was also born in Barry, and was of Scottish and Irish descent. The family migrated to Australia in 1966 and, eight years later, became Australian citizens.

Answer: Julia Gillard

In 2010, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's decline in his personal ratings led to a loss of support among his own MPs. On 23 June 2010 he announced that Julia Gillard had asked him to hold a leadership poll to determine the leadership of the Labor Party. Rudd initially said he would challenge Gillard, but realised he did not have enough support and resigned as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labor Party, leaving Gillard to become party leader and, therefore, Prime Minister, unopposed.

Answer: He disappeared while swimming, never to be seen again

In December 1967, Harold Holt disappeared while he was swimming in rough conditions at Cheviot Beach. He was presumed dead, but his body was never recovered. His presumed death was somewhat ironically commemorated by the establishment of the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre in Melbourne.

Answer: Malcolm Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull's mother was Coral Magnolia Lansbury, an Australian-born feminist writer and academic. She worked in the United States from 1969 until her death, and was Professor of English and Dean of Graduate Studies at Rutgers University. Angela Lansbury is a second cousin (once removed) of Malcolm Turnbull.

Answer: Robert Menzies

Sir Robert Gordon Menzies was Prime Minister of Australia from 1939 to 1941 and 1949 to 1966. He died from a heart attack while reading in his study at his home in Malvern, Melbourne on 15 May 1978.

Answer: The Ramrods

During the 1960s, Paul Keating was the manager of The Ramrods, a rock and roll band from Bankstown. To quote Paul Keating, "I ran across a group of musicians at a hotel in Ashfield in Sydney and this was The Ramrods. They were doing all the sort of music you didn't hear in Sydney, you know, what I suppose people would identify today with the Tamla-Motown sounds. I got fascinated with these guys.

They were getting peanuts. I took them over, we got their earnings up".