A chronology of Australian PMs: 1901-2012 Quiz

Answer: Retired to become a judge

The first Prime Minister of Australia was a member of the Protectionist Party, which didn't get enough votes to form government in its own right, but formed an agreement with the Labor Party. Barton didn't go on to serve his full term because he had ambitions of serving as a judge.

He went on to be one of the first judges on Australia's High Court, where he served for a further 17 years before his death in 1920.

Answer: False

Robert Menzies also served two non-consecutive terms. Along with Deakin, Fisher served three terms.

Answer: Labor

In fact, Chris Watson was the world's first Labor/Labour Prime Minister. He led a minority government which had trouble passing legislation. He resigned after 4 months of frustration in what was a three-way hung Parliament.

Answer: New South Wales

Like Barton and Watson before him, Reid was from New South Wales. He is also the only PM from the Free Trade party. Reid served as NSW Premier for 5 years.

Answer: Liberal

The Commonwealth Liberal party formed a strong opposition to Fisher's Labor party. Fisher's biggest claim to fame during his short first term (6 months) was the legislation specifying the national capital as Canberra. Fisher served a second, longer term from 1910-1913.

Answer: World War I

World War I started during the 1914 election campaign. The Liberal opposition used this event to remind voters of the Labor position on military issues (specifically, that Labor favoured an independent Australian military). It is thought that this issue lost him the ensuing election.

Answer: Versailles

Billy Hughes was the first PM to have represented more than one state (NSW and Victoria), and also interestingly change parties during his term (from Labor to the merged Nationalist party).

Answer: Melbourne

Stanley Melbourne Bruce was the first incumbent PM to lose his seat in an election. This dubious honour was not repeated until 2007, when John Howard lost his seat after 11 years as PM.

Answer: Wall Street crash

Scullin was left to deal with record unemployment levels as a result of the Great Depression, sparked by the Wall Street crash in October 1929. Despite these challenges, he went on to serve for over 2 years. Scullin was a devout Catholic and a non-drinker all his life.

Answer: Tasmania

Joseph Aloysius Lyons served as Labor Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928 before joining the Scullin government. He was also the first PM to represent the United Australia Party. Lyons was also the first Prime Minister to die while in office; he suffered a heart attack at the age of 59. Earl Christmas Page served as caretaker Prime Minister of Australia for 20 days (7-26 April, 1939), following which he relinquished the office to the newly elected leader of the United Australia Party (Robert Menzies).

Answer: He resigned

Menzies retired from politics in 1966 as the longest-serving PM (18 years altogether). Among his many achievements were the formation of the Liberal Party; formalisation of alliances with the US through the ANZUS treaty; and presiding over many years of economic prosperity.

Answer: National Party

Fadden was Prime Minister for just over a month following the resignation of Robert Menzies from his first term. Fadden was one of the youngest PMs to leave office (aged 46 years).

Answer: False

Curtin was installed by the Governor General (Hore-Ruthven) as PM in 1941 following a hung Fadden parliament. Curtin won the 1943 federal election comfortably ahead of the United Australia/Country Coalition. On the death of Curtin in office, Francis Forde served as caretaker PM for just 8 days, the shortest term of the first 27 Prime Ministers.

Answer: Snowy Mountains Scheme

The Snowy Mountains Scheme was one of Australia's most complex and ambitious infrastructure projects, consisting of sixteen major dams, seven power stations and countless piping routes. It was completed on schedule in 1974 at an estimated cost of $820 million.

Answer: The Native Title Act

Holt's short term was very eventful. Australia introduced decimal currency just a couple of weeks into his term (February 1966); The Migration Act was signed later that year; and the referendum to include Indigenous people in the population Census (following their right to vote, agreed under the Menzies Government) was in 1967. The Native Title Act followed much later (1993).

Answer: Deputy PM

William McMahon was the popular choice for PM to succeed Holt, but McEwen refused to serve under him. This led the Governor-General to choose John Gorton, who then picked the caretaker PM as his deputy.

Answer: senate

Of the first 27 Prime Ministers, Gorton is the only one to serve as a Senator. He resigned from the Senate prior to being elected MP in the seat of Higgins in 1968; he was chosen to replace Harold Holt in early 1968 and went on to serve until tying a leadership ballot in 1971 and standing down.

Answer: Billy

On his retirement, Billy McMahon held the record for the longest continuous serving Minister of Parliament (MP), at 21 and a half years (a record among the first 27 PMs).

Answer: Floated the dollar

The dollar was not floated until 1983, under Bob Hawke. The Whitlam Government also completed the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam, legislated no-fault divorce and abolished most university fees (among other things). Quite an extensive list for a relatively short term.

Answer: John

Following the dismissal of the Whitlam Government in 1975, Fraser went on to win in the biggest landslide election to date, securing a majority of 55 seats.

Answer: Defeated in a leadership challenge

Bob Hawke oversaw many historical changes including the floating of the Australian dollar (the third most traded currency at the start of 2012) and deregulation of the financial sector. He is possibly best known for his personal life which included setting a drinking record at university (2.5 pints in 11 seconds), and his charismatic personality: on Australia's historic first America's Cup victory, Bob said that "Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum".

Answer: "The recession we had to have"

Keating was widely criticised for this comment, although many commentators failed to dispute the fact that the previous boom had led to the recession. Keating was famous for his sharp dressing sense (Italian suits) and even sharper tongue. He once said in reference to the (then) opposition leader, John Howard, "The little desiccated coconut is under pressure and he is attacking anything he can get his hands on".

Answer: Work Choices

The Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Act 2005 made many controversial changes to the Workplace Relations Act and was very unpopular with unions across the country. The new Rudd Government repealed the entire Act in 2007. John Howard's 11 years in power were quite eventful, overseeing Australia's entry into two major wars (Iraq and Afghanistan), and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2000.

Answer: Apology to the Stolen Generations

The Rudd Government oversaw all these, with the official apology happening in February 2008. Australia ratified the Kyoto in late 2007 in Bali. The 2020 Australia Summit, held in April 2008, brought together 1002 delegates to discuss what Rudd decribed as ten "critical areas" relating to the future of Australia.

The new National Broadband Network was a platform of the Rudd Government, announced during the 2007 election campaign.

Answer: Never married prior to becoming PM

Gillard, born in Wales in 1961, was the first overseas-born PM since Billy Hughes (elected in 1915). Previous PMs have not had children (including Stanley Bruce), and many have had to deal with hung Parliaments over the years (especially in the early 20th Century). Gillard made history on 24 June 2010, becoming the first female PM in Australia when Kevin Rudd stood aside as leader following a leadership challenge.