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Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies - 'Bob' Menzies or Mr Menzies - was our longest serving Prime Minister. He was Prime Minister twice - from 1939 to 1941 and from 1949 through to 1966, a total of 18 years and five months - an impressive amount of time in any job! Early in his first period in office, he announced the declaration of the Second World War to the people of Australia. In 1944 he helped start the Liberal Party, which in terms of winning elections, has been the most successful party in federal politics. -
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Harold Holt
Harold Holt had plenty of time to find out what being Prime Minister would be like - he served for ten years as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party under Menzies. He took over as Prime Minister when Menzies retired in 1966 and later that year won a sweeping victory at the polls on the issue of support for the Australian and United States involvement in the Vietnam War. Late in 1967 he disappeared while swimming in the ocean, making him the third Australian Prime Minister to have died while stil -
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John McEwen
Our third 'care-taker' Prime Minister was John McEwen, who took over the role of Prime Minister in 1967 after Harold Holt disappeared while swimming in heavy surf. McEwen, who had been leader of the Country Party and Deputy Prime Minister for nine years, was replaced after only 23 days by the Liberal Party's new choice - John Gorton. McEwen is well known as the architect of a high tariff policy established in the 1950s to protect Australian industry. -
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John Gorton
John Gorton was the only senator ever to become Prime Minister. Traditionally, prime ministers come from the lower house - the House of Representatives. So, shortly after becoming Prime Minister, he stood for - and won - a seat in the House of Representatives. Gorton believed in strong Commonwealth power over economic management and this made him unpopular with the state Liberal premiers. He was Prime Minister for three years until he was removed from office by his own party after a vote of no c -
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William McMahon
William McMahon was 63 when he became Prime Minister of Australia. He stayed in office for 21 months, during which time he announced the withdrawal of Australian troops from Vietnam. His Liberal-Country Party coalition government - in power non-stop for 23 years - was defeated in the 1972 general election.