On the 1 January 1901 was sworn in as Australia’s first Prime Minister (PM) had strongly supported the federation of the British colonies and was a member of the committee that drafted Australia’s constitution. He was leader of the Protectionist Party, made laws to put custom tariffs on imported goods to protect Australian industries and also introduced laws stopping all but English speaking peoples from immigrating to Australia. Although the Immigration Restriction Act was rather racist by today’s standard, it did stop the raiding of Pacific islands to kidnap the indigenous inhabitants, known as Kanaks, to be worked as slave labour on sugar cane farms and other crop plantations in northern Australia. Barton resigned in 1903 and was then appointed as a judge of the High Court of Australia.

     He was Attorney General in the first Federal Government and when Barton resigned he became leader of the Protectionist Party, then won the 1903 elections with a reduced number of seats. The opposition Labor Party defeated Deakin’s arbitration legislation so he resigned and the Labor Party gained power with Watson as PM. For a second time Deakin became PM through the support of the Labor Party with protection given to local manufacturers and in 1908 support was withdrawn forcing him to resign again. In 1909 Deakin’s Protectionist Party joined the Free Trade Party to defeat Labor and this new ‘fusion’ government introduced immigration, conciliation and arbitration laws & the old age pension. By 1913 this dynamic PM dedicated to advancing Australia became very ill and resigned from Parliament.

     In Sydney during 1886 Watson became involved in the union movement and in 1894 was elected to the NSW Parliament then became president of the Commonwealth Labor party in 1901. He worked closely with the Protectionist leader Deakin until they formed a coalition with the Free Trade Party yet were unable to work together the Governor-General appointed the Labor Party to form a government and Watson became Australia’s third and youngest PM. His government set up a Royal Commission into navigation & shipping bringing about great changes to that commerce industry. Watson resigned rather quickly but remained in Parliament until 1910 and was expelled from the Labor Party in 1916 for supporting conscription during World War One.

     He was Premier of NSW, 1894 till 1899 and criticised the move towards Federation but stood for election and won a seat in the House of Representatives where he led the Free Trade Party in opposition. In 1904 Reid became Prime Minister of a coalition government, Free Trade & Liberals, and was in Office for ten months and eventually in 1910 he became Australia’s High Commissioner in London. After doing this successfully for six years Reid then stood for election in the British Parliament and was elected a Member of the House of Commons. The only Australian to sit in the Colonial, Commonwealth and British Parliaments

     As an active member of the Labor Party, he supported the Federation of Australia and was elected to the first Commonwealth Parliament as the Member for Wide Bay, Queensland. Fisher first became PM after his party withdrew support from Deakin’s Protectionist Party. His policies for the government were on wages, prices & labour plus he wanted to impose land tax. This angered the Free Traders and Protectionist, so they joined into a "Fusion" political party and took Office in the June 1909 elections. Fisher united the Labor party and won the April 1910 elections, then he began work on a railway across the continent and the Commonwealth Bank was established. He lost Office in the next elections but became PM for a third time when the ‘Fusion Party suffered a double dissolution in Parliament. He rashly remarked that Australia would pledge the last man and shilling to support Great Britain in July 1914 and was not told of the Gallipoli landings till after it occurred. Fisher resigned in October 1915, as the pressure of PM began to affect his health, to accept the appointment of Australian High Commissioner in London, 1916-1921. He returned to Australia and after failing to re-enter parliament returned to England.

     As a member of the Free Trade Party he was elected to the State of NSW Parliament in 1891. With Federation he became the member for parramatta, NSW, in the Federal Parliament. He was Minister for Defence under Deakin, introduced the Defence Act of 1909 legislating compulsory military training and the establishment of the Royal Australian Navy and Duntroon Military College. Cook became the ‘Fusion Party leader after Deakin retired in mid 1913 and won the elections by one seat. After the double-dissolution he lost the elections to the Labor party in September 1914. He joined his ‘Fusion Party with Hughes’ breakaway political sect to form the Nationalist party. After 30years in politics he resigned in 1921 to become Australian High Commissioner in London until 1927.

     He migrated to Australia in 1884, worked in various labour jobs and as an active unionist held many representative positions. Hughes was elected to the State of NSW parliament in 1894 and although he opposed Federation entered federal government eventually became a wartime PM in October 1915. He supported Great Britain in the Great War - 1914-1919, using appeals of patriotism for the call to conscript men into the volunteer Australian army serving overseas. Many Labor Party members opposed his views on conscription and he defected to join Cook’s Liberal Party to for the National Party. He believed that Australia should be seen as an independent nation in world affairs, attended the Peace Conference of 1919, made sure that the other delegates remember that 60,000 Australian died in the war and ensured Australia as one of the founding members of the League of Nations. After 1919 elections he stayed in Office by forming a coalition with the new Country Party. In the 1922 elections the Country Party coalition increased their Seats and refused Hughes as PM deposing of him in early 1925. He was a member of the Australian Parliament for over fifty years.

     He entered Parliament in 1918 as the Member for Flinders, Victoria, and became leader of the Nationalist Party and then PM with a coalition government formed with the Country Party. He initiated programs for growth, encouraged migrants and created schemes to assist people to become farmers plus set up a council for scientific and industrial research. Bruce was voted out of his electorate and out of government in 1929. In 1933 he was appointed Australian High Commissioner in London, was created Viscount Bruce of Melbourne in 1947 and became the first Australian to sit in the House of Lords. He died in England, August, and his ashes were brought to Canberra and sprinkled across Lake Burley Griffin.

     He joined the labour movement, became a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and won the Federal Seat of Corangamite, Victoria in the election of 1910, yet lost it in 1913. He then went onto win the Federal Seat of Yarra, Victoria, in 1922 and retained it for 27years. Scullin became PM at the beginning of the Great Depression, had no ministerial experience and lost the peoples confidence. He remained in Parliament as a backbencher till 1949.

     He was an elected member of the Tasmanian State Parliament from 1909-1929, and in Office as Premier for about five years. He then entered Federal Parliament belonging to the Labor Party but in 1931 was expelled for disloyalty. He joined with Menzies and the National Party to form the UAP. In the next election Lyon became PM in early January 1932, lost a few seats in the elections of 1934 and joined the Country Party in a coalition government. He led Australia as economic conditions improved worldwide, began to re-equip and strengthen the Australian armed forces and opened the first Commonwealth Aircraft Factory in Melbourne. He was the first PM to die in Office, April 1939, and after his death his wife, Emild Lyons, stood for election and became the first woman to be elected to the House of Representatives.

     He’d served in France & Egypt as an army doctor during the Great War and upon his return to Australia in 1919 as a Country Party member was elected to Federal Parliament as the Member of Cowley, NSW. His party supported the Nationalist Party in 1923 sweeping Hughes from Office and Page became Deputy Prime-Minister again, but this time Lyons died and he became ‘caretaker’ PM for 19days. He supported Menzies opposite in the UAP leadership struggle and lost his parties support for the coalition prime-ministership. Later he was Minister of Health and introduced Australia’s first National Health Scheme.

     In 1928 he was elected to the Victorian State Parliament and rising to Deputy Premier. Menzies resigned his state seat in 1934 and was elected to Federal Parliament as the Member for Kooyong, Victoria, until 1966. He served as Attorney General then elected as leader of the UAP after Lyons died. Page the coalition leader held Office briefly until overthrown by Menzies leadership challenge. His first term as PM the Second World War broke out and after an overseas trip he had problems uniting the political party behind him and resigned to become a backbencher. Again he became leader of the UAP in 1943 and eventually organised the Liberal Party of Australia. He won the elections of December 1949 starting his second term in Office, and the longest of any PM, until January 1966.

     He entered Queensland State Parliament in 1932, then moved onto the federal elections and won the Seat of Darling Downs, Qld, in 1936. As a Country Party member he had supported Page, until the hostile attack on Menzies, then helped force Page’s dismissal as leader. Fadden was Minister for Air & Civil Authority and Deputy PM in Menzies first government. When Menzies was forced to resign in August 1941 Fadden was made PM for "forty days and forty nights" as he liked to remind everybody. He lacked parliamentary power and had trouble with the coalition party members, and then his ‘horror budget’ was rejected. He was forced to resign and the Governor-General appointed Curtin the next wartime PM. He became Treasurer in 1949 with the second Menzies Government, planning long-term financial policies and retired from politics in December 1958.

     As a member of the ALP he built unity and stressed the importance of a strong defence force. A couple of months before Japan entered the Second World War, Australia needed a determined and decisive leader. Curtin introduced conscription, rationing of food, clothing and towards the end of the war he introduced the widows pension, maternity allowances, unemployment & sickness benefits. He asked the United States for assistance against the Japanese thrust into the South Pacific, that the British couldn’t supply, and accepted General MacArthur, as the help needed. Six weeks before the end of the war he suffered a fatal heart attack at The Lodge, Canberra, whilst still PM.

     He’d joined the ALP and then won a seat in the Queensland State elections of 1917 as the Member of Rockhampton, holding this electorate for 24years from 1922. He held many ministerial appointments and in the war years was Minister for the Army then Deputy Prime-Minister. Forde became PM for eight days after Curtin’s death until Chifley defeated him in a leadership challenge. He remained Deputy PM until the 1946 elections losing his seat by one vote and was appointed Australian High Commissioner to Canada till 1953. He returned to the Queensland State Parliament in 1955 and again lost in the 1957 elections by one vote.

     While a member of the Labor party he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1928, became Minister of Defence in Scullin’s Government and lost his Seat in 1931 only to regain it in 1940. Under Curtin’s Government he was appointed Treasurer, and after Curtin’s untimely death, he was elected the Labor Party Leader and became PM. He organised retraining for ex-service personnel, encouraged British migrants and many refugees from Europe to arrive and settle in Australia. Chifley instigated the Snowy Mountain Scheme to use inland rivers for electricity & irrigation, supported Australian manufacturing industries and kept strict controls on currency and imports cutting the national debt. But lost Office due to delays in discounting wartime rations to Menzies in 1949. He suffered a heartattack and died at his desk in Canberra.