Who was the first Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia?

Sir Edmund Barton (1849 to 1920) was the first Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, serving from 1 January 1901 to 24 September 1903. A leading figure in the Federation movement and a NSW barrister, he led the first federal government before resigning to take a position as a founding Justice of the High Court of Australia.

Barton was born in Sydney in 1849. He trained as a barrister at Sydney University, served in the NSW Legislative Assembly from 1879, became Attorney-General of NSW from 1889 to 1891, and rose to prominence as a leading advocate for federation. He attended the constitutional conventions of 1891 and 1897 to 1898, served as leader of the Australian delegation to London in 1900 to negotiate passage of the Constitution Act, and was the obvious choice for first Prime Minister when Australia federated.

His government implemented several foundational measures. The Immigration Restriction Act 1901 established the dictation test that became the legal basis for the White Australia Policy. The Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901 ended the use of Pacific Islander labour in the Queensland sugar industry and deported most existing workers (a policy now recognised as causing major harm to Pacific Islander families). The Public Service Act 1902 established the federal Australian Public Service. The Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 gave women the right to vote and stand for federal Parliament (making Australia the first country to do both), but also denied the federal vote to Aboriginal, Asian, and African people. The High Court of Australia was established in 1903.

Barton resigned as Prime Minister in September 1903 to join the new High Court of Australia as a founding Justice, alongside Sir Samuel Griffith (the first Chief Justice) and Richard O'Connor. He served on the Court until his death on 7 January 1920. He was succeeded as Prime Minister by Alfred Deakin, who became one of the country's longest-serving federal leaders. Barton is commemorated through the federal electorate of Barton in Sydney, Barton Highway in the ACT, and many other Australian places. His successor as the country's most influential early federal leader was Deakin, who served three terms as Prime Minister (1903 to 1904, 1905 to 1908, and 1909 to 1910).