History
The sworn office of Deputy Prime Minister was created in January 1968, as an honour for John McEwen, the long-serving leader of the Country Party (later renamed the National Party) and the immediately preceding caretaker Prime Minister. Prior to that time the term was used unofficially for the second-highest ranking minister in the government.
In Labor governments, the Deputy Prime Minister is the party's deputy leader. In Liberal-National Coalition governments, the position has been held by the Leader of the National Party or its predecessors.
In November 2007, the Australian Labor Party won government and Julia Gillard became Australia's first female, and first foreign-born, Deputy Prime Minister.
Since the formalisation of the office only two Deputy Prime Ministers have gone on to become Prime Minister: Paul Keating and Julia Gillard. In both cases, they succeeded incumbent Prime Ministers who lost the support of the Labor Party caucus mid-term. Prior to 1968, Alfred Deakin, Joseph Cook, Earle Page, Frank Forde and Arthur Fadden all became Prime Minister after having previously been unofficial deputies.
John McEwen had served as Prime Minister prior to being appointed Deputy Prime Minister, as had the unofficial deputies Joseph Cook, Billy Hughes, and Arthur Fadden.
Read more about this topic: Deputy Prime Minister Of Australia
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“I cannot be much pleased without an appearance of truth; at least of possibility—I wish the history to be natural though the sentiments are refined; and the characters to be probable, though their behaviour is excelling.”
—Frances Burney (1752–1840)
“I am ashamed to see what a shallow village tale our so-called History is. How many times must we say Rome, and Paris, and Constantinople! What does Rome know of rat and lizard? What are Olympiads and Consulates to these neighboring systems of being? Nay, what food or experience or succor have they for the Esquimaux seal-hunter, or the Kanaka in his canoe, for the fisherman, the stevedore, the porter?”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Racism is an ism to which everyone in the world today is exposed; for or against, we must take sides. And the history of the future will differ according to the decision which we make.”
—Ruth Benedict (1887–1948)