Population during each premier or chief minister's tenure
8 premiers and chief ministers, ranked by how population changed from their first day in office, next to Australia over the same months. Politare shows what happened during a tenure; it does not claim the office-holder caused it.
| # | Premier or chief minister | State | In office | Total | vs AU | Per year | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALP Andrew Barr | Australian Capital Territory | 11 Dec 2014 – now | +25.3% Q3 2014 → Q1 2026 | +6.9 pts AU +18.5% | +2.0%/yr | |
| 2 | ALP Peter Beattie | Queensland | 20 Jun 1998 – 13 Sep 2007 | +21.1% Q1 1998 → Q2 2007 | +9.0 pts AU +12.1% | +2.1%/yr | |
| 3 | LIB Colin Barnett | Western Australia | 23 Sep 2008 – 17 Mar 2017 | +18.3% Q2 2008 → Q4 2016 | +3.6 pts AU +14.8% | +2.0%/yr | |
| 4 | ALP Annastacia Palaszczuk | Queensland | 14 Feb 2015 – 15 Dec 2023 | +15.6% Q4 2014 → Q3 2023 | +2.1 pts AU +13.5% | +1.7%/yr | |
| 5 | ALP Daniel Andrews | Victoria | 4 Dec 2014 – 27 Sep 2023 | +14.7% Q3 2014 → Q2 2023 | +1.5 pts AU +13.1% | +1.6%/yr | |
| 6 | ALP Jon Stanhope | Australian Capital Territory | 12 Nov 2001 – 16 May 2011 | +13.9% Q3 2001 → Q1 2011 | −1.3 pts AU +15.2% | +1.4%/yr | |
| 7 | LIB Richard Court | Western Australia | 16 Feb 1993 – 10 Feb 2001 | +13.4% Q4 1992 → Q4 2000 | +4.4 pts AU +9.0% | +1.6%/yr | |
| 8 | ALP Mark McGowan | Western Australia | 17 Mar 2017 – 8 Jun 2023 | +11.6% Q4 2016 → Q1 2023 | +2.9 pts AU +8.7% | +1.8%/yr | |
| 9 | ALP Steve Bracks | Victoria | 19 Oct 1999 – 30 Jul 2007 | +10.5% Q3 1999 → Q2 2007 | +0.1 pts AU +10.4% | +1.3%/yr | |
| 10 | ALP Bob Carr | New South Wales | 4 Apr 1995 – 3 Aug 2005 | +9.9% Q1 1995 → Q2 2005 | −2.5 pts AU +12.4% | +0.9%/yr |
Showing 10 of 60 tenures.
Sorted by total, highest first. Every row is indexed to the last quarter complete before the first day in office ("from" marks a start that had to move because that period had no data, or because the period cut it); Australia is measured over the same months. Levels are per cent changes, rates are differences in %; "per year" compounds levels and divides rates. Tenures with under 12 months, or under three observations, are left out. thousands, quarterly estimate · ABS, National, state and territory population (ERP_Q), estimated resident population · state or territory data · as of Sep 2026.