Unemployment rate during each premier or chief minister's tenure
8 premiers and chief ministers, ranked by how the unemployment rate 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 | CLP Denis Burke | Northern Territory | 8 Feb 1999 – 18 Aug 2001 | +3.7 pp Jan 1999 → Jul 2001 | +4.0 pp AU −0.2 pp | +1.5 pp/yr | |
| 2 | LIB Colin Barnett | Western Australia | 23 Sep 2008 – 17 Mar 2017 | +3.4 pp Aug 2008 → Feb 2017 | +1.6 pp AU +1.9 pp | +0.4 pp/yr | |
| 3 | ALP Lara Giddings | Tasmania | 24 Jan 2011 – 31 Mar 2014 | +2.2 pp Dec 2010 → Feb 2014 | +1.2 pp AU +1.0 pp | +0.7 pp/yr | |
| 4 | ALP Anna Bligh | Queensland | 13 Sep 2007 – 26 Mar 2012 | +2.0 pp Aug 2007 → Feb 2012 | +1.2 pp AU +0.9 pp | +0.5 pp/yr | |
| 5 | ALP Jacinta Allan | Victoria | 27 Sep 2023 – 28 Jul 2026 | +1.6 pp Aug 2023 → Jun 2026 | +0.8 pp AU +0.8 pp | +0.6 pp/yr | |
| 6 | ALP Chris Minns | New South Wales | 28 Mar 2023 – now | +1.5 pp Feb 2023 → Sep 2026 | +0.4 pp AU +1.1 pp | +0.4 pp/yr | |
| 7 | ALP David Bartlett | Tasmania | 26 May 2008 – 24 Jan 2011 | +1.2 pp Apr 2008 → Dec 2010 | +0.6 pp AU +0.6 pp | +0.4 pp/yr | |
| 8 | LIB Denis Napthine | Victoria | 6 Mar 2013 – 4 Dec 2014 | +1.1 pp Feb 2013 → Nov 2014 | +0.2 pp AU +0.9 pp | +0.6 pp/yr | |
| 9 | ALP Nathan Rees | New South Wales | 5 Sep 2008 – 4 Dec 2009 | +1.1 pp Aug 2008 → Nov 2009 | −0.4 pp AU +1.5 pp | +0.9 pp/yr | |
| 10 | LIB Tony Rundle | Tasmania | 18 Mar 1996 – 14 Sep 1998 | +1.1 pp Feb 1996 → Aug 1998 | +1.6 pp AU −0.6 pp | +0.4 pp/yr |
Showing 10 of 59 tenures.
Sorted by total, highest first. Every row is indexed to the last month 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 pp; "per year" compounds levels and divides rates. Tenures with under 12 months, or under three observations, are left out. % of labour force · ABS, Labour Force, Australia (LF), seasonally adjusted (the two territories: trend, the only estimate the ABS publishes for them) · state or territory data · as of Sep 2026.