The leader of the ALP

Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

 in the New South Wales Parliament is elected from and by the members of the party caucus, comprising all party members in the Legislative Assembly

New South Wales Legislative Assembly

The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...

 and Legislative Council

New South Wales Legislative Council

The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...

. When the Labor party forms a government the leader is the Premier and when the party is in opposition the leader becomes the Leader of the Opposition

Leader of the Opposition (New South Wales)

The role of the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in New South Wales is a title held by the leader of the largest minority party in the state lower house, the New South Wales Legislative Assembly...

. This position is dependent on the continuing support of the caucus and the leader may be deposed by failing to win a vote of confidence. By convention this position is held by a member of the party sitting in the Legislative Assembly, but this is not a strict constitutional requirement. Barrie Unsworth

Barrie Unsworth

Barrie John Unsworth was an Australian politician, representing the Australian Labor Party in the Parliament of New South Wales from 1978 to 1991. He served as the 36th Premier from July 1986 to March 1988.-Early years:...

 was an exception who was elected party leader while a member of the Legislative Council. He then transferred to the Assembly by winning a seat at a by-election.

The Australian Labor Party, then known as the Labor Electoral League of New South Wales first won seats in the New South Wales parliament at the general election of 1891. The initial caucus voted against appointing a leader and the party was directed by a steering committee of 5 members until, following a request from the party's extra-parliamentary executive, Joseph Cook

Joseph Cook

Sir Joseph Cook, GCMG was an Australian politician and the sixth Prime Minister of Australia. Born as Joseph Cooke and working in the coal mines of Silverdale, Staffordshire during his early life, he emigrated to Lithgow, New South Wales during the late 1880s, and became General-Secretary of the...

 was elected as the first leader in 1893. Cook left the party in the following year when he was obliged to sign a pledge that he would support all caucus decisions in parliament.

The NSW ALP state executive has intervened in the appointment of the parliamentary leader on a number of occasions. Following the ALP's defeat at the 1922 election, the executive of the party expelled James Dooley

James Dooley (Australian politician)

James Thomas Dooley served twice, briefly, as Premier of New South Wales during the early 1920s.-Early years:...

 and imposed Greg McGirr

Greg McGirr

John Joseph Gregory McGirr was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly....

 as the leader. The resulting controversy prompted the Federal Executive

Australian Labor Party National Executive

The National Executive is the highest elected body of the Australian Labor Party, one of the major political parties in Australia. The Executive is elected by the party's National Conference, held every three years, and represents the party's state and territory branches. Many of its members are...

 to intervene and replace McGirr with Bill Dunn

Bill Dunn (Australian politician)

William Fraser Dunn was an Australian politician and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1910 until 1950. He was a member of the ALP.-Early life:...

 as an interim leader until Jack Lang

Jack Lang (Australian politician)

John Thomas Lang , usually referred to as J.T. Lang during his career, and familiarly known as "Jack" and nicknamed "The Big Fella" was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales for two terms...

 was elected by the caucus. The legitimacy of the leadership of both McGirr and Dunn is questionable. Lang's support in the caucus was challenged in 1926 and in that year the party's annual State Conference, which strongly supported Lang, assumed the right to select the leader. This was a significant factor in the numerous schisms within the party (see Lang Labor

Lang Labor

Lang Labor was the name commonly used to describe three successive break-away sections of the Australian Labor Party, all led by the New South Wales Labor leader Jack Lang premier of NSW .-Initial opposition to Lang's leadership:...

)under Lang, who was eventually deposed when caucus regained the power to elect its leader in 1939.

Since 1894 only one long-term leader of the party has failed to become Premier.

Leaders of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales

#	Party leader	|Assumed office	|Left office	Premier	Reason for departure
1	Steering Committee of 5	July 1891	October 1893		Caucus decision to elect a leader
2	Joseph Cook Joseph Cook Sir Joseph Cook, GCMG was an Australian politician and the sixth Prime Minister of Australia. Born as Joseph Cooke and working in the coal mines of Silverdale, Staffordshire during his early life, he emigrated to Lithgow, New South Wales during the late 1880s, and became General-Secretary of the...	October 1893	25 June 1894		Left Labor Party
3	James McGowen James McGowen James Sinclair Taylor McGowen was an Australian politician and the first Labor Premier of New South Wales from 21 October 1910 to 30 June 1913.-Early life and family:...	July 1894	30 June 1913	1910–1913	Deposed
4	William Holman William Holman William Arthur Holman was an Australian Labor Party Premier of New South Wales, Australia, who split with the party on the conscription issue in 1916 during World War I, and immediately became Premier of a conservative Nationalist Party Government.-Early life:Holman was born in St Pancras, London,...	30 June 1913	15 November 1916	1913–1920 (as a member of a Nationalist Nationalist Party of Australia The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...  government after 1916)	Expelled from Labor Party
5	Ernest Durack Ernest Durack Ernest Durack was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1913 until 1917 and the leader of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales for 3 months until February 1917.Durack was born near Bathurst. He was the son of a storekeeper and was...	15 November 1916	21 February 1917		Resigned
6	John Storey John Storey (politician) John Storey was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales from 12 April 1920 until his sudden death in Sydney...	21 February 1917	5 October 1921	1920–1921	Died in office
7	James Dooley James Dooley (Australian politician) James Thomas Dooley served twice, briefly, as Premier of New South Wales during the early 1920s.-Early years:...	5 October 1921	31 July 1923	1921–1921; 1921–1922	Expelled from the party by State Executive
*	Greg McGirr Greg McGirr John Joseph Gregory McGirr was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly....	9 March 1923	16 April 1923		Imposed by State Executive
*	Bill Dunn Bill Dunn (Australian politician) William Fraser Dunn was an Australian politician and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1910 until 1950. He was a member of the ALP.-Early life:...	16 April 1923	31 July 1923		Imposed by Federal executive
8	Jack Lang Jack Lang (Australian politician) John Thomas Lang , usually referred to as J.T. Lang during his career, and familiarly known as "Jack" and nicknamed "The Big Fella" was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales for two terms...	31 July 1923	1939	1925–1927; 1930–1932	Deposed
9	William McKell William McKell Sir William John McKell GCMG , Australian politician, was Premier of New South Wales from 1941 to 1947, and was the 12th Governor-General of Australia. He was also the oldest Governor General of Australia, at 93 when he died....	1939	February 1947	1941–1947	Resigned to become Governor General
10	James McGirr James McGirr James McGirr was the Labor Premier of New South Wales from 6 February 1947 to 3 April 1952.A Catholic, McGirr was the seventh son of John Patrick McGirr, farmer and Irish immigrant, and Mary McGirr, whose maiden name was O'Sullivan. Born in Parkes, New South Wales, he grew up on a dairy farm near...	6 February 1947	3 April 1952	1947–1952	Resigned
11	Joseph Cahill Joseph Cahill John Joseph Cahill was Premier of New South Wales in Australia from 1952 to 1959. He is best remembered as the Premier who approved construction on the Sydney Opera House, and for his work increasing the authority of local government in the state.-Early years:Joe Cahill, as he was popularly known,...	3 April 1952	22 October 1959	1952–1959	Died in Office
12	Robert Heffron Robert Heffron Robert James "Bob" Heffron was one of the longest-serving New South Wales state parliamentarians. He was the Australian Labor Party Premier of New South Wales from 28 October 1959, to 30 April 1964.-Early years:...	28 October 1959	30 April 1964	1959–1964	Resigned
13	Jack Renshaw Jack Renshaw John Brophy "Jack" Renshaw AC was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of New South Wales from 30 April 1964 to 13 May 1965.-Early life:...	30 April 1964	1968	1964–1965	Resigned
14	Patrick Hills Patrick Hills Patrick Darcy 'Pat' Hills AO was a New South Wales politician. He served in various high offices across the state most notably the Deputy Premier of New South Wales, Leader of the Opposition and as the Lord Mayor of Sydney....	1968	1973		Deposed following 1973 election New South Wales state election, 1973 Elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly were held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 17 November 1973. The result was a win for the Liberal-Country Party coalition under Sir Robert Askin, which had been in office since 1965....
15	Neville Wran Neville Wran Neville Kenneth Wran, AC, CNZM, QC was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 until 1986. He was National President of the Australian Labor Party from 1980 to 1986 and Chairman of both the Lionel Murphy Foundation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 1986...	1973	4 July 1986	1976–1986	Resigned
16	Barrie Unsworth Barrie Unsworth Barrie John Unsworth was an Australian politician, representing the Australian Labor Party in the Parliament of New South Wales from 1978 to 1991. He served as the 36th Premier from July 1986 to March 1988.-Early years:...	4 July 1986	1988	1986–1988	Resigned following 1988 election New South Wales state election, 1988 Elections to the 49th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 19 March 1988. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
17	Bob Carr Bob Carr Robert John "Bob" Carr , Australian statesman, was Premier of New South Wales from 4 April 1995 to 3 August 2005. He holds the record for the longest continuous service as premier of NSW...	1988	27 July 2005	1995–2005	Resigned
18	Morris Iemma Morris Iemma Morris Iemma , is a former Australian politician and 40th Premier of New South Wales, succeeding Bob Carr after he resigned on 3 August 2005. Iemma led the Australian Labor Party to victory in the 2007 election before resigning as Premier on 5 September 2008, and as a Member of Parliament on 19...	27 July 2005	5 September 2008	2005–2008	Deposed
19	Nathan Rees Nathan Rees Nathan Rees MP, , an Australian politician, was the 41st Premier of New South Wales and parliamentary leader of the New South Wales division of the Australian Labor Party from September 2008 to December 2009...	5 September 2008	3 December 2009	2008–2009	Deposed
20	Kristina Keneally Kristina Keneally Kristina Kerscher Keneally MP, is an Australian politician and was the 42nd Premier of New South Wales. She was elected leader of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales and thus Premier in 2009, but went on to lose government to the Liberal/National Coalition at the March 2011 state election...	3 December 2009	31 March 2011	2009–2011	Resigned following 2011 election New South Wales state election, 2011 Elections to the 55th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 26 March 2011. The 16-year incumbent Australian Labor Party government led by Premier Kristina Keneally was defeated in a landslide by the Liberal-National coalition opposition led by Barry O'Farrell.New South Wales has...
21	John Robertson John Robertson (New South Wales politician) John Cameron Robertson MP , an Australian politician, is the Leader of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales and the Leader of the Opposition. Robertson is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Blacktown for Labor since 2011...	31 March 2011	Incumbent

Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales

Deputy Leader	Start of Term	End of Term	Deputy Premier
????	1893	1923
Jack Baddeley	1923	1949	1941–1949
Joseph Cahill Joseph Cahill John Joseph Cahill was Premier of New South Wales in Australia from 1952 to 1959. He is best remembered as the Premier who approved construction on the Sydney Opera House, and for his work increasing the authority of local government in the state.-Early years:Joe Cahill, as he was popularly known,...	1949	1952	1949–1952
Robert Heffron Robert Heffron Robert James "Bob" Heffron was one of the longest-serving New South Wales state parliamentarians. He was the Australian Labor Party Premier of New South Wales from 28 October 1959, to 30 April 1964.-Early years:...	1953	1959	1953–1959
Jack Renshaw Jack Renshaw John Brophy "Jack" Renshaw AC was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of New South Wales from 30 April 1964 to 13 May 1965.-Early life:...	1959	1964	1959–1964
Pat Hills	1964	1968	1964–1965
Syd Einfeld Syd Einfeld Sydney David "Syd" Einfeld AO was an Australian politician and Jewish leader. Born in Sydney, he was educated at Fort St Boys' High School before becoming a manager of a merchandising company...	1968	1973
Jack Ferguson Jack Ferguson Laurie John Ferguson was an Australian politician and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.-Early life:...	1973	1984	1976–1984
Ron Mulock Ron Mulock Ronald Joseph "Ron" Mulock was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.-Early years:...	1984	1988	1984–1988
Andrew Refshauge Andrew Refshauge Andrew John Refshauge was an Australian politician and Deputy Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005.Refshauge was born in Melbourne, the son of Major-General Sir William Refshauge AC CBE ED , who later became Honorary Physician to Queen Elizabeth II 1955–64 and Director-General of the...	1988	2005	1995–2005
John Watkins John Watkins (Australian politician) John Arthur Watkins is a former Deputy Premier of New South Wales, serving between 2005 until his resignation from Parliament in 2008...	2005	2009	2005–2009
Carmel Tebbutt Carmel Tebbutt Carmel Mary Tebbutt is an Australian politician. She is the Australian Labor Party Member for Marrickville in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and was Deputy Premier of New South Wales from 2008 to 2011. She was also Minister for Health in the Keneally Government...	2009	2011	2009–2011
Linda Burney Linda Burney The Hon. Linda Jean Burney MP, an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Canterbury for the Australian Labor Party since 2003...	2011	present