Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia

Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia
Incumbent Lucy Turnbull since 15 September 2015
Residence	The Lodge
Inaugural holder	Jane Barton
Formation	1 January 1901

Thérèse Rein, wife of Kevin Rudd.

Julia Gillard with partner Tim Mathieson.

Enid and Joseph Lyons in the 1930s.

Robert and Pattie Menzies in the 1940s

Zara Holt, wife of Harold Holt.

John and Bettina Gorton in the 1950s.

The Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia is an unofficial title, the holder of which, by convention, is the host or hostess of The Lodge and Kirribilli House, the official residences of the Prime Minister. An unpaid position that has no official responsibilities, the role has gained significance since the 1960s, with the Prime Minister's spouse acting as a key national figure on social issues and a prominent symbol of government. The Spouse also assists the Prime Minister in welcoming foreign dignitaries to Parliament House and the official residences.

The 18th Prime Minister, John McEwen, was a widower during his short term, but otherwise, until the tenure of the 27th Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, the post had always been filled by a woman; Tim Mathieson was Gillard's de facto partner. Lucy Turnbull is the spouse of the incumbent Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull.

Current

The current spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia is Lucy Turnbull, who assumed the role when her husband became the Prime Minister of Australia on 15 September 2015.

There are currently six living spouses of former prime ministers of Australia:

• Tamie Fraser (widow of Malcolm Fraser)
• Annita van Iersel (ex-wife of Paul Keating)
• Janette Howard (wife of John Howard)
• Thérèse Rein (wife of Kevin Rudd)
• Tim Mathieson (partner of Julia Gillard)
• Margie Abbott (wife of Tony Abbott)

The most recent spouse of an Australian prime minister to die was Hazel Hawke (ex-wife of Bob Hawke), on 23 May 2013.^[1]

Role

The Prime Minister's spouse has no official duties. Some earlier spouses stayed mainly at home and took little part in public life.^[2]

However, most recent Prime Ministers' spouses have been involved in charities or community organisations, working to raise public awareness, funds, and support for a range of causes. They generally assist their partners in political campaigns, and participate in official duties that come with the position, such as hosting foreign dignitaries, and, in particular, entertaining the spouses of dignitaries; accompanying the Prime Ministers on national and international trips; attending conferences and functions; and speaking in public, particularly in the Prime Minister's constituency.^[3] They have attended the opening of Parliament; hosted visitors at The Lodge and Kirribilli House; visited Buckingham Palace, the White House, or the Japanese Imperial Palace; and been present at royal coronations and conferences.^[3]

Others were initially preoccupied with rearing children, most notably Dame Enid Lyons (1932–39), who had 12 children (one died in infancy). In 1943, four years after her husband's death in office, she was the first woman to be elected to the House of Representatives. She was a junior minister in the Menzies Government from 1949 to 1951.

Official recognition

Some Prime Ministers' spouses have received official recognition for their services to the community:

• Dame Flora Reid, Dame Mary Cook, Dame Mary Hughes, Dame Enid Lyons, Dame Pattie Menzies and Dame Zara Holt were given damehoods
• Pattie Deakin accepted the award of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1934, to be announced in the New Year's Honours of 1935; she died two days before the announcement^[4][5]
• Margaret Whitlam, Tamie Fraser and Hazel Hawke were made Officers of the Order of Australia. Lucy Turnbull was appointed an Officer before her husband became Prime Minister.

Tamie Fraser was the first spouse of a Prime Minister to be provided with an official secretary for dealing with her correspondence.^[6]

List of Spouses

No.	Portrait	Spouse (Maiden name)	Tenure	Prime Minister (Spouse, unless noted)
1		Jane "Jeanie" Ross 11 June 1851 – 23 March 1938 (aged 86)	1 January 1901 – 24 September 1903	Barton m. 1877
2		Elizabeth "Pattie" Browne 1 January 1863 – 30 December 1934 (aged 71)	24 September 1903 – 27 April 1904	Deakin m. 1882
3		Ada Low 4 February 1855 – 19 July 1921 (aged 60)	27 April 1904 – 18 August 1904	Watson m. 1889
4		Florence "Flora" Brumby 10 November 1876 – 1 September 1950 (aged 82)	18 August 1904 – 5 July 1905	Reid m. 1891
(2)		Elizabeth "Pattie" Browne 1 January 1863 – 30 December 1934 (aged 71)	5 July 1905 – 13 November 1908	Deakin m. 1882
5		Margaret Irvine 1874 – 15 June 1958 (aged 84–85)	13 November 1908 – 2 June 1909	Fisher m. 1901
(2)		Elizabeth "Pattie" Browne 1 January 1863 – 30 December 1934 (aged 71)	2 June 1909 – 29 April 1910	Deakin m. 1882
(5)		Margaret Irvine 1874 – 15 June 1958 (aged 83–84)	29 April 1910 – 24 June 1913	Fisher m. 1901
6		Mary Turner 1863 – 24 September 1950 (aged 86–87)	24 June 1913 – 17 September 1914	Cook m. 1885
7		Mary Campbell 6 June 1874 – 2 April 1958 (aged 83)	27 October 1915 – 9 February 1923	Hughes m. 1911
8		Ethel Anderson 25 May 1879 – 16 March 1967 (aged 88)	9 February 1923 – 22 March 1929	Bruce m. 1913
9		Sarah McNamara 1880 – 31 May 1962 (aged 82–83)	22 March 1929 – 6 January 1932	Fisher m. 1901
10		Enid Burnell 19 July 1897 – 2 September 1981 (aged 84)	6 January 1932 – 7 April 1939	Lyons m. 1915
11		Ethel Blunt 1875 – 26 May 1958 (aged 82–83)	7 April 1939 – 26 April 1939	Page m. 1906
12		Pattie Leckie 2 March 1899 – 30 August 1995 (aged 96)	26 April 1939 – 29 August 1941	Menzies m. 1920
13		Ilma Thornber 1895 – 14 May 1987 (aged 92–93)	29 August 1941 – 7 October 1941	Fadden m. 1916
14		Elsie Needham 4 October 1890 – 24 June 1975 (aged 84)	7 October 1941 – 5 July 1945	Curtin m. 1921
15		Veronica "Vera" O'Reilly 1894 – 1967 (aged 72–73)	5 July 1945 – 13 July 1945	Forde m. 1925
16		Elizabeth "Lizzie" Chifley 1 August 1886 – 9 September 1962 (aged 76)	13 July 1945 – 19 December 1949	Chifley m. 1914
(12)		Pattie Leckie 2 March 1899 – 30 August 1995 (aged 96)	19 December 1949 – 26 January 1966	Menzies m. 1920
17		Zara Dickins 10 March 1909 – 14 June 1989 (aged 80)	26 January 1966 – 17 September 1967	Holt m. 1947
	01.1 Vacant; John McEwen was a widower.		17 September 1967 – 10 January 1968	McEwen
18		Bettina Brown 23 June 1915 – 2 October 1983 (aged 68)	10 January 1968 – 10 March 1971	Gorton m. 1935
19		Sonia Hopkins 1 August 1932 – 2 April 2010 (aged 77)	10 March 1971 – 5 December 1972	McMahon m. 1965
20		Margaret Dovey 19 November 1919 – 17 March 2012 (aged 92)	5 December 1972 – 11 November 1975	Whitlam m. 1942
21		Tamara "Tamie" Beggs 28 February 1936 (age 81)	11 November 1975 – 5 March 1983	Fraser m. 1956
22		Hazel Masterson 20 July 1929 – 23 May 2013 (aged 83)	5 March 1983 – 20 December 1991	Hawke m. 1956
23		Anna "Annita" van Iersel 5 October 1948 (age 68)	20 December 1991 – 11 March 1996	Keating m. 1975
24		Janette Parker 11 August 1944 (age 72)	11 March 1996 – 3 December 2007	Howard m. 1971
25		Thérèse Rein 17 July 1958 (age 58)	3 December 2007 – 24 June 2010	Rudd m. 1981
26		Timothy "Tim" Mathieson 1957 (age 59–60)	24 June 2010 – 27 June 2013	Gillard esp. 2006
(25)		Thérèse Rein 17 July 1958 (age 58)	27 June 2013 – 18 September 2013	Rudd m. 1981
27		Margaret "Margie" Aitken 1 February 1958 (age 59)	18 September 2013 – 15 September 2015	Abbott m. 1988
28		Lucinda "Lucy" Hughes 30 March 1958 (age 59)	15 September 2015 – present	Turnbull m. 1980

See also

• First Lady
• Spouse of the Governor-General of Australia

References

Further reading

• Langmore, Diane (1992). Prime Ministers' Wives: The Public and Private Lives of Ten Australian Women. Ringwood, VIC: McPhee Gribble. 
• "Mrs Prime Minister—Public Image, Private Lives". Travelling exhibition. Old Parliament House (Commonwealth of Australia: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts). Retrieved 30 July 2008.