The premier of Tasmania is the head of government of the Australian state of Tasmania. The premier is the leader of the cabinet of Tasmania, and nominates its ministers for appointment by the governor. The premier is appointed by the governor based on the premier's ability to command confidence within the House of Assembly. To this end, the governor usually appoints the leader of the party or coalition that controls a majority of seats in the House of Assembly. However, due to Tasmania's electoral system and tendency to elect minority governments, the governor can appoint a premier on the expectation that confidence is tested in parliament.
Since 8 April 2022, the premier of Tasmania has been Jeremy Rockliff, leader of the Liberal Party, which holds 14 of the 35 seats in the House of Assembly. Due to Rockliff not holding a majority since 2023, he has had to negotiate with crossbenchers to form a government. Since the 2024 state election, he has been supported intermittently by the Jacqui Lambie Network, the Greens, the SFF and various independents, including David O'Byrne whom Rockliff offered a ministerial position to. The current cabinet Rockliff leads is the third Rockliff ministry.
The premier of Tasmania is the lowest-paid Australian premier, and the second-lowest paid head of government nationwide. Incumbent premier Jeremy Rockliff turned down a 22% pay rise in 2025.
List of premiers of Tasmania
Formal political parties did not emerge in Tasmania until the 1900s. In the late 19th century, the House of Assembly divided into two broad groupings: a conservative bloc associated with the "old established families of the island", led by Elliott Lewis and Henry Dobson, and a liberal bloc (with radical elements) led by Philip Fysh and Edward Braddon.
The current convention of appointing the premier from the House of Assembly did not develop until the late 19th century, with eight premiers appointed from the Legislative Council (the last being Philip Fysh from 1887 to 1892).