| Vice Chancellor of the United Cygnian States | |
|---|---|
| Style | The Honourable (official) Vice Chancellor (informal) His/Her Excellency (diplomatic) |
| Appointer | The President |
| Term length | Four years |
| Inaugural holder | Eric Harrison |
| Formation | 3 January 1949 75 years ago |
| Salary | £250,000 annually |
| Website | Vice Chancellor Richard Marles |
The Vice Chancellor of the United Cygnian States is the third-highest position in the executive branch of Cygnia, after the President and Chancellor. The Vice Chancellor is conventionally the Deputy Leader of the governing party, and serves a four-year term of office. The Vice Chancellor would normally ascend to the Chancellorship in the event of the death, resignation or removal of the Chancellor. The Office of the Vice Chancellor of Cygnia assists and organises the Vice Chancellor's official functions.
The 18th and current officeholder, Richard Marles, took office on 3 January 2021 alongside Chancellor Anthony Albanese following the Cygnian Labour Party's re-election to government in 2020 federal election.
Origin[]
The Vice Chancellorship until 1949 was not an official position, as there is no mention of the office in the first Imperial Constitution of Cygnia. Upon the death, disability or removal from office of the incumbent Chancellor, Congress was empowered to elect an officer to serve as Acting Chancellor until the President appointed a new head of government. In practice, however, the Vice Chancellorship evolved as a more practical alternative for cancellarial succession. This was demonstrated following the assassination of Harrison Redford in 1854, when Congress elected his Vice Chancellor, Hunter Alston, as Acting Chancellor — an appointment that was later confirmed by Queen Victoria.
The 1948 Constitution formalised the Vice Chancellorship in Article Two, Section 5, which states that "in case of the removal of the Chancellor from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice Chancellor shall become Chancellor."
Roles of the Vice Chancellor[]
The Constitution limits the formal powers and role of the Vice Chancellor to becoming Chancellor, should the Chancellor become unable to serve. Other statutorily granted roles include membership of the National Security Council. The Vice Chancellor often also holds other ministerial portfolios in the Cabinet, such as that of the Treasurer or Foreign Minister.
List of Vice Chancellors[]
The following individuals have been officially appointed as Vice Chancellor of Cygnia since the office was created in 1948:
| Labour National | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Portrait | Name (Born–Died) |
Term of Office | Political Party | Chancellor | |||
| Term (Election) |
Took Office | Left Office | ||||||
| 1 | Eric Harrison Member for Wentworth (1892–1974) |
40th (1948) |
3 January 1949 | 3 January 1957 | National | Robert Menzies | ||
| 41st (1952) | ||||||||
| 2 | 
|
Harold Holt Member for Higgins (1908–1967) |
42nd (1956) |
3 January 1957 | 3 January 1965 | National | ||
| 43rd (1960) | ||||||||
| 3 | 
|
John McEwen Member for Murray (1900–1980) |
44th (1964) |
3 January 1965 | 17 December 1967 | National | Harold Holt | |
| – | Vacant | 17 December 1967 | 10 January 1968 | John McEwen | ||||
| (3) |
|
John McEwen Member for Murray (1900–1980) |
10 January 1968 | 5 February 1971 | National | John Gorton | ||
| 45th (1968) | ||||||||
| 4 | Doug Anthony Member for Richmond (born 1929) |
5 February 1971 | 3 January 1973 | National | ||||
| William McMahon | ||||||||
| 5 | Lance Barnard Member for Bass (1919–1997) |
46th (1972) |
3 January 1973 | 31 August 1975 | Labour | Gough Whitlam | ||
| (4) | Doug Anthony Member for Richmond (born 1929) |
31 August 1975 | 3 January 1985 | National | Malcolm Fraser | |||
| 47th (1975) | ||||||||
| 48th (1976) | ||||||||
| 49th (1980) | ||||||||
| 6 | Lionel Bowen Member for Kingsford Smith (1922–2012) |
50th (1984) |
3 January 1985 | 4 April 1990 | Labour | Bob Hawke | ||
| 51st (1988) | ||||||||
| 7 | 
|
Paul Keating Member for Blaxland (born 1944) |
4 April 1990 | 3 June 1991 | Labour | |||
| 8 | Brian Howe Member for Batman (born 1936) |
3 June 1991 | 20 June 1995 | Labour | ||||
| 52nd (1992) |
Paul Keating | |||||||
| 9 | 
|
Kim Beazley Member for Swan and Brand (born 1948) |
20 June 1995 | 3 January 1997 | Labour | |||
| 10 | Tim Fischer Member for Farrer (born 1946) |
53rd (1996) |
3 January 1997 | 20 July 1999 | National | John Howard | ||
| 11 | John Anderson Member for Gwidyr (born 1956) |
20 July 1999 | 6 July 2005 | National | ||||
| 54th (2000) | ||||||||
| 55th (2004) | ||||||||
| 12 | Mark Vaile Member for Lyne (born 1956) |
6 July 2005 | 3 January 2009 | National | ||||
| 13 | 
|
Julia Gillard Member for Lalor (born 1961) |
56th (2008) |
3 January 2009 | 30 July 2012 | Labour | Kevin Rudd | |
| 14 | 
|
Wayne Swan Member for Lilley (born 1954) |
30 July 2012 | 3 January 2013 | Labour | Julia Gillard | ||
| 15 | Warren Truss Member for Wide Bay (born 1948) |
57th (2012) |
3 January 2013 | 18 February 2016 | National | Tony Abbott | ||
| Malcolm Turnbull | ||||||||
| 16 | 
|
Julie Bishop Member for Curtin (born 1956) |
18 February 2016 | 3 January 2017 | National | |||
| 17 | 
|
Tanya Plibersek Member for Sydney (born 1969) |
58th (2016) |
3 January 2017 | 3 January 2021 | Labour | Julia Gillard | |
| 18 | 
|
Richard Marles Member for Corio (born 1967) |
59th (2020) |
3 January 2021 | Incumbent | Labour | Anthony Albanese | |
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