The Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria. The presiding officer of the upper house of the Parliament of Victoria, the Victorian Legislative Council, is the President of the Victorian Legislative Council.
A Speaker is elected at the beginning of each new parliamentary term by the Legislative Assembly from one of its members. The Assembly may re-elect an incumbent Speaker by passing a motion; otherwise, a secret ballot is held. The Assembly can dismiss the Speaker by a majority vote, and the Speaker can resign.
In practice, the Speaker is usually a member of the governing party or parties, who have the majority in the Assembly. The Speaker continues to be a member of a political party, and may or may not attend party meetings. The Speaker also continues to carry out ordinary electorate duties as a member of Parliament and must take part in an election campaign to be re-elected as a member of Parliament.
The Deputy Speaker, also elected by the Assembly, supports and assists the Speaker and fulfils the role as Speaker in their absence or during a vacancy in the position.
Speakers of the Victorian Legislative Assembly +Speakers No. Name Took office Left office Party Time1Francis Murphy21 November 185624 January 1871 2Charles MacMahon25 April 1871April 1877 3 Charles Gavan Duffy 22 May 18779 February 1880 (2) Charles McMahon 11 May 188029 June 1880 (6 years, 49 days)4 Peter Lalor 22 July 188029 September 1887 5 Matthew Davies 4 October 1887April 1892 6 Thomas Bent 11 May 1892September 1894 7 Graham Berry 4 October 1894 September 1897 8 Francis Mason 25 October 1897September 1902 9 Duncan Gillies 14 October 190212 September 1903Liberal 10 William Beazley 16 September 1903 10 May 1904Labor11 Frank Madden 29 June 1904October 1917Liberal12 John Mackey 29 November 19176 April 1924 Nationalist13 John Bowser 30 April 19245 March 1927Nationalist14 Oswald Snowball 6 July 192716 March 1928 Nationalist15 Alexander Peacock 4 July 19287 October 1933 NationalistUnited Australia16 Maurice Blackburn 11 October 19331 August 1934 Labor17 William Everard 2 August 19346 September 1937 United Australia18 Tom Tunnecliffe19 October 193715 February 1940 Labor19 William Slater 1 May 194020 October 1942 Labor 20 George Knox 21 October 19429 October 1947 United Australia Liberal21 Thomas Maltby 2 December 194713 April 1950 Liberal 22 Archie Michaelis 20 June 195031 October 1952 Liberal 23 Keith Sutton 17 December 195222 April 1955 Labor 24 William McDonald 15 June 195519 March 1967 Liberal 25 Vernon Christie 16 May 196718 June 1973 Liberal 26 Kenneth Wheeler 19 June 197328 May 1979 Liberal 27 Jim Plowman 29 May 197926 April 1982 Liberal 28 Tom Edmunds 27 April 198224 October 1988 Labor 29 Ken Coghill 25 October 1988 26 October 1992 Labor 30 John Delzoppo 27 October 1992 13 May 1996 Liberal (27) Jim Plowman 14 May 1996 2 November 1999 Liberal (6 years, 139 days)31 Alex Andrianopoulos 3 November 1999 24 February 2003 Labor 32 Judy Maddigan 25 February 200318 December 2006 Labor 33 Jenny Lindell 19 December 200620 December 2010 Labor 34 Ken Smith 21 December 20104 February 2014 Liberal 35 Christine Fyffe 4 February 201422 December 2014 Liberal 36 Telmo Languiller 23 December 201425 February 2017 Labor 37 Colin Brooks 7 March 20172 August 2022 Labor 38 Maree Edwards 2 August 2022Incumbent Labor
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