Federation was Edmund Barton's 'one great thing'. One of the key architects of Australia's Constitution, Barton became the new nation's first Prime Minister at a grand ceremony in Centennial Park, Sydney, on 1 January 1901

Alfred Deakin, Australia’s second Prime Minister, was also the fifth and the seventh. He was in office three times in the first ten years of Federation.

Often referred to as ‘the constructor’, his work in building soundly on the nation’s constitutional foundations is evident a century later.

Australia’s first Labor Prime Minister held office for only four months in 1904, but his imprint on legislation extended through the first decade of the Australian parliament

George Reid, Prime Minister from 1904 to 1905, was Leader of the Opposition for six of the first seven years of the Australian parliament

Like Alfred Deakin, Andrew Fisher was Prime Minister three times, in 1908–09, 1910–13 and 1914–15. Although very different in background, these two men share the title of founder of the new nation’s statutory structure.

Joseph Cook was 31 in 1891 when he became Labor member for Hartley in the New South Wales parliament. Three years later, he was a minister in George Reid’s Free Trade government. He joined the first federal parliament in 1901 as a Free Trade member and, despite being described as having ‘no glow’, held the federal seat of Parramatta for 20 years.BY:GLORIA

William Morris Hughes was Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister until 1957 when Robert Menzies overtook Hughes’ record term from 1915 to 1923. Hughes’ other record still stands: no parliamentarian has surpassed his 51 years and 7 months of continuous service as a member of Australia’s House of Representatives – from the 1st parliament in 1901 to the 20th in 1952.

Australia’s eighth Prime Minister is also the second youngest. He was a decorated war hero before he became Prime Minister in 1923. Stanley Melbourne Bruce was perfectly suited to the elegance and confidence of his period – the ‘Roaring Twenties’

There have been 29 Prime Ministers and 45 elections up to 2015. The 29 Prime Ministers have served 35 separate terms of office. 11 Prime Ministers have been defeated at a general election: Deakin, Fisher, Cook, Bruce, Scullin, Chifley, McMahon, Fraser, Keating, Howard, Rudd.

James and Sarah Scullin were given a triumphal welcome when they arrived in Canberra on 21 October 1929 for the swearing in of the new Labor government. But two years later, Scullin said his term as Prime Minister was like a nightmare.

Joseph Lyons was Prime Minister for seven years – only a few days short of matching the then record term of WM Hughes. He was the first Australian Prime Minister to die in office.

Earle Christmas Grafton Page was Prime Minister for only 20 days, from 7 April 1939 to 26 April 1939. Page was also deputy Prime Minister to SM Bruce in 1923–29, and to Joseph Lyons in 1934–39. A founder of the Country Party, Page led the party in parliament from 1921 to 1939. He is also remembered for his long term as Minister for Health, from 1949–56, in the government of Robert Menzies.

Robert Gordon Menzies was Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister. He held the office twice, from 1939 to 1941 and from 1949 to 1966. Altogether he was Prime Minister for over 18 years – still the record term for an Australian Prime Minister

Arthur Fadden was Prime Minister from 29 August to 7 October 1941. As well as his ‘40 days and 40 nights’ in office, he was acting Prime Minister for periods totalling nearly two years during his coalition governments with Prime Minister Robert Menzies