Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Surprise meSurprise meSubscribe
Encyclopedia

First Holt ministry

41st ministry of government of Australia

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
2 min read
Source updated September 19, 2025
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

The First Holt Ministry (Liberal, Country Coalition) was the 41st ministry of the Government of Australia. It was led by the country's 17th Prime Minister, Harold Holt. The First Holt ministry succeeded the Tenth Menzies ministry, which dissolved on 26 January 1966 following the retirement of former Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies. The ministry was replaced by the Second Holt ministry on 14 December 1966 following the 1966 federal election.

As of 20 December 2020, Ian Sinclair is the last surviving member of the First Holt ministry; Sinclair is also the last surviving minister of the Menzies government, the Second Holt ministry, and the McEwen, Gorton, and McMahon governments, as well as the First Fraser ministry. James Forbes was the last surviving Liberal minister, and Allen Fairhall and Charles Barnes were the last surviving Liberal and Country Cabinet ministers respectively.

01Cabinet

Party Minister Portrait Portfolio
Liberal Harold Holt
(1908-1967)

MP for Higgins
(1949-1967)
Country John McEwen
(1900-1980)

MP for Murray
(1949-1971)
Liberal William McMahon
(1908-1988)

MP for Lowe
(1949-1982)
Liberal Paul Hasluck
(1905-1993)

MP for Curtin
(1949-1969)
Country Charles Adermann
(1896-1979)

MP for Fisher
(1949-1972)
Liberal Allen Fairhall
(1909-2006)

MP for Paterson
(1949-1969)
Liberal Denham Henty
(1903-1978)

Senator for Tasmania
(1950-1968)
Liberal Alan Hulme
(1907-1989)

MP for Petrie
(1963-1972)
Liberal David Fairbairn
(1917-1994)

MP for Farrer
(1949-1975)
Country Charles Barnes
(1901-1998)

MP for McPherson
(1958-1972)
Liberal John Gorton
(1911-2002)

Senator for Victoria
(1950-1968)
Liberal Les Bury
(1913-1986)

MP for Wentworth
(1956-1974)

02Outer ministry

Party Minister Portrait Portfolio
Liberal Gordon Freeth
(1914-2001)

MP for Forrest
(1949-1969)
Liberal Reginald Swartz
(1911-2006)

MP for Darling Downs
(1949-1972)
Liberal Hubert Opperman
(1904-1996)

MP for Corio
(1949-1967)
Liberal Billy Snedden
(1926-1987)

MP for Bruce
(1955-1983)
Liberal Dr James Forbes
(1923-2019)

MP for Barker
(1956-1975)
Country Doug Anthony
(1929-2020)

MP for Richmond
(1957-1984)
Liberal Fred Chaney
(1914-2001)

MP for Perth
(1955-1969)
Liberal Peter Howson
(1919-2009)

MP for Fawkner
(1955-1969)
Liberal Ken Anderson
(1909-1985)

Senator for New South Wales
(1953-1975)
Country Colin McKellar
(1903-1970)

Senator for New South Wales
(1958-1970)
Country Ian Sinclair
(1929-)

MP for New England
(1963-1998)
Liberal Dame Annabelle Rankin
(1908-1986)

Senator for Queensland
(1947-1971)
Liberal Malcolm Fraser
(1930-2015)

MP for Wannon
(1955-1983)
Watch videos about First Holt ministryExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “First Holt ministry”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.