The leader of the party with the largest number of seats in the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly usually takes on the role.

Unlike other states and territories, the chief minister is not appointed by a governor or administrator, but elected directly by the Assembly.

[2] The chief minister is the rough equivalent of the state premiers, and has been a member of the National Cabinet since its creation in 2020.

[3] The chief minister previously also represented the ACT on the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).

[5] The current chief minister is Andrew Barr of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), who was first elected by the Assembly on 11 December 2014 following the resignation of Katy Gallagher.