Right: Some of the more recent Australian Prime Ministers. What they and their predecessors have in common is that none of them are acknowledged in the Australian Constitution, which contains no mention of the office of PM of Australia.
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Background information
The statistics reprinted below on Australia's Prime Ministers and the manner in which each has assumed and departed office have been taken from australianpolitics.com. The full text can be accessed at http://australianpolitics.com/lists/prime-ministers-since-1901
The statistics detailing the rate of leadership change in prime ministerships per year are also taken from australianpolitics.com They can be accessed at http://australianpolitics.com/2013/12/20/the-years-of-the-prime-ministers.html
There have been 29 Prime Ministers and 44 elections up to 2015.
The 29 Prime Ministers have served 35 separate terms of office.
Eleven Prime Ministers have been defeated at a general election: Deakin, Fisher, Cook, Bruce, Scullin, Chifley, McMahon, Fraser, Keating, Howard, Rudd.
Ten Prime Ministers assumed the office through winning an election: Fisher, Cook, Scullin, Lyons, Menzies, Whitlam, Hawke, Howard, Rudd, Abbott.
There have been 23 changes of Prime Minister without an election. The reasons include ....
defeat in Parliament: Deakin, Watson, Reid, Fisher, Fadden
party-room coups: Hughes, Menzies, Gorton, Hawke, Rudd, Gillard, Abbott
vice-regal intervention: Whitlam
death: Lyons, Curtin, Holt
stop-gap leaders following death of predecessor: Page, Forde, McEwen
voluntary departure: Barton, Fisher, Menzies
There have been seven Prime Ministers who never won an election: Watson, Reid, Page, Fadden, Forde, McEwen, McMahon.
There have been 10 Opposition Leaders who contested elections but never became Prime Minister: Tudor, Charlton, Evatt, Calwell, Snedden, Hayden, Peacock, Hewson, Beazley and Latham.
Occasions on which there have been three Prime Ministers in a year
There have been five years in the history of the Australian federation when three prime ministers were separately sworn into the position. They are: 1904, 1939, 1941, 1945 and 2013.
1904 First PM - Alfred Deakin Protectionist - defeated in House
Second PM - John "Chris" Watson ALP - defeated in House
Third PM - George Reid Free Trade
1939 First PM - Joseph Lyons United Australia Party - died
Second PM - Earle Page - Country Party relinquished to new leader
Third PM - Robert Menzies United Australia Party
1941 First PM - Robert Menzies United Australia Party - resigned leadership
Second PM - Arthur Fadden Country Party - defeated in House
Third PM - John Curtin ALP
1945 First PM - John Curtin ALP - died
Second PM - Frank Forde ALP - relinquished to new leader
Third PM - Ben Chifley ALP
2013 First PM - Julia Gillard ALP - deposed by party
Second PM - Kevin Rudd ALP - defeated at general election
Third PM - Tony Abbott Liberal Party
The Years of Two Prime Ministers
There have been 23 years with two prime ministers each. They are:
1903: Barton, Deakin - Barton retired, appointed Justice of the High Court
1905: Reid, Deakin - Reid defeated in House of Representatives
1908: Deakin, Fisher - Deakin defeated in House of Representatives
1909: Fisher, Deakin - Fisher defeated in House of Representatives
1910: Deakin, Fisher - Deakin defeated at general election
1913: Fisher, Cook - Fisher defeated at general election
1914: Cook, Fisher - Cook defeated at general election
1915: Fisher, Hughes - Fisher retired, appointed High Commissioner to London
1923: Hughes, Bruce - Hughes deposed as party leader following general election
1929: Bruce, Scullin - Bruce defeated at general election; loses own seat
1932: Scullin, Lyons - Scullin defeated at general election
1949: Chifley, Menzies - Chifley defeated at general election
1966: Menzies, Holt - Menzies retired voluntarily
1967: Holt, McEwen - Holt disappeared, presumed drowned
1968: McEwen, Gorton - McEwen relinquished position to new leader
1971: Gorton, McMahon - Gorton deposed as party leader
1972: McMahon, Whitlam - McMahon defeated at general election
1975: Whitlam, Fraser - Whitlam dismissed by Governor-General
1983: Fraser, Hawke - Fraser defeated at general election
1991: Hawke, Keating - Hawke deposed as party leader
1996: Keating, Howard - Keating defeated at general election
2007: Howard, Rudd - Howard defeated at general election; loses own seat
2010: Rudd, Gillard - Rudd deposed as party leader
2015: Abbott, Turnbull - Abbott deposed as party leader
The Years of One Prime Minister
There have been 85 years with one prime minister each. They are:
1901, 1902: Barton
1906, 1907: Deakin
1911, 1912: Fisher
1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922: Hughes
1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928: Bruce
1930, 1931: Scullin
1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938: Lyons
1940, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965: Menzies
1942, 1943, 1944: Curtin
1946, 1947, 1948: Chifley
1969, 1970: Gorton
1973, 1974: Whitlam
1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982: Fraser
1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990: Hawke
1992, 1993, 1994, 1995: Keating
1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006: Howard
2008, 2009: Rudd
2011, 2012: Gillard
2014: Abbott