Our government: 19. prime minister

19.1 Who is the Prime Minister?

The Prime Minister is the leader of the Australian Government and Australia's national leader.

By convention the Prime Minister is an elected member of parliament in the House of Representatives. He or she is also the elected leader of the party or parties with a majority in the House of Representatives. In the House, the Prime Minister sits at the centre table in front of the government.

The current Prime Minister of Australia is the Honourable Kevin Rudd MP.

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19.2 How is the Prime Minister appointed?

The Prime Minister is a member of parliament. He or she is the elected leader of the party or parties that win the majority of seats in the House of Representatives following a federal election and therefore is the leader of the government. The Prime Minister is chosen as leader of the government through a party vote. The party can vote the Prime Minister out and replace him or her with another member of the party. Following a leadership change, the Prime Minister reverts to being a backbencher.

The Prime Minister is formally commissioned by the Governor-General.

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19.3 What is the role of the Prime Minister?

The Prime Minister is the most powerful person in Parliament and has a number of leadership roles. The Prime Minister is the:

• Leader of the nation. In this role the Prime Minister:
  • represents Australia overseas
  • communicates with leaders of other countries.
• Chief (or number one) minister. In this role the Prime Minister:
  • plays an important part in the selection and appointment of members and senators as ministers
  • advises the Governor-General of important appointments such as the appointment of High Court justices, ambassadors, heads of government departments and other constitutional matters.
• Head of Cabinet. In this role the Prime Minister
  • chairs Cabinet meetings
  • leads policy including deciding with senior ministers what new laws should be introduced to the Parliament.
• Leader of the government. In this role the Prime Minister:
  • is the primary spokesperson for the government in the House of Representatives
  • chairs the weekly party meeting in which the party decides policy and examines new legislation
  • decides when to call an election and leads the party in the election.

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19.4 How long can a prime minister stay in office?

A member of parliament will cease to be a prime minister if:

• he or she dies in office (Joseph Lyons in 1939, John Curtin in 1945 and Harold Holt in 1967)
• he or she loses their seat in a federal election (Stanley Bruce in 1929 and John Howard in 2007)
• the government loses an election (Paul Keating in 1996). In this situation the Prime Minister usually reverts to being the Leader of the Opposition
• the government party votes to replace the Prime Minister with another parliamentarian (William MacMahon replaced John Gorton in 1971; Paul Keating replaced Bob Hawke in 1991)
• a vote of the House of Representatives shows that the government no longer has the support of the majority of members. In this rare situation another government is formed at the request of the Governor-General. This happened in 1941 when John Curtin replaced Robert Menzies.

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19.5 Who are Australia’s past prime ministers?

Australia’s past prime ministers are:

• Sir Edmund Barton (Protectionist Party) 1901 to 1903
• Alfred Deakin (Protectionist Party) 1903 to 1904
• John Christian Watson (Australian Labour Party) 1904
• George Houstoun Reid (Free Trade) 1904 to 1905
• Alfred Deakin (Protectionist Party) 1905 to 1908
• Andrew Fisher (Australian Labour Party) 1908 to 1909
• Alfred Deakin (Fusion Party) 1909 to 1910
• Andrew Fisher (Australian Labor Party) 1910 to 1913
• Joseph Cook (Liberal Party of Australia) 1913 to 1914
• Andrew Fisher (Australian Labor Party) 1914 to 1915
• William Morris Hughes (Australian Labor Party; Nationalist Party from 1917) 1915 to 1923
• Stanley Melbourne Bruce (National Party) 1923 to 1929
• James Henry Scullin (Australian Labor Party) 1929 to 1932
• Joseph Aloysius Lyons (United Australia Party) 1932 to 1939
• Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page (Australian Country Party) 1939
• Robert Gordon Menzies (United Australia Party) 1939 to 1941
• Arthur William Fadden (Country Party) 1941
• John Curtin (Australian Labor Party) 1941 to 1945
• Francis Michael Forde (Australian Labor Party) 1945
• Joseph Benedict Chifley (Australian Labor Party) 1945 to 1949
• Robert Gordon Menzies (Liberal Party of Australia) 1949 to 1966
• Harold Edward Holt (Liberal Party of Australia) 1966 to 1967
• John McEwen (Country Party) 1967 to 1968
• John Grey Gorton (Liberal Party of Australia) 1968 to 1971
• William McMahon (Liberal Party of Australia) 1971 to 1972
• Edward Gough Whitlam (Australian Labor Party) 1972 to 1975
• John Malcolm Fraser (Liberal Party of Australia) 1975 to 1983
• Robert James Lee Hawke (Australian Labor Party) 1983 to 1991
• Paul John Keating (Australian Labor Party) 1991 to 1996
• John Winston Howard (Liberal Party of Australia) 1996 to 2007

The Australian Labor Party was referred to as the ‘Australian Labour Party’ prior to 1912.

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• Our Federation

  • 1. Federation
    • 1.1 What is a federation?
    • 1.2 How did Federation occur?
  • 2. The Constitution
    • 2.1 What is the Australian Constitution?
    • 2.2 How was the Australian Constitution agreed?
    • 2.3 What are the main features of the Australian federal system?
    • 2.4 Can the Australian Constitution be changed?
    • 2.5 How many referendums have been held in Australia?
  • 3. Historical Firsts
    • 3.1 When and where was the first meeting of the Parliament of Australia?
    • 3.2 What was the first name of the Parliament of Australia?
    • 3.3 When was the first double dissolution of both houses of parliament?
    • 3.4 When and where was the first meeting of the Parliament in Canberra?
    • 3.5 When did the Parliament first meet in new Parliament House?
    • 3.6 What was the first Act of the Australian Parliament?
    • 3.7 Who sat on the first Bench of the High Court of Australia?
    • 3.8 Who was the first minister to be suspended from the Parliament?
    • 3.9 Who was Australia’s first leader of the opposition?
    • 3.10 What question triggered the first referendum?
    • 3.11 What issues led to the first plebiscite?
    • 3.12 Who was the first indigenous parliamentarian?
    • 3.13 When did women first vote in a federal election?
    • 3.14 Who was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives?
    • 3.15 Who was the first woman elected to the Senate?
    • 3.16 Who was the first woman appointed as a cabinet minister?
    • 3.17 Who was the first woman to lead a political party?
    • 3.18 Which party formed Australia’s first government?
    • 3.19 Who was in the first federal ministry?
    • 3.20 When was the first cabinet meeting in Canberra?
    • 3.21 Who was Australia’s first prime minister?
    • 3.22 Who was the first and only prime minister to be sacked by the governor-general?
    • 3.23 How many Australian prime ministers have died in office?
    • 3.24 Who was the first prime minister to serve less than a year?
    • 3.25 Who was Australia’s first Head of state?
    • 3.26 Who was Australia’s first governor-general?
    • 3.27 Who was Australia’s first Australian-born governor-general?
  • 4. Australia's Parliament House
    • 4.1 Why is Australia’s Parliament House located in Canberra?
    • 4.2 When was Australia’s Parliament House opened?
    • 4.3 Who designed Australia’s Parliament House?
    • 4.4 How much did Australia’s Parliament House cost to build?
    • 4.5 Why was the new Parliament House built?
    • 4.6 Who works in Australia’s Parliament House?
    • 4.7 Who visits Australia’s Parliament House?
    • 4.8 What are some facts about the Parliament House flagpole?
    • 4.9 Which timbers are used in Parliament House?
    • 4.10 What is in the Parliament House art collection?
    • 4.11 Why are there so many gardens?
    • 4.12 What gives the building its sense of space and light?
    • 4.13 Why are there so many clocks?
    • 4.14 What stone is used throughout the building?

• Our Parliament

  • 5. How the Parliament Works
    • 5.1 What is the Parliament of Australia?
    • 5.2 What does the Parliament of Australia do?
    • 5.3 Where is the Parliament of Australia?
    • 5.4 When does the Parliament of Australia meet?
    • 5.5 Who are members of parliament?
    • 5.6 What is the House of Representatives?
    • 5.7 What is the Senate?
    • 5.8 What happens in the two chambers?
    • 5.9 What is the main committee?
    • 5.10 What are the standing orders?
    • 5.11 How is the government formed?
    • 5.12 What is the role of the government backbench?
    • 5.13 How is executive government formed?
    • 5.14 What is the role of executive government?
    • 5.15 How is the opposition formed?
    • 5.16 What does the opposition do?
    • 5.17 Who is the Prime Minister of Australia?
    • 5.18 What does the Prime Minister do?
    • 5.19 Who is the Leader of the Opposition?
    • 5.20 What does the Leader of the Opposition do?
    • 5.21 Who is the Leader of the Government in the Senate?
    • 5.22 Who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate?
    • 5.23 What do ministers do?
    • 5.24 What do shadow ministers do?
    • 5.25 What do backbenchers do?
    • 5.26 Why are some members and senators called ‘Honourable’?
    • 5.27 What is the significance of the Australian Coat of Arms?
    • 5.28 How do the Parliament and executive government work together?
  • 6. Representation
    • 6.1 What is representative democracy?
    • 6.2 How do you become a representative in the Parliament of Australia?
    • 6.3 What is an election?
    • 6.4 Who calls an election?
    • 6.5 How is an election won?
    • 6.6 What happens after an election?
    • 6.7 What is an electorate?
    • 6.8 What is a state?
    • 6.9 What is a territory?
    • 6.10 What is a plebiscite?
    • 6.11 How many plebiscites have been held in Australia?
    • 6.12 What is a referendum?
  • 7. House of Representatives
    • 7.1 What does the House of Representatives look like?
    • 7.2 What is the role of the House of Representatives?
    • 7.3 Who is the current Speaker of the House of Representatives?
    • 7.4 What does the Clerk of the House of Representatives do?
    • 7.5 What does the Serjeant-at-Arms do?
    • 7.6 What is the Mace?
    • 7.7 What do members do?
    • 7.8 How many members are in the current House of Representatives?
    • 7.9 What is the current composition of the House of Representatives?
    • 7.10 Who is the current Prime Minister of Australia?
    • 7.11 Who is the current Leader of the Opposition?
    • 7.12 How many women are currently in the House of Representatives?
  • 8. Senate
    • 8.1 What does the Senate look like?
    • 8.2 What is the role of the Senate?
    • 8.3 Who is the current President of the Senate?
    • 8.4 What does the Clerk of the Senate do?
    • 8.5 What does the Usher of the Black Rod do?
    • 8.6 What is the Black Rod?
    • 8.7 What do senators do?
    • 8.8 How many senators are in the current Senate?
    • 8.9 What is the current composition of the Senate?
    • 8.10 Who is the current Leader of the Government in the Senate?
    • 8.11 Who is the current Leader of the Opposition in the Senate?
    • 8.12 How many women are currently in the Senate?
  • 9. Presiding Officers
    • 9.1 Who are the presiding officers?
    • 9.2 What does the President do?
    • 9.3 How is the President elected?
    • 9.4 Where did the title President come from?
    • 9.5 What does the Speaker do?
    • 9.6 How is the Speaker elected?
    • 9.7 Why is there a Speaker?
    • 9.8 Who are parliamentary officers?
  • 10. Political Parties
    • 10.1 What is a political party?
    • 10.2 What do political parties do?
    • 10.3 What is a parliamentary party?
    • 10.4 What do parliamentary parties do?
    • 10.5 What is 'crossing the floor'?
    • 10.6 What is the role of a party whip?
    • 10.7 What political parties exist at the federal level?
    • 10.8 What is an Independent?
    • 10.9 What is a coalition?
  • 11. Laws and Bills
    • 11.1 What is a law?
    • 11.2 What power does the Parliament have to make law?
    • 11.3 What power do state and territory parliaments have to make law?
    • 11.4 What power do local representative bodies have to make law?
    • 11.5 What is a bill?
    • 11.6 How are bills drafted?
    • 11.7 What is the first reading of the bill?
    • 11.8 What is the second reading debate?
    • 11.9 What is a division?
    • 11.10 What is the second reading of the bill?
    • 11.11 What is consideration in detail and committee of the whole?
    • 11.12 What is the third reading of the bill?
    • 11.13 How do the chambers differ in their law-making roles?
  • 12. Parliamentary Committees
    • 12.1 What is a parliamentary committee?
    • 12.2 What do parliamentary committees do?
    • 12.3 How do parliamentary committees work?
    • 12.4 What is a senate committee?
    • 12.5 What is a House of Representatives committee?
    • 12.6 What are joint committees?
    • 12.7 What are Senate Estimates hearings?
  • 13. Information about Parliament
    • 13.1 What is Hansard?
    • 13.2 What is the parliamentary press gallery?
    • 13.3 How do members of parliament get publicity?
    • 13.4 What is the role of the media?
    • 13.5 What are parliamentary publications?

• Our Government

  • 14. Governing Australia
    • 14.1 How is Australia governed?
    • 14.2 What is federal executive government?
    • 14.3 Who is responsible for making federal law work?
    • 14.4 What are state and territory governments?
    • 14.5 Who is responsible for making state laws work?
    • 14.6 What are local governments?
    • 14.7 Who is responsible for making local law work?
  • 15. Parliamentary Principles
    • 15.1 What is responsible government?
    • 15.2 What is the principle of separation of powers?
    • 15.3 What is ministerial responsibility?
    • 15.4 What is the principle of rule of law?
  • 16. Executive Government—the Cabinet
    • 16.1 What is executive government?
    • 16.2 What does executive government do?
    • 16.3 How does executive government make decisions?
    • 16.4 Where does executive government meet?
    • 16.5 Who attends Cabinet?
    • 16.6 Why are Cabinet meetings secret?
  • 17. Alternative Government—the Opposition
    • 17.1 What is the opposition?
    • 17.2 What is the role of the opposition?
    • 17.3 What is the role of the Leader of the Opposition?
    • 17.4 How can the Leader of the Opposition become the Prime Minister?
    • 17.5 Where does the opposition meet?
    • 17.6 What is the Shadow Cabinet?
    • 17.7 Who are Australia's past leaders of the opposition?
  • 18. Governor-General
    • 18.1 Who is the Governor-General?
    • 18.2 How is the Governor-General chosen?
    • 18.3 What power does the Governor-General have?
    • 18.4 What are the Governor-General’s duties?
    • 18.5 What is the Federal Executive Council?
    • 18.6 Who is the current Governor-General?
    • 18.7 Who were the past Governors-General?
  • 19. Prime Minister
    • 19.1 Who is the prime minister?
    • 19.2 How is the prime minister appointed?
    • 19.3 What is the role of the prime minister?
    • 19.4 How long can the prime minister stay in office?
    • 19.5 Who are Australia’s past prime ministers?
  • 20. The Budget
    • 20.1 What is the Budget?
    • 20.2 Where does the money for the budget come from?
    • 20.3 What is the budget speech?
    • 20.4 What happens once the Budget bills have been introduced?
    • 20.5 How is the money shared?
  • 21. Government Departments
    • 21.1 What are government departments?
    • 21.2 What do government departments do?
    • 21.3 How do government departments pay for the services they provide?

• Our Judiciary

  • 22. Interpreting the Law
    • 22.1 What is the role of the courts?
    • 22.2 What is the difference between statute and common law?
    • 22.3 How can judges make law?
    • 22.4 What if the parliament is unhappy with a court’s interpretation of the law?
    • 22.5 Can common law override an Act of Parliament?
  • 23. Australian Courts
    • 23.1 What role do the courts play in Australian governance?
    • 23.2 Do the police belong to the Judiciary?
    • 23.3 What is the judicial hierarchy?
    • 23.4 Why is a hierarchy important?
    • 23.5 Who appoints judges and magistrates?
  • 24. High Court of Australia
    • 24.1 What is the High Court?
    • 24.2 Where is the High Court?
    • 24.3 What does the High Court do?
    • 24.4 Where does the High Court get its power?
    • 24.5 What is the role of the Chief Justice?
    • 24.6 How are chief justices appointed and dismissed?
    • 24.7 What happens when the High Court makes its decision?
  • 25. Judicial Independence
    • 25.1 How does the judicial system support our democracy?
    • 25.2 Why must the judicial system be independent?
    • 25.3 What is the principle of judicial review?