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15 Leader of the Opposition

The Leader of the Opposition is a member of Parliament in the House of Representatives and leader of the minority party. In the House of Representatives, the Leader of the Opposition sits at the centre table in front of the Opposition and opposite the Prime Minister. All the members in the party elect the leader. The tasks of the Leader of the Opposition include:

Photo of inside the House of Representatives chamber, with captions pointing out where the Speaker, Government, Prime Minister, Opposition and Leader of the Opposition sit. Click for more info on this image.

Seating locations in the House of Representatives (showing former Opposition Leader the Hon. Dr Brendan Nelson MP)

  • chairing the weekly party meeting
  • helping to develop party policy
  • selecting other members and senators in the same party to be shadow ministers
  • leading the team of shadow ministers which is called the shadow cabinet
  • acting as the chief spokesperson for the party inside and outside Parliament
  • presenting different policies to the government, and
  • leading the party in an election

The Leader of the Opposition is often seen as the alternative Prime Minister. The party can vote out the Leader of the Opposition and vote in a different member of Parliament at any time.

PDF icon (this link will take you to a PDF document) Download: Fact Sheet 15 - Leader of the Opposition [180KB]

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Quirky & Quizzical Help

PEO icon (this link will take you to another page on the PEO website) FAQ 19 - Who are Australia's past prime ministers?

http://www.peo.gov.au/faq/faq_19.html#19_5

PEO icon (this link will take you to another page on the PEO website) FAQ 17 - Who are Australia's past leaders of the opposition?

http://www.peo.gov.au/faq/faq_17.html#17_7

More information

PEO icon (this link will take you to another page on the PEO website)Parliament NOW

http://www.peo.gov.au/students/now_parl.html

PEO icon (this link will take you to another page on the PEO website)Image Library: The Leader of the Opposition

http://www.peo.gov.au/multimedia/library/pages/0463.html

APH icon (this link will take you to a page on the APH website) PDF icon (this link will take you to a PDF document) House of Representatives Infosheet: The House, Government and Opposition

http://www.aph.gov.au/house/info/infosheets/is19.pdf

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