This article is about the federal government of Australia. For the political structure of Australia, see Politics of Australia. For the second level of government, see States and territories of Australia. For the third level, see Local government in Australia.
Government of the Commonwealth
Federal government
Overview
Established
1 January 1901; 123 years ago (1901-01-01)
Leader
Prime Minister (Anthony Albanese)
Appointed by
Governor-General (David Hurley)
Main organ
Federal Executive Council (de jure)
Cabinet of Australia (de facto)
Ministries
16 government departments (2024)
Responsible to
Commonwealth Parliament
Annual budget
$668.1 billion (2023–24)[1]
Headquarters
Parliament House, Canberra
Website
Government Directory
This article is part of a series on the
Politics of Australia
Constitution
The Crown
Monarch
Charles III
Governor-General
David Hurley
Executive
Prime Minister
Anthony Albanese (ALP)
Deputy Prime Minister
Richard Marles (ALP)
Federal Executive Council
Ministry Albanese ministry
Cabinet
Legislature
Australian Parliament
Senate
President Sue Lines (ALP)
Leader Penny Wong (ALP)
House of Representatives
Speaker Milton Dick (ALP)
Leader Tony Burke (ALP)
Opposition
Leader Peter Dutton (LP)
Shadow Ministry
Judiciary
High Court of Australia
Chief Justice Stephen Gageler
Keane
Gordon
Edelman
Steward
Gleeson
Beech-Jones
Federal Court of Australia
Chief Justice Debra Mortimer
List of Judges
Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia
Chief Justice Will Alstergren
List of Judges
State and territory courts
Law of Australia
Elections
Recent elections
2022
2019
2016
2013
2010
2007
Federal electoral system
Electoral divisions
By-elections
Referendums and plebiscites
Voter registration
Leadership spill
Political parties
Political funding
States and territories
Governors and administrators
Premiers and chief ministers
Parliaments and assemblies
State courts
State electoral systems
Local government
NSW
Vic
Qld
WA
SA
Tas
NT
Political parties
Foreign relations
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Foreign Minister Penny Wong
Diplomatic missions of / in Australia
Nationality law
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Visa policy
Australia and the United Nations
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The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of the Commonwealth of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive government consists of the prime minister and other ministers that currently have the support of a majority of members of the House of Representatives[2] (the lower house) and in some contexts also includes the departments and other executive bodies that ministers oversee.[3] The current executive government consists of Anthony Albanese and other Australian Labor Party ministers, in place since the 2022 federal election.[5]
The prime minister is the head of the government and is appointed to the role by the governor-general (the King's representative).[6] The governor-general normally appoints the parliamentary leader who has the support of a majority of members in the House of Representatives.[7][8] By convention, the prime minister is a member of the lower house.[9]
The prime minister and cabinet ministers form the cabinet, the key decision-making organ of the government that forms policy and decides the agenda of the government.[2] Members of the government can exercise both legislative power (through their control of the parliament) and executive power (as ministers on behalf of the governor-general and the King).[10] However, in accordance with responsible government, this also requires the actions of the government in its executive capacity to be subject to scrutiny from parliament.[11]
The government is based in the nation's capital, Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory. The head offices of all sixteen federal departments lie in Canberra, along with Parliament House and the High Court.[12][13] The government must act in accordance with law and the Australian Constitution.
^Chalmers, Jim (9 May 2023). "Budget Paper 1: Budget Strategy and Outlook" (PDF). Australian Government Budget 2023–24. p. 90. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
^ ab"Infosheet 19 - The House, government and opposition". Australian Parliament House. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
^"Government". Parliamentary Education Office. Australian Government. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 15 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
^"Which members of the government are considered a part of the Executive government and the Cabinet?". Parliamentary Education Office. Australian Government. 14 December 2023.
^Colloquially, all members of the parliamentary party that support the current government are described as members of the government, however only ministers formally belong to the executive government. [4]
^Cite error: The named reference :9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"About the House of Representatives". Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
^"The role of the Governor-General". The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023.
^"Prime Minister". Parliamentary Education Office. 31 October 2023. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
^"Ministers and shadow ministers". Parliamentary Education Office. 10 November 2023. Archived from the original on 12 December 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
^"Cabinet". Parliamentary Education Office. 10 November 2023. Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
^"Australian Capital Territory". Study Australia. Australian Trade and Investment Commission. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020.
^"Contact us". High Court of Australia. High Court of Australia. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
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Global Information
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