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Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Honourable The Lodge, Canberra Kirribilli House, Sydney Quentin Bryce as GovernorGeneral of Australia At Her Majesty's pleasure Sir Edmund Barton 1 January 1901 www.pm.gov.au
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and head of government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most
powerful political office in Australia. Despite being at the apex of executive government in the country, the office is not mentioned in the Constitution of Australia specifically and exists through an unwritten political convention. Barring exceptional circumstances, the prime minister is always the leader of the political party or coalition with majority support in the House of Representatives. The only case where a senator was appointed prime minister was that of John Gorton, who subsequently resigned his Senate position and was elected as a member of the House of Representatives (Senator George Pearce was acting prime minister for seven months in 1916 while Billy Hughes was overseas).[1] Julia Gillard is the current prime minister, leader of the Australian Labor Party, and the first female Prime Minister of Australia.
Contents
[hide]
1 Appointment 2 Powers 3 Salary and benefits o 3.1 Salary o 3.2 Allowances 4 List of prime ministers 5 Graphical timeline 6 Living former prime ministers 7 Backgrounds o 7.1 Birthplace o 7.2 Education o 7.3 Occupation o 7.4 Personal circumstances 8 Religious Beliefs 9 Convictions 10 Births and deaths 11 Ages o 11.1 Time in office 12 Post-office longevity 13 See also 14 Notes 15 References 16 External links
[edit] Appointment
Australia
The Prime Minister of Australia is appointed by the Governor-General of Australia under Section 64 of the Australian Constitution. This empowers the governor-general to appoint Ministers of the Crown and requires such ministers to be members of the House of Representatives or the Senate, or become members within three months of the appointment. Before being sworn in as a minister, a person must first be sworn in as a member of the Federal Executive Council if they are not already a member. Membership of the Federal Executive Council entitles the member to the style of The Honourable (usually abbreviated to The Hon) for life, barring exceptional circumstances. The senior members of the executive council constitute the Cabinet of Australia. The prime minister is, like other ministers, normally sworn in by the governor-general and then presented with the commission (Letters patent) of office. When defeated in an election, or on resigning, the prime minister is said to "hand in the commission" and actually does so by returning it to the governor-general. In the event of a prime minister dying in office, or becoming incapacitated, the governor-general can terminate the commission. Ministers hold office "during the pleasure of the governor-general" (s. 64 of the Constitution of Australia), so theoretically, the governor-general can dismiss a minister at any time, by notifying them in writing of the termination of their commission; however, his or her power to do so except on the advice of the prime minister is heavily circumscribed by convention.
Despite the importance of the office of prime minister, the constitution does not mention the office by name. The conventions of the Westminster system were thought to be sufficiently entrenched in Australia by the authors of the constitution that it was deemed unnecessary to detail them. The formal title of the portfolio has always been simply "Prime Minister", except for the period of the Fourth Deakin Ministry (June 1909 to April 1910), when it was known as "Prime Minister (without portfolio)".[2] If a government cannot get its appropriation (budget) legislation passed by the House of Representatives, or the house passes a vote of "no confidence" in the government, the prime minister is bound by convention to resign immediately. The governor-general's choice of replacement prime minister will be dictated by the circumstances. Following a resignation in other circumstances, or the death of a prime minister, the governor-general will generally appoint as prime minister the person voted by the governing party as their new leader. There have been four notable exceptions to this:
When then prime minister Joseph Lyons, leader of the United Australia Party (UAP), died suddenly in April 1939, the governor-general, Lord Gowrie, called on Sir Earle Page to become caretaker prime minister. Page was the leader of the smaller party in the governing coalition, the Country Party. He held the office for three weeks until the UAP elected a new leader, Robert Menzies. In August 1941, Menzies resigned as prime minister. The UAP was so bereft of leadership at this time that the Country Party leader Arthur Fadden was invited to become prime minister, although the Country Party was the smaller of the two coalition parties. The government depended on support from two independents, who two months later voted against Fadden's budget and brought the government down, paving the way for John Curtin to be appointed as Labor prime minister. In July 1945, John Curtin died suddenly. His deputy, Frank Forde, was sworn in the next day as prime minister, although the Labor Party had not had an opportunity to meet and elect a new leader. Forde served for eight days until Ben Chifley was elected leader. Chifley was then sworn in, replacing Forde who became Australia's shortestserving prime minister. In 1967 then prime minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming on 17 December and was declared presumed dead on 19 December. The governor-general, Lord Casey, commissioned the Leader of the Country Party, John McEwen, to form a government until the Liberal Party elected a new leader. McEwen was prime minister for 23 days, until the election of (then Senator) John Gorton.
There were only five other cases where someone other than the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives was prime minister:
Federation occurred on 1 January 1901, but elections for the first parliament were not scheduled until late March. In the interim, a caretaker non-elected government was necessary. In what is now known as the Hopetoun Blunder, the governor-general, Lord Hopetoun, invited Sir William Lyne, the premier of the most populous state, New South Wales, to form a government. Lyne was unable to do so and returned his commission in favour of Edmund Barton who became the first prime minister and led the inaugural government into and beyond the election. During the second parliament, three parties (Free Trade, Protectionist and Labor) had roughly equal representation in the House of Representatives. The leaders of the three
parties, Alfred Deakin, George Reid and Chris Watson each served as prime minister before losing a vote of confidence. During the 1975 constitutional crisis, on 11 November 1975, the governor-general, Sir John Kerr, dismissed the Labor Party's Gough Whitlam as prime minister. Despite Labor holding a majority in the House of Representatives, Kerr appointed the Leader of the Opposition, Liberal leader Malcolm Fraser as caretaker prime minister, conditional on the passage of the Whitlam government's Supply bills through the Senate and the calling of an election for both houses of parliament. Fraser accepted these terms and immediately advised a double dissolution. An election was called for 13 December, which the Liberal Party won in its own right (although the Liberals governed in a coalition with the Country Party).
[edit] Powers
The first Prime Minister of Australia, Edmund Barton (sitting second from left), with his Cabinet, 1901. Most of the prime minister's powers derive from his or her position as the head of the cabinet. In practice, the Federal Executive Council will act to ratify all decisions made by the cabinet and, in practice, decisions of the cabinet will always require the support of the prime minister. The powers of the governor-general to grant Royal Assent to legislation, to dissolve and prorogue parliament, to call elections and to make appointments are exercised on the advice of the prime minister. The power of the prime minister is subject to a number of limitations. If the prime minister is removed as leader of his or her party, or if the government they lead loses a vote of noconfidence in the House of Representatives, they must resign the office or be dismissed by the governor-general. The prime minister's party will normally have a majority in the House of Representatives and party discipline is exceptionally strong in Australian politics, so the passage of governmentproposed legislation through the House of Representatives is mostly a formality. Attaining the support of the senate can be more difficult as government usually lacks an absolute majority because the senate's representation is based on overall proportion of votes and often includes minor parties.
[edit] Salary
The prime minister is the highest-paid member of parliament.
Ministerial salary is expressed as an additional percentage on top of the basic parliamentary salary. The Remuneration Tribunal's Report Number 1 of 2006[4] confirms the prime minister's additional salary as 160% of her or his parliamentary salary, i.e. the prime minister earns in total 260% of the salary of an ordinary parliamentarian. The prime minister's salary is about five times that of the average full-time adult salary of $67,116, as of February 2010.[5]
Date established Salary 2 June 1999 $289,270 6 September 2006 $309,270 1 July 2007 $330,300 1 August 2010 $354,671[3] 1 December 2011 $440,000
[edit] Allowances
Prime Ministers Curtin, Fadden, Hughes, Menzies and Governor-General The Duke of Gloucester in 1945. The Royal Australian Air Force's No. 34 Squadron transports the prime minister within Australia and overseas by specially converted Boeing Business Jets and smaller Challenger aircraft. The aircraft contain secure communications equipment as well as office, conference room and sleeping compartments. The call-sign for the aircraft is "Envoy". The prime minister's official residence is The Lodge in Canberra, but not all prime ministers have chosen to make use of it. Jim Scullin preferred to live at the Hotel Canberra (now the Hyatt Hotel); Ben Chifley lived in the Kurrajong Hotel; and John Howard made Kirribilli House in Sydney his primary residence, using The Lodge when in Canberra on official business. On her appointment on 24 June 2010, the current prime minister Julia Gillard said she would not be living in The Lodge until such time as she is returned to office by popular vote at the next general election. (She became prime minister mid-term after replacing the incumbent, Kevin Rudd, who resigned in the face of an unwinnable party-room ballot.) The official residences are fully staffed and catered for both the prime minister and his or her family. A considerable amount of official entertaining is conducted at these residences. Kevin Rudd had a staff at The Lodge consisting of a senior chef and an assistant chef, a child carer, one senior house attendant, and two junior house attendants. At Kirribilli House in Sydney, there is one full-time chef and one full-time house attendant.[6]
Prime ministers are usually granted certain privileges after leaving office, such as office accommodation, staff assistance, and a Life Gold Pass, which entitles the holder to travel within Australia for "non-commercial" purposes at government expense. Only one prime minister who had left the parliament ever returned. Stanley Bruce was defeated in his own seat in 1929 while prime minister, but was re-elected to parliament in 1931. Former prime ministers continue to be important national figures, and in some cases go on to successful post-prime ministerial careers. Some notable examples have included: Edmund Barton, who was a justice of the High Court; George Reid, Andrew Fisher, Joseph Cook and Stanley Bruce, who were High Commissioners to the United Kingdom; Arthur Fadden, who was treasurer under another prime minister, Robert Menzies and Kevin Rudd who became Julia Gillard's Foreign Minister after the 2010 Federal Election.
Name
Took office
Left office
Party
4 George
24 1 January Septembe 1901 r 1903 24 27 April Septembe 1904 r 1903 18 27 April August 1904 1904 18 5 July
Protectionist
Protectionist
State Term Represente In d Office in Parliament 2 years, New South 267 Wales days 0 years, 217 Victoria days 0 years, New South 114 Wales days 0 years, New South
(2)
(2) (5) 6
(5)
9 10 11 12
13
14
State Term Represente Left Name Party In d office Office in Parliament Reid 1905 322 Wales days 13 3 years, Alfred 5 July Novembe Protectionist 132 Victoria Deakin 1905 r 1908 days 13 0 years, Andrew 2 June Novembe Labor 202 Queensland Fisher 1909 r 1908 days 0 years, Alfred 2 June 29 April Commonwealth 332 Victoria Deakin 1909 1910 Liberal days Andrew 29 April 24 June 3 years, Labor Queensland Fisher 1910 1913 57 days 17 Joseph 24 June Commonwealth 1 year, New South GCMG Septembe Cook 1913 Liberal 86 days Wales r 1914 17 27 Andrew 1 year, Septembe October Labor Queensland Fisher 41 days r 1914 1915 27 9 7 years, New South Billy Labor/Nationali KC CH KC October February 106 Wales, Hughes st 1915 1923 days Victoria 9 22 6 years, Stanley CH MC February October Nationalist 256 Victoria Bruce 1923 1929 days 22 James 6 January 2 years, October Labor Victoria Scullin 1932 77 days 1929 Joseph 6 January 7 April United 7 years, CH Tasmania Lyons 1932 1939 Australia 92 days GCMG Sir Earle 7 April 26 April 0 years, New South GCMG CH Country Page 1939 1939 20 days Wales 28 2 years, Robert 26 April United KC August 122 Victoria Menzies 1939 Australia 1941 days 28 Arthur 7 October 0 years, GCMG August Country Queensland Fadden 1941 40 days 1941 3 years, John 7 October 5 July Western Labor 272 Curtin 1941 1945 Australia days
Full Postlater nominal Took posts office nominal as PM s GCMG August KC 1904
Name
Left office
Party
13 July 1945 19 Ben 13 July 16 Decembe Chifley 1945 r 1949 Sir 19 26 (12 KT CH KT AK Robert Decembe January CH QC ) QC Menzies r 1949 1966 26 19 Harold 17 CH January Decembe Holt 1966 r 1967[7] 19 10 John GCMG 18 Decembe January McEwen CH r 1967 1968 10 John GCMG 10 March 19 January Gorton AC CH 1971 1968 William 5 GCMG 10 March Decembe 20 McMaho CH CH 1971 n r 1972 5 11 Gough 21 QC AC QC Decembe Novembe Whitlam r 1972 r 1975 11 Malcolm AC CH 11 March 22 CH Novembe Fraser GCL 1983 r 1975 20 Bob 11 March 23 AC AC GCL Decembe Hawke 1983 r 1991 20 Paul 11 March 24 Decembe Keating 1996 r 1991 15 25 John SSI Howard Kevin Rudd Julia Gillard
Frank Forde
Labor Labor
Liberal
Liberal
State Term Represente In d Office in Parliament 0 years, Queensland 8 days 4 years, New South 160 Wales days 16 years, Victoria 39 days 1 year, 328 Victoria days 0 years, Victoria 23 days 3 years, Victoria 60 days 1 year, 271 days 2 years, 342 days 7 years, 121 days 8 years, 285 days New South Wales New South Wales Victoria
Country
Liberal
Liberal
Labor
Liberal
Labor
Victoria
Labor
4 years, New South 83 days Wales 11 years, 268 days 2 years, 204 days 1 year, 242 day s New South Wales
3 OM AC 11 March Decembe Liberal SSI 1996 r 2007 3 24 June Decembe 2010 r 2007 24 June 2010 Labor
26
Queensland
27
Incumbe Labor nt
Victoria
Between 7 October 1941 (when John Curtin succeeded Arthur Fadden) and 18 November 1941 (when Chris Watson died), the eight living former prime ministers were Bruce, Cook, Fadden, Hughes, Menzies, Page, Scullin and Watson Between 13 July 1945 (when Ben Chifley succeeded Frank Forde) and 30 July 1947 (when Sir Joseph Cook died), the eight living former prime ministers were Bruce, Cook, Fadden, Forde, Hughes, Menzies, Page and Scullin.
Seven former prime ministers were alive between 18 November 1941 and 13 July 1945, and between 30 July 1947 and 13 June 1951. Gough Whitlam has achieved a greater age than any other prime minister. The most recently deceased prime minister was John Gorton (19681971), who died on 19 May 2002.
[edit] Backgrounds
[edit] Birthplace
Ten of Australia's prime ministers were born in Victoria, seven in New South Wales, three in Queensland and one each in South Australia and Tasmania. Six were born overseas: five in the United Kingdom (Hughes and Cook in England, Fisher and Reid in Scotland, Gillard in Wales) and Watson in Chile.
[edit] Education
Melbourne Grammar School produced the most number of future prime ministers (Deakin, Bruce and Fraser). Other secondary schools where more than one future prime minister studied include Geelong Grammar School (Gorton, Fraser), Sydney Grammar School (Barton, McMahon) and Wesley College, Melbourne (Menzies, Holt). Five future prime ministers graduated from University of Sydney (Barton, Page, McMahon, Whitlam, Howard). Four studied at the University of Melbourne (Deakin, Menzies, Holt, Gillard) and three at Oxford University (Gorton, Fraser, Hawke). Rudd studied at the Australian National University. Eight prime ministers did not complete any form of higher education.
[edit] Occupation
Eleven prime ministers practised law before entering into politics (in addition Hawke acquired a law degree, but never practised law). Seven prime ministers (all Australian Labor Party) had served as trade union officials. Other occupations that prime ministers had performed include journalism (Watson, Scullin, Curtin), teaching (Lyons and Forde), diplomacy (Forde and Rudd), mining (Fisher, Cook), medicine (Page), engine driving (Chifley) and accountancy (Fadden). Three prime ministers served in the First World War (Bruce, Page and McEwen; of whom only Bruce was involved in actual combat). Four served in the Second World War (Holt, Gorton, McMahon, and Whitlam; of whom Gorton and Whitlam served as air crew in the Royal Australian Air Force).
Prior to participating in federal politics, prime ministers had been elected to the state Parliaments of New South Wales (Barton, Watson, Reid, Cook, Hughes), Queensland (Fisher, Fadden, Forde), Victoria (Deakin, Menzies) and Tasmania (Lyons). In addition Page had been the Mayor of Grafton.
[edit] Convictions
John Curtin is the only prime minister to serve time in gaol (three days for failing to comply with an order for a compulsory medical examination for conscription, during World War I).[8]
The only prime ministers born during either of the world wars are Gough Whitlam, born 11 July 1916, during the First World War, and Paul Keating, born 18 January 1944, during the Second World War. Seven prime ministers were born in the month of September, two more than the next most popular month, August. The seven were: John Gorton (9 September), Joseph Lyons (15th), James Scullin (18th), Kevin Rudd (21st), Ben Chifley (22nd), Billy Hughes (25th) and Julia Gillard (29th). None were born in June, October or November. Two prime ministers share the same birthday: Sir Edmund Barton and Paul Keating, born on 18 January in 1849 and 1944 respectively.[9] Two other prime ministers share the same death day: James Scullin and Frank Forde, died on 28 January in 1953 and 1983 respectively. Three Prime Ministers died outside of Australia: Reid, Fisher and Bruce died in the United Kingdom. Reid and Fisher are buried there.
[edit] Ages
The three youngest people when they first became prime minister were:
The three oldest people when they first became prime minister were:
John McEwen 67 William McMahon 63 Ben Chifley 59 years 10 months (George Reid was 59 years 6 months).
The three youngest people to last leave the office of prime minister were:
Chris Watson 37 Arthur Fadden 46 years 5 months 22 days Stanley Bruce 46 years 6 months 7 days
The three oldest people to last leave the office of prime minister were:
The shortest-serving Prime Minister was Frank Forde, who spent a total of 8 days under the Labor Party from 613 July 1945
Prime Minister List of Prime Ministers of Australia Prime Ministers Avenue in Horse Chestnut Avenue in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens contains a collection of bronze busts of all former Australian Prime Ministers. Deputy Prime Minister of Australia List of Australian Leaders of the Opposition Historical ranking of Australian Prime Ministers Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia
7. ^ Harold Holt has now been formally declared to have drowned on 17 December (his body was never recovered), but his commission as prime minister was not officially withdrawn until 19 December as it was not until then that he was declared "presumed dead". 8. ^ "Curtin, John (1885 - 1945)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. 2006. Retrieved 24 June 2010. 9. ^ "Do Prime Ministers share the same birthday cake?". The Age (Melbourne). 200909-14. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
Official website of the Prime Minister of Australia Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Australia's Prime Ministers National Archives of Australia reference site and research portal Biographies of Australia's Prime Ministers / National Museum of Australia Classroom resources on Australian Prime Ministers[dead link] [show]
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