99-566: The Workplace Gender Equality Agency ( WGEA ) is an Australian Government statutory agency responsible for promoting and improving gender equality in Australian workplaces. The agency was created by the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 and provides employers with advice, practical tools, and education to help them improve gender equality. The Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 was enacted by an amendment to
198-540: A Contiki tour , and Eastern Europe and Scandinavia as a backpacker . Upon returning to Australia, he began dating Carmel Tebbutt , with whom he would holiday in Europe and South-East Asia, plus a backpacking trip to India in 1991. Sometime during his 20s, Albanese also took part in a tour of the United States by the U.S. State Department , with a thematic focus on the interaction of advocacy groups with
297-724: A Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting with fellow world leaders: US president Joe Biden , Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida . At the meeting, Albanese committed his new government to the goals of the Quad and confirmed that his government would seek to take stronger action in reducing carbon emissions. On 5 June, Albanese and Penny Wong visited Indonesian president Joko Widodo in Jakarta to develop Australia–Indonesia relations . Albanese said he would not "publicly intervene" to prevent WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from being extradited to
396-475: A federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy . The executive consists of the prime minister and other cabinet ministers that currently have the support of a majority of the members of the House of Representatives (the lower house) and also includes the departments and other executive bodies that ministers oversee. The current executive government consists of Anthony Albanese and other ministers of
495-416: A bid for Australia and its Pacific island neighbours to host the 2024 United Nations Climate Change conference . In late-2022, his government announced reforms to the "safeguard mechanism", an emissions trading scheme that requires Australia's largest carbon emitters to keep their emissions under a "baseline limit", either by reducing them, or by purchasing carbon credits . The mechanism was introduced by
594-424: A cabinet minister. The cabinet consists of the prime minister and senior ministers and makes most of the important policy decisions of the government. Members of the cabinet are selected by the prime minister and may be added or removed at any time, usually through a cabinet reshuffle . Cabinet meetings are strictly private and occur once a week where vital issues are discussed and policy formulated. The cabinet
693-512: A cause to which he was particularly dedicated. In 1998 he unsuccessfully moved a private member's bill that would have given same-sex couples the same rights to superannuation as de facto heterosexual couples. Over the next nine years, he tried three more times without success, until the election of the Rudd government in 2007 saw the legislation passed. Albanese subsequently turned his attention to campaigning for same-sex marriage. In 1998, Albanese
792-618: A cleaner but suffered from chronic rheumatoid arthritis , with the family surviving on her disability pension and his grandmother's age pension. Albanese attended St Joseph's Primary School in Camperdown and then St Mary's Cathedral College . After finishing school, he worked for the Commonwealth Bank for two years before studying economics at the University of Sydney . There, he became involved in student politics and
891-565: A number of times in Italy, and he took his family there as well. His father died in 2014. He subsequently discovered that he had two half-siblings. During the Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis of 2017, it was noted that, although birth to an Italian father would ordinarily confer citizenship by descent , Albanese had no father recorded on his birth certificate and thus meets the parliamentary eligibility requirements of section 44 of
990-591: A predominant influence over who was elected to Labor ministries, although the leaders of the party factions also exercised considerable influence. However, in 2007 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd , assumed the power to choose the ministry alone. Later, the caucus regained this power in 2013. According to reporting by the Sydney Morning Herald , ministerial positions are allocated by the Left and Right factions proportionally according to their representation in
1089-674: A visit to South-East Asia, which included: a meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok , Thailand; an Anzac Day dawn service at the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery with John Carrick ; and a tour of Cambodia alongside Bill Hayden 's daughter Ingrid. He then travelled extensively in 1988, visiting Zimbabwe , Zambia , Botswana , Western Europe on
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#17327719030001188-553: Is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the leader of the Labor Party (ALP) since 2019 and the member of parliament (MP) for the New South Wales division of Grayndler since 1996. Albanese previously served as the 15th deputy prime minister under the second Rudd government in 2013. He held various ministerial positions from 2007 to 2013 in
1287-538: Is designed to build 30,000 new social and affordable homes over the following five years in an effort to increase housing supply. In one of his first acts as prime minister on 27 May 2022, Albanese confirmed that his government would make a submission to the Fair Work Commission in support of an increase to the national minimum wage. On 2 June 2023, the Albanese government contributed to a decision by
1386-418: Is difficult to apply as many actions by executive agencies are wide-ranging, binding and conducted independently of Parliament. The executive can also be delegated legislative power through provisions allowing for statutory instruments and Henry VIII clauses . Ultimately whether power is executive or legislative is determined on a case-by-case basis, and involves the weighing up of various factors, rather than
1485-582: Is not a legal entity; it exists solely by convention. Its decisions do not in and of themselves have legal force. However, it serves as the practical expression of the Federal Executive Council , which is Australia's highest formal governmental body. In practice, the Federal Executive Council meets solely to endorse and give legal force to decisions already made by the cabinet. All members of the cabinet are members of
1584-620: Is publicly available and searchable at https://data.wgea.gov.au While the data has been anonymised for release for over 10 years, on 27 February 2024 the first report openly listing the gender pay gap of nearly 5000 Australian public sector employers and businesses was released. It revealed many of the companies and brands that are popular in Australia have substantial gender pay gaps. The following statistics were sourced from WGEA's 2017-18 dataset: https://www.wgea.gov.au/data/wgea-research/australias-gender-equality-scorecard Mary Wooldridge
1683-406: Is the first Italian-Australian prime minister in the country's history. Albanese secured confidence and supply from several crossbenchers in the event that he was unable to form majority government . However, on 30 May, it was projected that Labor had won at least 76 seats, enough to win a majority for the first time at the federal level since the 2007 election . Albanese's full ministry
1782-457: The 2022 NATO Madrid summit to discuss security threats facing the Pacific region. On 30 June, Albanese met with French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris to "reset" Australia–France relations , which had been damaged following the cancellation of a submarine deal by the preceding government. The next day, Albanese travelled to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , making him
1881-621: The African National Congress ". Albanese's mother died in 2002. After completing his economics degree in 1984, Albanese took on a role as a research officer to the then Minister for Local Government and Administrative Services , Tom Uren , who became a mentor to him. In 1989, the position of Assistant General Secretary of the New South Wales branch of the Labor Party became vacant when John Faulkner
1980-535: The Australian Capital Territory . At Albanese's first press conference as Prime Minister, the podium flags in the blue room at Parliament were changed to include Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander flags in addition to the Australian flag . Upon the opening of the new Parliament , both flags began to be displayed in the House of Representatives and Senate chambers. On 25 May 2022, in one of its first acts upon coming to government,
2079-640: The Australian Capital Territory . The head offices of all the federal departments are located in Canberra, along with Parliament House and the High Court . The name of the government in the Constitution of Australia is the "Government of the Commonwealth". This was the name used in many early federal government publications. However, in 1965 Robert Menzies indicated his preference for
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#17327719030002178-484: The Australian Labor Party (ALP), in office since the 2022 federal election . The prime minister is the head of the federal government and is a role which exists by constitutional convention, rather than by law. They are appointed to the role by the governor-general (the representative of the monarch of Australia ). The governor-general normally appoints the parliamentary leader who commands
2277-614: The Constitution to include an Indigenous Voice to Parliament , updating Australia's climate targets in an effort to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, and supporting an increase to the national minimum wage . His government legislated a national anti-corruption commission , made major changes to Australian labour law and established the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme . In foreign policy, Albanese pledged further logistical support to Ukraine to assist with
2376-919: The Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999, that changed its name to the Workplace Gender Equality Act and correspondingly changed the name of the Equality Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency is part of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet . Non-public sector employers with 100 or more staff are required to report to
2475-422: The House of Representatives , he spoke about the building of a third runway at Sydney Airport , aircraft noise and the need to build a second airport to service Sydney, as well as his support for funding public infrastructure in general, multiculturalism , native title , the social wage and childcare. He concluded by saying, "For myself, I will be satisfied if I can be remembered as someone who will stand up for
2574-685: The Russo-Ukrainian war , attempted to strengthen relations in the Pacific region, and held several high-level discussions with Chinese president Xi Jinping , overseeing an easing of tensions and trade restrictions put on Australia by China. He also oversaw the official commencement of the AUKUS security pact between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Albanese was born on 2 March 1963 at St Margaret's Hospital in
2673-680: The Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst . He is the son of Carlo Albanese and Maryanne Ellery. His mother was an Australian of Irish descent, while his Italian father was from Barletta in Apulia . His parents met in March 1962 on a voyage from Sydney to Southampton , England , on the Sitmar Line 's TSS Fairsky , where his father worked as a steward, but did not continue their relationship afterwards, going their separate ways. Growing up, Albanese
2772-528: The Turnbull government in 2016, but failed to reduce emissions as the rules were often left unenforced. In March 2023, the Albanese government received the necessary support to pass the legislation from the Greens , who negotiated a "hard cap" on emissions that cannot be offset by carbon credits. The bill was passed on 30 March 2023, marking the most significant piece of climate change legislation passed through
2871-481: The subsequent leadership tensions between Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard from 2010 to 2013, Albanese was publicly critical of the conduct of both, calling for party unity. After supporting Rudd in the final leadership ballot between the two in June 2013, Albanese was elected the deputy leader of the Labor Party and sworn in as deputy prime minister the following day, a position he held for less than three months, as Labor
2970-457: The Albanese government allowed the Murugappan family to stay in Australia after the previous Morrison government had attempted to deport them. In February 2023, the Albanese government abolished temporary protection visas , allowing up to 19,000 asylum seekers to stay in Australia permanently. On 8 November 2023, the High Court of Australia ruled that indefinite detention of immigrants
3069-562: The Albanese government announced an overhaul of Australia's immigration system, with plans to cut the immigration intake in half to 250,000 by June 2025. In August 2023, Albanese reached an agreement with National Cabinet to build 1.2 million houses over five years. On 13 September 2023, the government passed the Housing Australia Future Fund, a $ 10 billion investment fund controlled by the Future Fund that
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3168-544: The Australian parliament since the Clean Energy Act 2011 . In December 2023, the government legislated a "nature repair market" to create a biodiversity market to encourage private companies to invest in projects that protect biodiversity , and has committed to establishing a federal environmental protection agency. In his victory speech, Albanese expressed his support for the Uluru Statement from
3267-826: The Cabinet, he was able to argue for a doubling of the roads budget and a tenfold increase in rail investment. The establishment of Infrastructure Australia was regarded by many as a success; projects delivered through the Infrastructure Australia process included Melbourne's Regional Rail Link , the Hunter Expressway , the Ipswich Motorway , the Gold Coast light rail system G:link , the Redcliffe Peninsula railway line ,
3366-462: The Constitution . These were defined by High Court Justice Anthony Mason , as powers "peculiarly adapted to the government of a nation and which cannot otherwise be carried on for the benefit of the nation". They have been found to include the power to provide financial stimulus payments to households during a financial crisis and the power to prevent "unlawful non-citizens" from entering
3465-551: The Dismissal of 1975. In that case, the Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed the prime minister and government due to his conclusion that the government had failed to secure supply. The propriety of the use of the powers during that event remain highly contested. The Federal Executive Council is the body that formally advises the governor-general in the exercise of executive power. Decisions of
3564-680: The Executive Council. A senior member of the cabinet holds the office of vice-president of the Executive Council and acts as presiding officer of the Executive Council in the absence of the governor-general. The cabinet meets not only in Canberra but also in state capitals, most frequently Sydney and Melbourne. Kevin Rudd was in favour of the cabinet meeting in other places, such as major regional cities. There are Commonwealth Parliament Offices in each state capital, with those in Sydney located in 1 Bligh Street . Until 1956 all members of
3663-544: The Fair Work Commission with another letter encouraging a rise in the minimum wage in line with inflation. The government announced that a submission had been formally made to the commission on 3 June 2022 and that a "deliberate" policy of lower wages was not the policy of the new government. The Fair Work Commission subsequently announced on 15 June 2022 that the minimum wage would be raised by 5.2%. The government passed new workplace harassment laws through
3762-707: The Family Drug Treatment Court. Prior to being elected to Parliament, Wooldridge was the CEO of The Foundation for Young Australians and worked with McKinsey & Company and Consolidated Press Holdings . Australian Government [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Australian Government , also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the Federal government , is the national executive government of Australia,
3861-574: The Heart , and stated that his government would implement it in full within its first term. He pledged to hold a referendum to enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament to assist the government with Indigenous issues, and recognise Indigenous Australians in Australia's constitution . The referendum was held on 14 October 2023 and the change to the Constitution was rejected by the majority of Australian voters and passed in no state or territory, bar
3960-515: The King and the governor-general must follow the advice of the prime minister or other ministers in the exercise of his powers. Powers subject to the governor-general’s discretion are known as reserve powers. While certain reserve powers, such as the ability to choose the prime minister most likely to command the confidence of the lower house, are uncontroversial, others are subject to much greater debate. The most notable example of their use occurring in
4059-482: The Labor Party into the 2022 federal election . On the first day of campaigning, Albanese was unable to name either the official cash rate or unemployment rate, which drew criticism. On 20 April, Albanese faced prime minister Scott Morrison in a debate hosted by Sky News , with Albanese being deemed the winner through an audience vote. However, the next day, Albanese tested positive for COVID-19 , forcing him to isolate at home in Sydney. He returned to campaigning
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4158-631: The Liberal Party and business lobbies, the first part of the bill was passed by the Senate on 7 December 2023. The second tranche of legislation, which introduced minimum standards for gig workers and allowed workers the right to disconnect , was passed on 8 February 2024. In November 2022, Albanese's government fulfilled its election commitment to legislate the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), with
4257-518: The Opposition and conservative media outlets, and was viewed as a breach of a pre-election promise, as Albanese had repeatedly stated he would not alter the tax cuts if elected. Despite this, the changes proved popular with the public, and the overhauled tax cuts were passed by the Senate on 27 February 2024. Albanese took his first international trip on 23 May 2022 immediately after being sworn in as prime minister when he flew to Tokyo to attend
4356-661: The Parliament on 28 November 2022. The new laws are in line with Albanese's promise to implement the recommendations of the Respect@Work Report by creating a positive duty requiring employers to implement measures to prevent sexual harassment. On 2 December 2022, the government's Secure Jobs, Better Pay bill passed the Parliament. Under the new laws, unions can now negotiate multi-employer pay deals in an effort to secure wage increases across particular sectors such as child care and aged care. The law also aims to close
4455-490: The Parliament. The King is not involved with the day-to-day operations of the government, belonging (according to the Bagehot formulation) to the "dignified" rather than the "efficient" part of government. While the executive power of the Commonwealth is formally vested in the monarch, the Constitution requires those powers to be exercisable by a governor-general, appointed by the monarch as their representative (but since
4554-506: The U.S. Government. In 1990, Albanese bought a semi-detached two-bedroom house in the Inner West Sydney suburb of Marrickville . When Jeannette McHugh announced she would not seek re-election in her seat of Grayndler at the 1996 election , Albanese won preselection for the seat. The campaign was a difficult one, with aircraft noise a big political issue following the opening of the third runway at Sydney Airport , and
4653-426: The United States. Instead, he and his government engaged in what was dubbed "quiet diplomacy" with the United States, including raising the issue directly with president Biden. Assange was released from custody after striking a plea deal in June 2024. Barrister Greg Barns , who acted as a legal advisor to Assange, credited Albanese's government as "instrumental" to Assange's release. Later in June, Albanese attended
4752-467: The agency annually, between the first of April to the 31st of May, against six gender equality indicators: The WGEA uses the data to develop confidential and customized Competitor Analysis Benchmark Reports for employers, which enables them to compare their performance to their peers. The WGEA dataset covers 4 million employees, and provides a detailed insight into the state of gender equality in Australian workplaces at an industry and sector level. This data
4851-588: The allocation of their portfolios. When Labor first held office under Chris Watson , Watson assumed the right to choose members of his cabinet. In 1907, however, the party decided that future Labor cabinets would be elected by the members of the Parliamentary Labor Party, the Caucus , and the prime minister would retain the right to allocate portfolios. This practice was followed until 2007. Between 1907 and 2007, Labor prime ministers exercised
4950-488: The application of a strict test. As most executive power is granted by statute, the executive power of the government is similarly limited to those areas in which the Commonwealth is granted the power to legislate under the constitution (primarily under section 51 ). They also retain certain powers traditionally part of the royal prerogative , such as the power to declare war and enter into treaties. Finally, there exists certain "nationhood powers", implied from section 61 of
5049-444: The appointing of Sir Isaac Isaacs in 1931, always appointed according to the advice of federal ministers, rather than British ministers). Members of the government do not exercise executive power of their own accord but are instead appointed by the governor-general as ministers, formally as the "Queen's [or King's] Ministers of State". As such, while government ministers make most major decisions in cabinet, if those decisions require
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#17327719030005148-468: The ballot; however, the next day, he announced his withdrawal, citing his lack of support among the party membership. With no other candidate stepping forward, Albanese took the leadership unopposed on 30 May, with Richard Marles as his deputy. Aged 56 when he took office, he became the oldest first-time Opposition Leader in 59 years, since Arthur Calwell (aged 63) took office in 1960. Albanese unveiled his shadow ministry on 1 June 2019. Albanese led
5247-414: The body give legal effect to decisions already deliberated at cabinet. All current and formers ministers are members of the council, although only current ministers are summoned to meetings. The governor-general usually presides at council meetings, but in his or her absence another minister nominated as the vice-president of the Executive Council presides at the meeting of the council. Since 1 June 2022,
5346-599: The bottom layer includes public servants , police, government departments and independent statutory bodies who directly implement policy and laws. Executive power is also difficult to clearly define. In the British context, it was defined by John Locke as all government power not legislative or judicial in nature. The key distinction is that while legislative power involves setting down rules of general application, executive power involves applying those rules to specific situations. In practice, however, this definition
5445-479: The commission commencing on 1 July 2023. Following the revelation that former prime minister Scott Morrison had secretly sworn himself into several ministerial positions , Albanese and his government successfully moved a censure motion against him in November 2022. In the 2023 Australian federal budget , the Albanese government delivered a surplus of $ 22.1 billion (equivalent to 0.9% of Australia's GDP); this
5544-470: The confidence of a majority of the members of the House of Representatives. Also by convention, the prime minister is a member of the lower house. The prime minister and their sworn ministers form the cabinet , the key decision-making organ of the government that makes policy and decides the agenda of the government. Members of the government can exercise both legislative power (through their control of
5643-588: The constitution . Albanese grew up with his mother and maternal grandparents in a Sydney City Council home in the Inner West suburb of Camperdown , opposite the Camperdown Children's Hospital . His grandfather died in 1970, and the following year his mother married James Williamson. He was given his stepfather's surname, but the marriage lasted only 10 weeks, as Williamson proved to be an abusive alcoholic. Albanese's mother worked part-time as
5742-494: The country . Ministers drawn from the Australian parliament form the core of the Australian Government. A subset of these ministers form the cabinet, the de facto highest executive body of the government. Ministers not part of cabinet belong to the outer ministry. Additionally, there are also assistant ministers (formally parliamentary secretaries ), responsible for a specific policy area, reporting directly to
5841-446: The defeat of Labor at the 2013 election , Albanese announced his candidacy to be Leader of the Labor Party , standing against Bill Shorten . Shorten was announced as the winner after a month-long contest that was the first to involve a combined vote of MPs and rank-and-file members. Although Albanese won comfortably among party members, Shorten held a greater lead among MPs, and was subsequently elected. In October 2013, shortly after
5940-485: The election criticising the previous government for ignoring "long-term nation building in favour of short-term political spending". One of Albanese's first moves as Minister for Infrastructure and Transport was the establishment of an independent statutory body, Infrastructure Australia , to advise the Government on infrastructure priorities. Armed with advice from this independent body and his own persuasive skills in
6039-662: The extension of the Noarlunga Centre railway line to Seaford, South Australia and various projects along the Pacific Highway in NSW and Bruce Highway in Queensland. After Julia Gillard replaced Rudd as prime minister following the leadership spill in June 2010 she retained Albanese in his roles. Following the 2010 election , which resulted in a hung parliament , Albanese was a key player in negotiating
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#17327719030006138-508: The following week and, on 1 May, hosted Labor's campaign launch in Perth which was the first time any major party launched in Western Australia. At the launch, Labor unveiled policies to reduce the cost of medicine and childcare, increase manufacturing in Australia , and introduce a shared equity housing scheme to assist first-time home buyers. Albanese faced Morrison in two further debates, hosted by Channel Nine and Channel Seven , respectively. Opinion polling indicated that support for
6237-419: The formal endorsement of the governor-general in council, those decisions do not have legal force until approved by the Federal Executive Council , which is presided over by the governor-general. Similarly, laws passed by both houses of parliament require royal assent before being enacted, as the monarch is a constituent part of the Parliament. However, in all these cases, except for certain reserve powers,
6336-548: The gender pay gap by prohibiting pay secrecy employment clauses and secures the right of workers to seek flexible working arrangements. Throughout 2023, the Albanese government attempted to pass additional industrial relations reforms through Parliament, dubbed the Closing Loopholes bill, which aimed to ensure temporary workers employed through labour hire were paid the same wage as regular workers, criminalise wage theft and make companies responsible for industrial manslaughter , among other changes. Despite fierce opposition from
6435-415: The governments of Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard . Albanese was born in Sydney to an Italian father and an Irish-Australian mother, who raised him as a single parent . Albanese attended St Mary's Cathedral College and studied economics at the University of Sydney . As a student, he joined the Labor Party and later worked as a party official and research officer before entering Parliament. Albanese
6534-458: The interests of my electorate, for working-class people, for the labour movement, and for our progressive advancement as a nation into the next century." In his first year in Parliament he continued this theme, speaking in favour of the Northern Territory's euthanasia legislation , the rights of the Indigenous community in the Hindmarsh Island bridge controversy , and entitlement to superannuation for same-sex couples. This last issue became
6633-426: The leadership election, Shorten appointed Albanese Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Shadow Minister for Tourism; he held these roles throughout Shorten's time as leader. In September 2014, Albanese was given the additional role of Shadow Minister for Cities. Following Labor's narrow loss in the 2016 federal election , it was reported by Sky News that Albanese was preparing to challenge Shorten for
6732-425: The leadership of the party. However, Albanese ruled out such a challenge, and Shorten was re-elected unopposed as Labor leader. Bill Shorten announced his resignation as Leader of the Labor Party on 18 May 2019, following Labor's unexpected defeat in the 2019 election . The day after, Albanese announced his candidacy in the subsequent leadership election . On 21 May, Chris Bowen announced he would also contest
6831-444: The leadership spill, he stated "I like fighting Tories. That's what I do." In June 2013, Rudd defeated Gillard in a final leadership election . That same ballot saw Albanese elected by the caucus as Deputy Leader of the Labor Party , and the following day Albanese was sworn in as deputy prime minister . He held this role until Labor's defeat at the 2013 election , and was replaced by Warren Truss on 18 September. Following
6930-420: The leadership. Shortly before the ballot, Albanese came out in support of Rudd, stating that he had always been unhappy with the manner of Rudd's removal. He tearfully explained how he had offered his resignation as Leader of the House to the prime minister, but that she had refused to accept it, and called on Labor to cease leadership divisions and unify. In response to a question on his personal feelings around
7029-405: The ministry differs depending on their party. When the Liberal Party and its predecessors (the Nationalist Party and the United Australia Party ) have been in coalition with the National Party or its predecessor the Country Party , the leader of the junior Coalition party has had the right to nominate their party's members of the Coalition ministry, and to be consulted by the prime minister on
7128-464: The ministry were members of the cabinet. The growth of the ministry in the 1940s and 1950s made this increasingly impractical, and in 1956 Robert Menzies created a two-tier ministry, with only senior ministers holding cabinet rank, also known within parliament as the front bench . This practice has been continued by all governments except the Whitlam government . The prime minister's power to select
7227-399: The name "Australian Government" in order to prevent confusion with the new Commonwealth of Nations . The Whitlam government legislated the use of "Government of Australia" in 1973 in line with its policy of promoting national goals and aspirations. However, academic Anne Twomey argues that the government was also motivated by a desire to blur the differences between the Commonwealth and
7326-421: The newly established No Aircraft Noise party (NAN) having polled strongly in the local area at the 1995 New South Wales election . Veteran political pundit Malcolm Mackerras predicted NAN would win the seat. However, NAN's candidate finished third, with less than 14% of the vote. Despite suffering a six-point swing against Labor, Albanese was elected with a comfortable 16-point margin. In his maiden speech to
7425-405: The only person nominated in the leadership election to replace him ; he was subsequently elected unopposed as leader of the Labor Party, becoming Leader of the Opposition . In the 2022 election , Albanese led his party to victory against Scott Morrison 's Liberal-National Coalition . He was sworn in on 23 May 2022. Albanese's first acts as prime minister included proposing a change to
7524-404: The other two branches of government, however, membership of the executive is not clearly defined. One definition describes the executive as a pyramid, consisting of three layers. At the top stands the king, as the symbolic apex and formal repository of executive power. Below him lies a second layer made up of the prime minister, cabinet and other ministers who in practice lead the executive. Finally,
7623-418: The parliament) and executive power (as ministers on behalf of the governor-general and the monarch). However, in accordance with responsible government , and to ensure accountability, actions of the government in its executive capacity are subject to scrutiny from parliament. The Australian Government is headquartered in the executive wing of Parliament House , located in the nation's capital, Canberra , in
7722-419: The party with the most seats in Parliament. Although it was not certain on election day that Labor would win a majority of seats, it soon became apparent that no other party could realistically form a government. Accordingly, two days after the election, Albanese, deputy Labor leader Richard Marles , Jim Chalmers , Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher were sworn in as an interim five-person ministry. Albanese
7821-662: The protesters outside as "the convoy of no consequence". This caused outrage among supporters of the protest and a week later a public rally in support of the truckies was held outside Albanese's electorate office in Marrickville , New South Wales . Following a series of poor polls, leadership instability descended again on the Labor government. Former prime minister Kevin Rudd resigned as Minister for Foreign Affairs in February 2012 to unsuccessfully challenge Julia Gillard for
7920-512: The states in an attempt to increase federal power. The Parliament of Australia website also notes that the name "Australian Government" is preferable in order to avoid confusion with the Commonwealth of Nations and the US federal government by those not familiar with Australia's system of government. This terminology remains preferred by the government. However, the terms Commonwealth Government and federal government are also common. In some contexts,
8019-468: The support of independent members Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott through his role of Leader of the House. Albanese was also responsible for managing legislation through the House in the first hung parliament since the 1940s. In 2011, Albanese introduced two more major policy reforms. The first on urban planning drew on the work of Danish designer Jan Gehl and set out plans for urban design with better transport links and safety. The second, on shipping,
8118-459: The term "government" refers to all public agencies that exercise the power of the State , whether legislative, executive or judicial. The government's primary role, in its executive capacity, is to implement the laws passed by the parliament. However, laws are frequently drafted according to the interests of the executive branch as the government often also controls the legislative branch. Unlike
8217-497: The two major parties had reached record lows, due to high levels of support for minor parties and independent candidates. At the election on 21 May 2022, Labor was victorious over the incumbent Liberal-National Coalition , with Albanese becoming the 31st prime minister of Australia. Despite a decrease in the party's primary vote, Labor received a 3.66 percent two-party preferred swing towards it. The Coalition also lost several seats to " teal independents ", allowing Labor to become
8316-748: The vice-president has been senator Katy Gallagher . As of 17 August 2024 , there are 16 departments of the Australian Government. Additionally, there are four departments which support the Parliament of Australia : The following corporations are prescribed by Acts of Parliament: As of March 2024 , the following Corporate Commonwealth entities are prescribed as Government Business Enterprises (GBEs): The following Commonwealth companies are prescribed as GBEs: Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( / ˌ æ l b ə ˈ n iː z i / AL -bə- NEE -zee or / ˈ æ l b ə n iː z / AL -bə-neez ; born 2 March 1963)
8415-477: Was Australia's first budget surplus in 15 years, and the largest ever Australian budget surplus. In the 2024 budget , the government posted a second consecutive surplus of $ 9.3 billion. In January 2024, the Albanese government made changes to the previously legislated stage three tax cuts , which would see individuals earning less than A$ 150,000 receive a larger tax cut than under the original plan. These changes were met with some criticism, particularly by
8514-641: Was announced as the new director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency in April 2021. Before joining the Agency, Wooldridge served from 2006 to 2020 in the Victorian Parliament, including a term as Minister for Mental Health, Community Services, and Women’s Affairs. As minister, Wooldridge worked to implement the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 and
8613-489: Was appointed Shadow Minister for Water and Infrastructure. Following Labor's victory at the 2007 election , Albanese's rise in standing within the party was evidenced by his appointment as Minister for Infrastructure and Transport , Minister for Regional Development and Local Government and Leader of the House in the Rudd ministry . Rudd was sworn in alongside his colleagues on 3 December 2007. The Labor Party had gone to
8712-430: Was appointed a parliamentary secretary, a position which assists ministers and shadow ministers and is often a stepping stone to a full ministerial position. In 2001, Albanese was promoted to the opposition Shadow Cabinet , taking the portfolio of ageing and seniors. A 2002 reshuffle saw him become Shadow Minister for Employment Services and Training, and in 2004 he became Shadow Minister for Environment and Heritage. It
8811-513: Was defeated at the 2013 election . Rudd retired from politics, so Albanese stood against Bill Shorten in the October 2013 Australian Labor Party leadership election . Although Albanese won a large majority of the membership, Shorten won more heavily among Labor MPs and became leader. Shorten subsequently appointed Albanese to his Shadow Cabinet. After Labor's surprise defeat in the 2019 election , Shorten resigned as leader, with Albanese becoming
8910-472: Was during this latter role that then prime minister John Howard and science minister Brendan Nelson started raising the idea of nuclear power for Australia . Albanese campaigned strongly against them, as well as elements within his own party, arguing that "Nuclear energy doesn't add up economically, environmentally or socially, and after more than 50 years of debate, we still do not have an answer to nuclear proliferation or nuclear waste." In 2005, Albanese
9009-517: Was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1996 election , winning the seat of Grayndler in New South Wales . He was first appointed to the shadow cabinet in 2001 by Simon Crean and went on to serve in a number of roles, eventually becoming Manager of Opposition Business in 2006. After Labor's victory in the 2007 election , Albanese was appointed Leader of the House , and was also made Minister for Regional Development and Local Government and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport . In
9108-660: Was elected to the Senate . The election to replace him was closely disputed between the Labor Left's Hard Left and Soft Left groupings, with Albanese being elected with the backing of the Hard Left, taking on that role for the next six years. In 1995, he left the position to work as a senior adviser to New South Wales Premier Bob Carr . Albanese's first overseas trip was in 1986, accompanying his friend Jeremy Fisher to Vanuatu . In 1987, Albanese joined his boss Tom Uren on
9207-636: Was elected to the Students' Representative Council . It was also there where he started his rise as a key player in the ALP's Labor Left . During his time in student politics, Albanese led a group within Young Labor that was aligned with the left faction's Hard Left, which maintained "links with broader left-wing groups, such as the Communist Party of Australia , People for Nuclear Disarmament and
9306-399: Was given the additional role of Shadow Minister for Water alongside his existing responsibilities, and was also appointed Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House. In December 2006, when Kevin Rudd first became Leader of the Labor Party, Albanese took over from Julia Gillard as Manager of Opposition Business in the House , a senior tactical role on the floor of the parliament, and
9405-423: Was illegal, leading to the release of 148 people, some of whom had committed serious crimes. In response, the government enacted emergency legislation to put those released under strict visa conditions − including mandating the use of ankle monitoring and a mandatory curfew – and establish a preventive detention scheme to re-detain people who were found to pose a high risk to the community. On 11 December 2023,
9504-766: Was instrumental in establishing Our Watch , the national family violence prevention agency. She was the Minister responsible for signing Victoria up to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). She established the Victorian Commission for Children and Young People, including the nation’s first Aboriginal Commissioner, Parkville College – an award-winning Public School in Youth Justice Centres, and Australia’s first Mental Health Complaints Commissioner and
9603-408: Was notable for gaining the approval of both the conservative Australian Shipowners Associations and the radical Maritime Union of Australia . However, he also attracted controversy when a convoy of trucks from North Queensland dubbed the "convoy of no confidence" descended on Canberra's Parliament House to protest against rising fuel costs and carbon pricing . During question time, Albanese labelled
9702-505: Was sworn in on 1 June. On 16 June 2022, Albanese submitted a new Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations which formally committed Australia to reducing carbon emissions by 43% on 2005 levels. This represented an increase from the 26 to 28% target under the previous government. In September 2022, the Albanese government passed legislation to write this climate target into law. Albanese's government also entered
9801-607: Was told that his father had died in a car accident; he did not meet his father, who was in fact still alive, until 2009, tracking him down initially with the assistance of John Faulkner , Carnival Australia's CEO Ann Sherry (the parent company of P&O , which acquired the Sitmar Line in 1988) and maritime historian Rob Henderson, and then later the Australian Embassy in Italy and ambassador Amanda Vanstone . He made contact with his father in 2009, visiting him
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