Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Australia)

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate of Australian Senate
Simon_Birmingham
since 23 May 2022
StyleThe Honourable Senator
Member ofShadow Cabinet
Opposition
AppointerOpposition Party Caucus
Constituting instrumentConstitution of Australia

The Leader of the Opposition in the Senate is a party office held by the Opposition's most senior member of the Shadow Cabinet in the Australian Senate, elected to lead the opposition party (or parties) in the body.[1] Though the leader in the Senate does not have the power of the office of Leader of the Opposition (i.e. the leader in the House of Representatives and overall party leader), there are some parallels between the latter's status in the lower house and the former's in the Senate.[1] In addition to his or her own shadow ministerial portfolio, the leader has overarching responsibility for all policy areas and acts as the opposition's principal spokesperson in the upper house. The leader is entitled to sit at the table of the Senate,[1] and has priority in gaining recognition from the President of the Senate to speak in debate. Another similarity is that the leader typically announces changes to opposition officeholders in the Senate, including shadow ministers, party leadership and whips.[2] The leader also has some responsibility for appointing opposition senators to committees, a role filled by the Manager of Opposition Business and whips in the lower house. The current leader is Simon Birmingham. He is assisted by a Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, currently Michaelia Cash.

  1. ^ a b c "Leadership in Parliament". Fact Sheets. Parliamentary Education Office. Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  2. ^ "6. Senators: Parties and party leaders". Odger's Australian Senate Practice (13th ed.). Retrieved 23 August 2013.