Leader of the Opposition (Australia)

In Australian federal politics, the leader of the Opposition is an elected member of parliament (MP) in the Australian House of Representatives who leads the Opposition. The leader of the Opposition, by convention, is the leader of the largest political party in the House of Representatives that is not in Government.

When in Parliament, the opposition leader sits on the left-hand side of the centre table, in front of the opposition and opposite of the prime minister. The opposition leader is elected by their party according to its rules. A new leader of the opposition may be elected when the incumbent dies, resigns, or is challenged for the leadership.

Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system and is based on the Westminster model. The term "opposition" has a specific meaning in the parliamentary sense. It is an important component of the Westminster system, with the opposition directing criticism at the government and attempts to defeat and replace the Government. The opposition is therefore known as the "government in waiting" and it is a formal part of the parliamentary system. It is in opposition to the government, but not to the Crown; hence the term "His Majesty's Loyal Opposition".

To date there have been 37 opposition leaders, 19 of whom also have served terms as prime minister. Since 13 February 2026, the leader of the Opposition role has been held by Angus Taylor.

Role The opposition leader is the opposition's counterpart to the prime minister. The opposition leader is expected to be ready to form a new government if the incumbent government is unable to continue in office. This typically occurs when the opposition wins a federal election, after which the opposition leader is appointed prime minister. However, the opposition leader may also be called upon to form government if the incumbent government loses the confidence of the House (most recently in 1941) or if they are otherwise removed by the governor-general (most recently in 1975).

The opposition leader is the head of the shadow ministry, allocating portfolios and, in the case of the Coalition, determining its membership. The opposition leader is assisted by a deputy leader of the opposition, who is also recognised in the standing orders and entitled to an additional salary. Both the opposition leader and deputy opposition leader are entitled to a degree of special preference from the Speaker of the House.

The position of opposition leader has no constitutional basis but exists as a matter of convention in the Westminster system. A 1960 inquiry into parliamentary salaries and allowances observed:

Whereas according to the Coalition agreement the Leader of the National Party serves as Deputy Prime Minister when the Coalition is in government, no such agreement exists when the Coalition is in Opposition, and no National Party politician has ever served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

History

George Reid became the de facto leader of the opposition in the lead-up to the inaugural 1901 federal election, following the appointment of Edmund Barton to lead a caretaker government as Australia's first prime minister. His status was confirmed when the House of Representatives met for the first time after the election. The opposition leader was initially not entitled to any salary or entitlements beyond those of an ordinary member of parliament. As a result, Reid had to maintain his legal practice in Sydney to support himself and was able to attend just over one-third of the sitting days in the first session of parliament.

Although the role was firmly established, the House did not formally recognise the position of opposition leader in its records until 1920. It was recognised by statute for the first time with the passage of the Parliamentary Allowances Act 1920, which granted its holder an additional allowance. Prime Minister Andrew Fisher had previously offered Opposition Leader Alfred Deakin an allowance in 1910. Deakin declined, but did accept a paid secretary. In 1931, the office was incorporated into the House's standing orders for the first time, with the opposition leader granted the right to exceed the time limit for speeches in certain instances.

Salary The opposition leader's salary is determined by the Remuneration Tribunal, an independent statutory body. As of 1 July 2019, the incumbent is entitled to a parliamentarian's base salary of A$211,250 plus an additional 85% loading, equating to a salary of around $390,000.

List of leaders of the opposition

No. Leader Party Constituency Took office Left office Prime Minister Ref 1 George Reid Free Trade East Sydney (NSW) 19 May 1901 18 August 1904 Barton 1901–1903 Deakin 1903–1904 Watson 1904 2 Chris Watson Labor Bland (NSW) 18 August 1904 5 July 1905 Reid 1904–1905 (1) George Reid Free Trade / Anti-Socialist East Sydney (NSW) 5 July 1905 16 November 1908 Deakin 1905–1908 Fisher 1908–1909 3 Joseph Cook Anti-Socialist Parramatta (NSW) 16 November 1908 26 May 1909 4 Alfred Deakin Liberal Ballaarat (Vic.) 26 May 1909 2 June 1909 5 Andrew Fisher Labor Wide Bay (Qld) 2 June 1909 29 April 1910 Deakin 1909 (4) Alfred Deakin Liberal Ballaarat (Vic.) 29 April 1910 20 January 1913 Fisher 1910–1913 (3) Joseph Cook Parramatta (NSW) 20 January 1913 24 June 1913 (5) Andrew Fisher Labor Wide Bay (Qld) 24 June 1913 17 September 1914 Cook 1913–1914 (3) Joseph Cook Liberal Parramatta (NSW) 8 October 1914 14 November 1916 Fisher 1914–1915 Hughes 1915–1923 6 Frank Tudor Labor Yarra (Vic.) 16 November 1916 10 January 1922 7 Matthew Charlton Hunter (NSW) 10 January 1922 29 March 1928 Bruce 1923–1929 8 James Scullin Yarra (Vic.) 29 March 1928 22 October 1929 9 John Latham Nationalist Kooyong (Vic.) 20 November 1929 7 May 1931 Scullin 1929–1932 10 Joseph Lyons United Australia Wilmot (Tas.) 7 May 1931 6 January 1932 (8) James Scullin Labor Yarra (Vic.) 6 January 1932 1 October 1935 Lyons 1932–1939 11 John Curtin Fremantle (WA) 1 October 1935 7 October 1941 Page 1939 Menzies 1939–1941 Fadden 1941 12 Arthur Fadden Country Darling Downs (Qld) 7 October 1941 23 September 1943 Curtin 1941–1945 13 Robert Menzies United Australia Kooyong (Vic.) 23 September 1943 19 December 1949 Liberal Forde 1945 Chifley 1945–1949 14 Ben Chifley Labor Macquarie (NSW) 19 December 1949 13 June 1951 Menzies 1949–1966 15 H. V. Evatt Barton (NSW; 1940–1958)Hunter (NSW; 1958–1960) 20 June 1951 9 February 1960 16 Arthur Calwell Melbourne (Vic.) 7 March 1960 8 February 1967 Holt 1966–1967 17 Gough Whitlam Werriwa (NSW) 8 February 1967 2 December 1972 McEwen 1967–1968 Gorton 1968–1971 McMahon 1971–1972 18 Billy Snedden Liberal Bruce (Vic.) 20 December 1972 21 March 1975 Whitlam 1972–1975 19 Malcolm Fraser Wannon (Vic.) 21 March 1975 11 November 1975 (17) Gough Whitlam Labor Werriwa (NSW) 11 November 1975 22 December 1977 Fraser 1975–1983 20 Bill Hayden Oxley (Qld) 22 December 1977 8 February 1983 21 Bob Hawke Wills (Vic.) 8 February 1983 11 March 1983 22 Andrew Peacock Liberal Kooyong (Vic.) 11 March 1983 5 September 1985 Hawke 1983–1991 23 John Howard Bennelong (NSW) 5 September 1985 9 May 1989 (22) Andrew Peacock Kooyong (Vic.) 9 May 1989 3 April 1990 24 John Hewson Wentworth (NSW) 3 April 1990 23 May 1994 Keating 1991–1996 25 Alexander Downer Mayo (SA) 23 May 1994 30 January 1995 (23) John Howard Bennelong (NSW) 30 January 1995 11 March 1996 26 Kim Beazley Labor Brand (WA) 19 March 1996 22 November 2001 Howard 1996–2007 27 Simon Crean Hotham (Vic.) 22 November 2001 2 December 2003 28 Mark Latham Werriwa (NSW) 2 December 2003 18 January 2005 (26) Kim Beazley Brand (WA) 28 January 2005 4 December 2006 29 Kevin Rudd Griffith (Qld) 4 December 2006 3 December 2007 30 Brendan Nelson Liberal Bradfield (NSW) 3 December 2007 16 September 2008 Rudd 2007–2010 31 Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth (NSW) 16 September 2008 1 December 2009 32 Tony Abbott Warringah (NSW) 1 December 2009 18 September 2013 Gillard 2010–2013 Rudd 2013 – Chris Bowen (acting) Labor McMahon (NSW) 18 September 2013 13 October 2013 Abbott 2013–2015 33 Bill Shorten Maribyrnong (Vic) 13 October 2013 30 May 2019 Turnbull 2015–2018 Morrison 2018–2022 34 Anthony Albanese Grayndler (NSW) 30 May 2019 23 May 2022 35 Peter Dutton Liberal Dickson (Qld) 30 May 2022 3 May 2025 Albanese 2022– 36 Sussan Ley Farrer (NSW) 13 May 2025 13 February 2026 37 Angus Taylor Hume (NSW) 13 February 2026 Incumbent

Timeline

List of deputy leaders of the opposition

Deputy Leader Party Constituency Took office Left office Leader Ref Joseph Cook Commonwealth Liberal Parramatta (NSW) 26 May 1909 2 June 1909 Deakin 1909 Gregor McGregor Labor South Australia (Senate) 2 June 1909 29 April 1910 Fisher 1909–1910 Joseph Cook Commonwealth Liberal Parramatta (NSW) 1 July 1910 20 January 1913 Deakin 1910–1913 Sir John Forrest Swan (WA) 20 January 1913 24 June 1913 Cook 1913 Gregor McGregor Labor South Australia (Senate) 8 July 1913 7 September 1914 Fisher 1913–1914 Sir John Forrest Commonwealth Liberal Swan (WA) 8 October 1914 17 February 1917 Cook 1914–1917 Albert Gardiner Labor New South Wales (Senate) 17 February 1917 March 1927 Tudor 1917–1922 Charlton 1922–1928 James Scullin Yarra (Vic.) 17 March 1927 29 March 1928 Arthur Blakeley Darling (NSW) 29 March 1928 1929 Scullin 1928–1929 Ted Theodore Dalley (NSW) 1929 22 October 1929 Henry Gullett Nationalist Henty (Vic.) 20 November 1929 7 May 1931 Latham 1929–1931 John Latham United Australia Kooyong (Vic.) 7 May 1931 6 January 1932 Lyons 1931–1932 Frank Forde Labor Capricornia (Qld) 7 January 1932 7 October 1941 Scullin 1932–1935 Curtin 1935–1941 Billy Hughes United Australia North Sydney (NSW) 9 October 1941 14 April 1944 Fadden 1941–1943 Menzies 1943–1949 Eric Harrison Wentworth (NSW) 14 April 1944 19 December 1949 Liberal H. V. Evatt Labor Barton (NSW) 19 December 1949 13 June 1951 Chifley 1949–1951 Arthur Calwell Melbourne (Vic.) 13 June 1951 9 February 1960 Evatt 1951–1960 Gough Whitlam Werriwa (NSW) 7 March 1960 8 February 1967 Calwell 1960–1967 Lance Barnard Bass (Tas.) 8 February 1967 5 December 1972 Whitlam 1967–1972 Phillip Lynch Liberal Flinders (Vic.) 20 December 1972 11 November 1975 Snedden 1972–1975 Fraser 1975 Frank Crean Labor Melbourne Ports (Vic.) 11 November 1975 22 December 1975 Whitlam 1975–1977 Tom Uren Reid (NSW) 22 December 1975 22 December 1977 Lionel Bowen Kingsford Smith (NSW) 22 December 1977 11 March 1983 Hayden 1977–1983 Hawke 1983 John Howard Liberal Bennelong (NSW) 11 March 1983 5 September 1985 Peacock 1983–1985 Neil Brown Menzies (Vic.) 5 September 1985 17 July 1987 Howard 1985–1989 Andrew Peacock Kooyong (Vic.) 17 July 1987 9 May 1989 Fred Chaney Western Australia (Senate; 1989–1990)Pearce (WA; 1990) 9 May 1989 3 April 1990 Peacock 1989–1990 Peter Reith Flinders (Vic.) 3 April 1990 23 March 1993 Hewson 1990–1994 Michael Wooldridge Chisholm (Vic.) 23 March 1993 23 May 1994 Peter Costello Higgins (Vic.) 23 May 1994 11 March 1996 Downer 1994–1995 Howard 1995–1996 Gareth Evans Labor Holt (Vic.) 19 March 1996 19 October 1998 Beazley 1996–2001 Simon Crean Hotham (Vic.) 19 October 1998 22 November 2001 Jenny Macklin Jagajaga (Vic.) 22 November 2001 18 September 2006 Crean 2001–2003 Latham 2003–2005 Beazley 2005–2006 Julia Gillard Lalor (Vic.) 4 December 2006 3 December 2007 Rudd 2006–2007 Julie Bishop Liberal Curtin (WA) 3 December 2007 18 September 2013 Nelson 2007–2008 Turnbull 2008–2009 Abbott 2009–2013 Tanya Plibersek Labor Sydney (NSW) 14 October 2013 30 May 2019 Shorten 2013–2019 Richard Marles Corio (Vic.) 30 May 2019 23 May 2022 Albanese 2019–2022 Sussan Ley Liberal Farrer (NSW) 30 May 2022 13 May 2025 Dutton 2022–2025 Ted O'Brien Fairfax (Qld) 13 May 2025 13 February 2026 Ley 2025–2026 Jane Hume Victoria (Senate) 13 February 2026 Incumbent Taylor 2026–

See also

List of prime ministers of Australia Politics of Australia

Notes

References