The Leader of the Opposition

Who is the Leader of the Opposition?

The Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the party or coalition that has the second largest number of Members in the House of Representatives.

What does the Leader of the Opposition do?

The Leader of the Opposition leads and directs the Opposition’s policies and strategies and is expected to know about most aspects of government. He or she spends a lot of time in the Chamber and must often respond quickly, under pressure, to the actions of the Government.

An effective Leader of the Opposition is needed to keep Parliament functioning well. He or she keeps the Government on its toes by:

• assessing and testing Government actions and policies,
• exposing any weaknesses, and
• putting forward alternative proposals and views.

Australian Leaders of the Opposition

The role of Leader of the Opposition is not mentioned in the Australian Constitution. No official record of the appointment was kept before 1920, although the role of the office had long been established.

To 2001, there have been 35 Leaders of the Opposition. Of the 35, eight held the office more than once. Fifteen of them also served as Prime Minister.

The first Leader of the Opposition was George Reid (served May 1901-18 August 1904).

Joseph Cook is the only federal parliamentarian of the twentieth century to be Leader of the Opposition three times (17 November 1908-26 May 1909; 20 January 1913-24 June 1913 and 8 October 1914-17 February 1917).