List of Australian Leaders of the Opposition

Leader of the Opposition of the Commonwealth of Australia
Incumbent Peter Dutton since 30 May 2022
Opposition of Australia Shadow Cabinet of Australia
Member of	Shadow Cabinet
Reports to	Parliament
Term length	While leader of the largest political party in the House of Representatives that is not in government
Inaugural holder	George Reid
Formation	1901
Salary	$390,000

In Australian Federal Politics the Leader of the Opposition is a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives. The Leader of the Opposition is usually the leader of the party which has the most seats but is not part of the Government. In Parliament the Leader of the Opposition sits on the left-hand side of the table in the centre, in front of the Opposition and opposite the Prime Minister. The Opposition Leader is elected by the Opposition Party. A new Opposition Leader may be elected if the person in the position dies, resigns or is challenged for the leadership.

The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. It is based on the British Westminster model. The term Opposition has a specific meaning in the parliamentary system. Its formal title is Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. This is an important part of the Westminster system. The Opposition directs its criticism at the Government and attempts to defeat and replace the Government. The Opposition is therefore the 'Government in waiting' and it is a formal part of the parliamentary system, just as is the Government. It is in opposition to the Government, but not to the Crown, hence the term 'Loyal Opposition'.^[1]

The current Leader of the Opposition is Peter Dutton since 30 May 2022, following the Liberal Party's defeat in the 2022 federal election.

1. ↑ Jaensch, Dean (1997). The Politics of Australia. Melbourne: MacMillan Education Australia. pp. 100. ISBN 0-7329-4128-8.