The Opposition in the Australian territory of the Australian Capital Territory comprises the largest party or coalition of parties not in Government. The Opposition's purpose is to hold the Government to account and constitute a "Government-in-waiting" should the existing Government fall. To that end, a Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Ministers for the various government departments question the Chief Minister and Ministers on Government policy and administration and formulate the policy the Opposition would pursue in Government. It is sometimes styled "His Majesty's Loyal Opposition" to demonstrate that although it opposes the Government, it remains loyal to the King.
The current Leader of the Opposition is Liberal Leader Elizabeth Lee, and Leanne Castley is the deputy leader.
The Shadow Ministry was announced on 7 December 2023 following the deputy leadership spill on 4 December 2023 where Jeremy Hanson was voted out 5-3 in favour of Leanne Castley. [1] [2] Jeremy Hanson was then removed from Shadow Cabinet alongside Elizabeth Kikkert in the reshuffle.
| Shadow Minister | Portfolio [3] | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Lee MLA |
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| Leanne Castley MLA |
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| Peter Cain MLA |
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| Nicole Lawder MLA |
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| James Milligan MLA |
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| Mark Parton MLA |
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| Ed Cocks MLA |
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The shadow ministry was announced on 8 April 2021. It was formed following the resignation of former Canberra Liberals Opposition Leader Alistair Coe by Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee.
On 2 June 2022 Giulia Jones resigned from the Legislative Assembly, and Ed Cocks was elected on countback on 20 June. Cocks was immediately elevated to Shadow Cabinet with portfolios for mental health, jobs and workplace affairs, and regulatory services. Leanne Castley retained health and wellbeing. Jeremy Hanson was elevated to Deputy Opposition Leader with the additional portfolio area for early childhood education. Peter Cain became responsible for multicultural affairs.
| Shadow Minister | Portfolio [4] | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Lee MLA |
|  |
| Giulia Jones MLA |
|  |
| Peter Cain MLA |
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| Leanne Castley MLA |
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| Jeremy Hanson MLA |
|  |
| Elizabeth Kikkert MLA |
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| Nicole Lawder MLA |
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| James Milligan MLA |
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| Mark Parton MLA |
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The shadow cabinet or shadow ministry is a feature of the Westminster system of government. It consists of a senior group of opposition spokespeople who, under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition, form an alternative cabinet to that of the government, and whose members shadow or mirror the positions of each individual member of the Cabinet. Their areas of responsibility, in parallel with the ruling party's ministries, may be referred to as a shadow portfolio. Members of a shadow cabinet have no executive power. It is the shadow cabinet's responsibility to scrutinise the policies and actions of the government, as well as to offer alternative policies. The shadow cabinet makes up the majority of the Official Opposition frontbench, as part of frontbenchers to the parliament. Smaller opposition parties in Britain and Ireland have Frontbench Teams.
Gary John Joseph Humphries is a Deputy President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. He was a member of the Australian Senate representing the Australian Capital Territory for the Liberal Party of Australia from 2003 to 2013. He was the Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2000 to 2001; and was elected to the first parliament of the Australian Capital Territory, in 1989, later representing the Molonglo electorate until 2003.
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Giulia Jones is an Australian politician. She was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorates of Molonglo and then Murrumbidgee for the Liberal Party from 2012 until her resignation in 2022. Jones was the deputy leader of the Liberal Party in the ACT from October 2020 to January 2022.
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Jeremy Corbyn assumed the position of Leader of the Opposition after being elected as leader of the Labour Party on 12 September 2015; the election was triggered by Ed Miliband's resignation following the Labour Party's electoral defeat at the 2015 general election when David Cameron formed a majority Conservative government. The usual number of junior shadow ministers were also appointed.
Elizabeth Lee is an Australian politician. She has been a member of the Liberal Party and serves in the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly since 2016, representing the electorate of Kurrajong. Before entering the ACT Legislative Assembly, Elizabeth had a successful career as a lawyer in the private sector. Later, she became a lecturer at the Australian National University and University of Canberra.
The Leader of the Liberal Party, also known as Leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party, is the highest office within the Liberal Party of Australia and the Liberal–National Coalition. The position is currently, and has been since 30 May 2022, held by Peter Dutton, who represents the Division of Dickson in Queensland. Peter Dutton is the fifteenth leader of the Liberal Party. Dutton is also the first leader of the party to represent a Queensland electorate.
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