Shadow cabinet of Australia

In Australian federal politics, the shadow cabinet is the opposition's equivalent to the federal cabinet. It comprises the most senior figures within the opposition, headed by the leader of the opposition as the counterpart to the prime minister of Australia.

The shadow cabinet is the highest level of the shadow ministry (or "opposition frontbench"), which also includes other less senior shadow ministers (equivalent to the government's "outer ministry") and shadow assistant ministers. The members of the shadow ministry are assigned one or more portfolios, usually though not necessarily corresponding to an existing ministerial portfolio within the government. They serve as the opposition's chief spokespeople on matters within their portfolio, and during parliamentary question time may direct questions at their government equivalent. If the opposition forms government, such as through winning a federal election, it is typical for members of the shadow ministry to retain the same portfolio.

The current shadow cabinet was formed by the Coalition following its defeat at the 2025 federal election, led by Liberal opposition leader Sussan Ley.

Role and functions

According to Bateman (2008), the shadow cabinet exists as a "recognised component of the parliamentary system" but "the functions, roles and practices of the Shadow Cabinet are far less clear than those of the Cabinet". ^[1]

The role of the shadow ministry in making opposition policy has varied. ^[2]

Meetings of shadow cabinet are less formal than actual cabinet meetings, typically lasting a shorter time. ^[3]

History

In May 1965, the Australian Labor Party Caucus voted to establish a formal shadow ministry of 25 members. ^[4] This replaced an earlier "opposition executive" consisting of 14 members. ^[5]

Since 1987, the shadow ministry has had at least as many members as the ministry, and sometimes more. Shadow parliamentary secretaries (known as shadow assistant ministers since 2016) were first appointed in 1990. ^[6]

Current arrangement

This section is an excerpt from Ley shadow ministry § Shadow cabinet.[ edit ]

Shadow Minister		Portfolios [7]	Portrait
Sussan Ley MP (Farrer)		Leader of the Opposition Leader of the Liberal Party
Ted O'Brien MP (Fairfax)		Deputy Leader of the Opposition Shadow Treasurer Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
Senator Michaelia Cash (Western Australia)		Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Senator James Paterson (Victoria)		Shadow Minister for Finance
Angus Taylor MP (Hume)		Shadow Minister for Defence
Julian Leeser MP (Berowra)		Shadow Attorney General Shadow Minister for the Arts
Andrew Hastie MP (Canning)		Shadow Minister for Home Affairs
Senator Anne Ruston (South Australia)		Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care Shadow Minister for Disability and the NDIS Shadow Minister for Sport
Senator Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania)		Shadow Minister for Education and Early Learning Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate
Senator Kerrynne Liddle (South Australia)		Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Shadow Minister for Social Services
Senator Andrew Bragg (New South Wales)		Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness Shadow Minister for Productivity and Deregulation
Tim Wilson MP (Goldstein)		Shadow Minister for Small Business Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations and Employment
David Littleproud MP (Maranoa)		Leader of The Nationals Shadow Minister for Agriculture
Senator Bridget McKenzie (Victoria)		Leader of the National Party in the Senate Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development
Kevin Hogan MP (Page)		Deputy Leader of The Nationals Shadow Shadow Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate
Dan Tehan MP (Wannon)		Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction
Angie Bell MP (Moncrieff)		Shadow Minister for the Environment Shadow Minister for Youth
Senator Susan McDonald (Queensland)		Shadow Minister for Resources and Northern Australia
Alex Hawke MP (Mitchell)		Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation Manager of Opposition Business in the House
Melissa McIntosh MP (Lindsay)		Shadow Minister for Women Shadow Minister for Communications
Senator James McGrath (Queensland)		Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Cities Shadow Minister for Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Shadow Special Minister of State
Senator Ross Cadell (New South Wales)		Shadow Minister for Water Shadow Minister for Fisheries and Forestry Shadow Minister for Emergency Management
Darren Chester MP (Gippsland)		Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs

Salary and benefits

As of July 2019 ^[update] , ordinary shadow ministers were entitled to either a 20 or 25 percent loading on top of the base parliamentary salary. The loading depends on the number of shadow ministers. Officeholders within the opposition receive higher loadings, up to 87 percent for the leader of the opposition. ^[8] Historically, ordinary shadow ministers received no additional salary compared to backbenchers but were granted an additional staffing allowance. ^[9]

See also

• Ley shadow ministry - current shadow ministry since May 2025
• Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
• Manager of Opposition Business in the House
• Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate

References

1. Bateman 2008, p. 1.
2. Bateman 2008, p. 4.
3. Bateman 2008, p. 24.
4. Bateman 2008, p. 9.
5. Bateman 2008, p. 10.
6. "The (official) Opposition". House of Representatives Practice. Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
7. "Shadow ministry". Liberal Party of Australia. 28 May 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
8. "Salary". Department of Finance. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
9. Bateman 2008, p. 7.

Sources

• Bateman, Joel (2008). In the shadows: the Shadow Cabinet in Australia (PDF). Australian Parliamentary Library. ISBN   9780980655407. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2012.