In
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n parliamentary practice, the Opposition consists of the second largest party or coalition of parties in the
Australian House of Representatives, with its leader being given the title "
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
". The Opposition serves the same function as the
official opposition
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...
in other
Commonwealth of Nations monarchies that follow the Westminster conventions and practices. It is seen as the alternative government and the existing administration's main opponent in the
Australian Parliament and at a general election. By convention, the Opposition Leader in the federal Parliament comes from the
House of Representatives, as does the deputy, although the Government and Opposition may also both have leaders in the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. The Opposition is sometimes styled as ''His Majesty's Loyal Opposition''
to show that, although the group may be against the sitting government, it remains loyal to the Crown (the embodiment of the Australian state), and thus to Australia.
The current Opposition at a federal level is the centre-right
Liberal Party/
National Party Coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
, led by
Peter Dutton.
State and territory opposition
The Opposition parties and leaders of
Australian States and Territories are:
as
See also
*
List of federal Opposition Leaders
*
Shadow Ministry of Australia
References
{{Politics of Australia, state=collapsed
Politics of Australia
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...