In
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
n parliamentary practice, the Opposition consists of the second largest party or coalition of parties in the
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia.
The term of members of ...
, with its leader being given the title "
Leader of the Opposition". The Opposition serves the same function as the
official opposition in other
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the C ...
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. 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
Peter Craig Dutton (born 18 November 1970) is an Australian politician who has been leader of the opposition and leader of the Liberal Party since May 2022. He has represented the Queensland seat of Dickson in the House of Representatives sinc ...
.
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 country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...