Prime Minister of Australia

The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the federal executive government. Under the principles of responsible government, the prime minister is a member of, and accountable to, the Commonwealth Parliament. The current prime minister is Anthony Albanese of the Australian Labor Party, who assumed office on 23 May 2022.

The role and duties of the prime minister are not specified in the Australian Constitution, but rather, are defined by constitutional convention deriving from the Westminster system and responsible government. The prime minister is formally appointed by the governor-general, who is ordinarily constrained by convention to choose the parliamentarian who is able to command the confidence of the House of Representatives (the lower house). This has almost always been the leader of the majority party or coalition. In cases where there is no clear parliamentary majority, the governor-general may appoint whichever party leader can secure confidence and supply, which is normally obtained through an agreement with crossbench MPs. In practice, the prime minister most often changes after an election results in a different party gaining control of the lower house, or as a result of the governing party undergoing a change of leadership between elections.

The office of prime minister comes with various privileges, including the use of two official residences: The Lodge in Canberra and Kirribilli House in Sydney, as well as an office at Parliament House.

Thirty-one people (thirty men and one woman) have served as prime minister. The first was Edmund Barton, who took office on 1 January 1901 following the federation of the British colonies in Australia. The longest-serving prime minister was Robert Menzies, who served over 18 years, and the shortest-serving was Frank Forde, who served one week.