Prime Minister's Office (Australia) Explained

Post:Prime Minister
Body:Australia
Insignia:Coat_of_Arms_of_Australia.svg
Insigniacaption:Commonwealth Coat of Arms
Incumbent:Anthony Albanese
Incumbentsince:23 May 2022
Reports To:Parliament, Governor-General
Seat:Canberra
Appointer:Governor-General of Australia
by convention, based on appointee's ability to command confidence in the House of Representatives[1]
Termlength:At the Governor-General's pleasure
contingent on the Prime Minister's ability to command confidence in the lower house of Parliament[2]
Formation:1 January 1901
Inaugural:Edmund Barton
Deputy:Richard Marles
Salary:$607,471 (AUD) annually[3] [4]

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO), also known as the Office of the Prime Minister, is the private office of the Prime Minister of Australia that provides political advice and executive support to the Prime Minister.[5] [6] The PMO is led by the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff and or Principal Private Secretary and is composed of ministerial advisers assisting with party politics, media relations, and political strategy.[7] Scholars including Professor Anne Tiernan of Griffith University and Professor James Walter of Monash University have observed the centralisation and expansion of power within the PMO over the past three decades.[8] [9]

The PMO should not be confused with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, which is a public service entity that provides non-political policy coordination and executive support for the Prime Minister and Cabinet's agenda or with the Prime Minister's official residences at The Lodge and Kirribilli House.

History

The origins of the contemporary Prime Minister's Office can be found with Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser who cemented the central authority of the Prime Minister through an adviser structure.[10] Prime Ministers Bob Hawke and Paul Keating also continued to expand the role and size of the Prime Minister's Office through the coordination of the development and implementation of the government's agenda. Prime Minister John Howard further expanded and centralised power within the PMO.[11] [12]

Roles and activities

The role of the Prime Minister's Office has changed over time but has consistently been a source of political advice for the Prime Minister of the day.[13]

Structure and staff

The organisational structure and staffing arrangements of the Prime Minister's Office changed with the personal preferences, political interests, and strategic priorities of the Prime Minister of the day.[14] Nevertheless, there has been the trend of the increasing size of the PMO since the Hawke and Keating Governments. Traditionally, the two key positions within the PMO have been the Chief of Staff and the Principal Private Secretary.[15] The PMO also seconds Departmental Liaison Officers from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to enable engagement for the flow of advice, correspondence, submissions and other communications to and from the PMO and PM&C.<ref>The ultimate insiders' job Sydney Morning Herald

Chiefs of Staff

See main article: Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister (Australia). The position of Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Australia was formally created by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1972 to run the political and private office of the Prime Minister.[16] [17]

List of Chiefs of Staff

Principal Private Secretary

Prior to the formalisation of the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff in 1972, the Prime Minister's Office was traditionally headed by a career public servant known as the Principal Private Secretary. The position of Principal Private Secretary functioned as a Chief of Staff and has been responsible for the management of relationships and stakeholders at the direction of the Prime Minister.[19] [20]

List of Principal Private Secretaries

In popular culture

The Prime Minister's Office was satirised in the television comedy series The Hollowmen, which centred on the fictitious Central Policy Unit inspired by the Cabinet Policy Unit established by Prime Minister John Howard.[23]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Australia's Constitution : With Overview and Notes by the Australian Government Solicitor.. 2010. Parliamentary Education Office and Australian Government Solicitor. Canberra. 9781742293431. v. Pocket.
  2. Web site: 9 - Motions. House of Representatives Practice, 6th Ed – HTML version. Parliament of Australia. 23 February 2018. 25 February 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210225044337/https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/Practice6/Practice6HTML?file=Chapter9&section=07&fullscreen=1. dead.
  3. Web site: Jackson . Blair . 29 June 2024 . Anthony Albanese grilled on eye-watering salary ahead of pay rise . live . 30 June 2024 . News.com.au.
  4. Web site: Evans . Jake . 17 June 2024 . Politicians receive pay rise, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's salary jumping over $600,000 . live . 30 June 2024 . ABC News.
  5. The Gatekeepers: Lessons from prime ministers’ chiefs of staff
  6. https://primeministers.moadoph.gov.au/topics/the-pivot-of-power The Pivot of Power: Australian Prime Ministers and Political Leadership, 1949–2016
  7. Web site: What does the PM's chief of staff really do? . 22 January 2022 . www.abc.net.au . 29 October 2015 . Professor Anne Tiernan .
  8. The Gatekeepers: Lessons from prime ministers’ chiefs of staff
  9. https://primeministers.moadoph.gov.au/topics/the-pivot-of-power The Pivot of Power: Australian Prime Ministers and Political Leadership, 1949–2016
  10. https://www.aph.gov.au/senate/~/~/link.aspx?_id=0C347E23897C4885BB8B5E5875D21141&_z=z The Role of Executive Government in Australia
  11. https://www.aph.gov.au/senate/~/~/link.aspx?_id=0C347E23897C4885BB8B5E5875D21141&_z=z The Role of Executive Government in Australia
  12. http://cdn.nsw.ipaa.org.au/docs/Course-Readings---Dip-Gov-Policy-Development/6.%20Advising%20Howard.pdf Advising Howard: Interpreting Changes in Advisory and Support Structures for the Prime Minister of Australia
  13. https://primeministers.moadoph.gov.au/topics/the-pivot-of-power The Pivot of Power: Australian Prime Ministers and Political Leadership, 1949–2016
  14. https://primeministers.moadoph.gov.au/topics/the-pivot-of-power The Pivot of Power: Australian Prime Ministers and Political Leadership, 1949–2016
  15. The Gatekeepers: Lessons from prime ministers’ chiefs of staff
  16. https://www.wheelercentre.com/events/the-prime-ministers-chiefs The Prime Ministers’ Chiefs
  17. https://www.moadoph.gov.au/blog/chiefs-of-staff-from-the-backroom-to-the-front-page
  18. Chad. Mitcham. Peter Stephen Wilenski (1939–1994). wilenski-peter-stephen-29978.
  19. https://www.wheelercentre.com/events/the-prime-ministers-chiefs The Prime Ministers’ Chiefs
  20. https://collection.moadoph.gov.au/rooms/m946/ Staff Office, Prime Minister’s Suite — M94.6
  21. Web site: Benson . Simon . 24 February 2024 . PM recruits Labor veteran as party troubleshooter . live . 30 June 2024 . The Australian.
  22. Web site: Massola . James . 20 February 2024 . Leaked Albanese staff message floats possible early election . live . 30 June 2024 . The Sydney Morning Herald.
  23. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/the-hollowmen-20080709-gdslcc.html The Hollowmen

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