Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia
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The spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia is a position that has been occupied only by women to date, thus the spouse is usually known as the Prime Minister's wife.
The Prime Minister's spouse has no official duties. Some wives, notably Elizabeth Chifley, remained at home and took no part in their husband's public life. Others, notably Enid Lyons, were preoccupied with rearing children. Most recent Prime Ministers' wives have been involved in charities or community organisations, working to raise public awareness, funds, and support for a range of causes.
Some wives have received official recognition for their services to the community. Four have been given damehoods: Dame Mary Hughes, Dame Enid Lyons, Dame Pattie Menzies and Dame Zara Holt. Margaret Whitlam was made an Officer of the Order of Australia.
Only one Prime Minister's wife has gone into politics in her own right: Dame Enid Lyons, who became the first woman to be elected to the House of Representatives in 1943, four years after her husband's death. She was a junior minister in the Menzies Government from 1949 to 1951. Other wives have been credited with great behind-the-scenes political influence, but this has usually been impossible to verify.
In addition to assisting their partners in political campaigns, Prime Ministers’ wives are expected to participate in official duties that come with the position. These can include hosting foreign dignitaries, and, in particular, entertaining the spouses of dignitaries; accompanying their husbands on national and international trips; attending conferences and functions; launching ships; and speaking in public, particularly in their husbands' constituencies.
In these roles they have attended the opening of Parliament; hosted visitors at the Lodge and Kirribilli; visited Buckingham Palace, the White House, or the Japanese Imperial Palace; and been present at royal coronations and conferences on war and women.
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