Vice-President of the Executive Council

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The Vice-President of the Executive Council is a position in Australian governments, whose holder acts as presiding officer of the Federal Executive Council in the absence of the Governor-General or Governor.[1]

The Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Vice-President is usually a senior minister and may summon executive councillors and preside at Council meetings when the Governor-General is not present. However the Vice-President cannot sign Executive Council documents on behalf of the Governor-General.

As the duties of the post are not rigorous it is usually given to a government minister who holds another portfolio. In this sense, it is usually not a 'Minister without portfolio' such as the equivalent position, Lord President of the Council, is in the United Kingdom, although it has sometimes been used thus in the past (Enid Lyons in the First Menzies Ministry and Jim Killen in the Third Fraser Ministry served in the post without holding another portfolio simultaneously).

The current Vice-President of the Executive Council is Senator John Faulkner, who is also Special Minister of State.[2]

[edit] Australian Vice-Presidents of the Executive Council

Minister Party affiliation Period
Richard O'Connor Protectionist Party 1901–1903
Thomas Playford Protectionist Party 1903–1904
Gregor McGregor Australian Labor Party 1904
James Drake Free Trade Party 1904–1905
Thomas Ewing Protectionist Party 1905–1906
John Keating Protectionist Party 1906–1907
Robert Best Protectionist Party 1907–1908
Gregor McGregor Australian Labor Party 1908–1909
Edward Millen Commonwealth Liberal Party 1909–1910
Gregor McGregor Australian Labor Party 1910–1913
James McColl Commonwealth Liberal Party 1913–1914
Albert Gardiner Australian Labor Party 1914–1916
William Spence National Labor Party 1916–1917
Edward Millen Nationalist Party 1917
Littleton Groom Nationalist Party 1917–1918
Edward Russell Nationalist Party 1918–1921
John Earle Nationalist Party 1921–1923
Llewellyn Atkinson Country Party 1923–1926
George Pearce Nationalist Party 1926–1929
John Daly Australian Labor Party 1929–1931
John Barnes Australian Labor Party 1931–1932
Alexander McLachlan United Australia Party 1932–1934
Billy Hughes United Australia Party 1934–1935
Joseph Lyons United Australia Party 1935–1937
Billy Hughes United Australia Party 1937–1938
George McLeay United Australia Party 1938–1939
James Fairbairn United Australia Party 1939–1940
Percy Spender United Australia Party 1940
Henry Gullett United Australia Party 1940
Herbert Collett United Australia Party 1940
George McLeay United Australia Party 1940–1941
Richard Keane Australian Labor Party 1941–1943
William Ashley Australian Labor Party 1943–1945
Jack Beasley Australian Labor Party 1945
Joseph Collings Australian Labor Party 1945–1946
William Scully Australian Labor Party 1946–1949
Enid Lyons Liberal Party 1949–1951
Robert Menzies Liberal Party 1951
Eric Harrison Liberal Party 1951–1956
Neil O'Sullivan Liberal Party 1956–1958
William Spooner Liberal Party 1958–1964
William McMahon Liberal Party 1964–1966
Alan Hulme Liberal Party 1966–1972
Don Willesee Australian Labor Party 1972–1973
Frank Stewart Australian Labor Party 1973–1975
Reg Withers Liberal Party 1975–1978
John Carrick Liberal Party 1978–1982
James Killen Liberal Party 1982–1983
Mick Young Australian Labor Party 1983
Lionel Bowen Australian Labor Party 1983–1987
Mick Young Australian Labor Party 1987–1988
Kim Beazley Australian Labor Party 1988–1991
Graham Richardson Australian Labor Party 1991–1992
Ralph Willis Australian Labor Party 1992–1993
Frank Walker Australian Labor Party 1993–1994
Gary Johns Australian Labor Party 1994–1996
John Moore Liberal Party 1996–1998
David Kemp Liberal Party 1998–2004
Nick Minchin Liberal Party 2004–2007
John Faulkner Australian Labor Party 2007–

[edit] References