The Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council is a position in Australian federal governments, whose holder acts as presiding officer of the Federal Executive Council in the absence of the Governor-General.[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. The current Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council is Robert McClelland, who is also Attorney-General.[2]
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 (many of the earlier Vice-Presidents, and some of the later ones, such as Dame Enid Lyons in the First Menzies Ministry and Sir James Killen in the Third Fraser Ministry, served in the post without holding another portfolio simultaneously).
A small Department of the Vice-President of the Executive Council existed 22 March-31 May 1971, during the premiership of William McMahon. It was administered by Sir Alan Hulme, who was also Postmaster-General. The department was recreated by Malcolm Fraser in 1982 for Sir James Killen, who held no other portfolio; it was abolished in 1983 by the incoming prime minister Bob Hawke.
Prior to the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, colonial and State governments, including the Colony of New South Wales also appointed a Vice-President of the Executive Council. The first New South Wales appointment was made on 3 October 1856 in the ministry of the Parker colonial government. The New South Wales government currently retains the title for a senior government minister, presently held by the Hon. Michael Gallacher, MP.
| Minister | Party affiliation | Period | Prime Minister |
Substantive portfolio(s) held |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard O'Connor | Protectionist Party | 1901–1903 | Barton | - |
| Thomas Playford | 1903–1904 | Deakin | - | |
| Gregor McGregor | Australian Labor Party | 1904 | Watson | - |
| James Drake | Free Trade Party | 1904–1905 | Reid | - |
| Thomas Ewing | Protectionist Party | 1905–1906 | Deakin | - |
| John Keating | 1906–1907 | Home Affairs | ||
| Robert Best | 1907–1908 | - | ||
| Gregor McGregor | Australian Labor Party | 1908–1909 | Fisher | - |
| Edward Millen | Commonwealth Liberal Party | 1909–1910 | Deakin | - |
| Gregor McGregor | Australian Labor Party | 1910–1913 | Fisher | - |
| James McColl | Commonwealth Liberal Party | 1913–1914 | Cook | - |
| Albert Gardiner | Australian Labor Party | 1914–1915 | Fisher | - |
| 1915–1916 | Hughes | - | ||
| William Spence | National Labor Party | 1916–1917 | - | |
| Edward Millen | Nationalist Party | 1917 | Repatriation | |
| Littleton Groom | 1917–1918 | - | ||
| Edward Russell | 1918–1921 | - | ||
| John Earle | 1921–1923 | - | ||
| Llewellyn Atkinson | Country Party | 1923–1926 | Bruce | - |
| George Pearce | Nationalist Party | 1926–1929 | - | |
| John Daly | Australian Labor Party | 1929–1931 | Scullin | Defence (February–March 1931) |
| John Barnes | 1931–1932 | - | ||
| Alexander McLachlan | United Australia Party | 1932–1934 | Lyons | Minister in charge of Development and Scientific and Industrial Research |
| Billy Hughes | 1934–1935 | Health; Repatriation | ||
| Joseph Lyons | 1935–1937 | Prime Minister | ||
| Billy Hughes | 1937–1938 | External Affairs; Minister in charge of Territories | ||
| George McLeay | 1938–1939 | - | ||
| 1939 | Page | - | ||
| James Fairbairn | 1939–1940 | Menzies | Air; Civil Aviation | |
| Percy Spender | 1940 | - | ||
| Henry Gullett | 1940 | Scientific and Industrial Research, War Service Homes | ||
| Herbert Collett | 1940 | Scientific and Industrial Research, War Service Homes | ||
| George McLeay | 1940–1941 | Postmaster-General (to June 1941); Repatriation (to June 1941); Supply and Development (from June 1941) | ||
| 1941 | Fadden | Supply and Development | ||
| Richard Keane | Australian Labor Party | 1941–1943 | Curtin | Trade and Customs |
| Bill Ashley | 1943–1945 | Postmaster-General | ||
| Jack Beasley | 1945 | - | ||
| 1945 | Forde | Defence | ||
| Joseph Collings | 1945–1946 | Chifley | - | |
| William Scully | 1946–1949 | - | ||
| Enid Lyons | Liberal Party | 1949–1951 | Menzies | - |
| Robert Menzies | 1951 | Prime Minister | ||
| Eric Harrison | 1951–1956 | Defence Production; Army; Navy | ||
| Neil O'Sullivan | 1956–1958 | Attorney-General | ||
| Bill Spooner | 1958–1964 | National Development | ||
| William McMahon | 1964–1966 | Labour and National Service | ||
| Alan Hulme | 1966–1967 | Holt | Postmaster-General (From 10 March-30 May 1971, under William McMahon, Hulme was also formally the "Minister administering the Department of the Vice-President of the Executive Council", which department existed during that period.) |
|
| 1967–1968 | McEwen | |||
| 1968–1971 | Gorton | |||
| 1971–1972 | McMahon | |||
| Don Willesee | Australian Labor Party | 1972–1973 | Whitlam | Special Minister; Foreign Affairs |
| Frank Stewart | 1973–1975 | Tourism and Recreation | ||
| Reg Withers | Liberal Party | 1975–1978 | Fraser | Nov-Dec 1975: Capital Territory; Media; Special Minister of State; Tourism and Recreation; Dec 1975-Aug 1978: Administrative Services |
| John Carrick | 1978–1982 | Education (to Dec 1979); National Development and Energy (Dec 1979-May 1982) | ||
| James Killen | 1982–1983 | (Killen had no other portfolio, but the Department of the Vice-President of the Executive Council was created for him to administer.) | ||
| Mick Young | Australian Labor Party | 1983 | Hawke | Special Minister of State |
| Lionel Bowen | 1983–1987 | Deputy Prime Minister; Trade (to Dec 1984); Attorney-General (Dec 1984-July 1987) | ||
| Mick Young | 1987–1988 | Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs | ||
| Kim Beazley | 1988–1991 | Defence (1988–90); Transport and Communications (1990–1991) | ||
| Graham Richardson | 1991–1991 | Social Security | ||
| 1991–1992 | Keating | Social Security (December 1991); Transport and Communications | ||
| Ralph Willis | 1992–1993 | Finance | ||
| Frank Walker | 1993–1994 | Special Minister of State | ||
| Gary Johns | 1994–1996 | Special Minister of State | ||
| John Moore | Liberal Party | 1996–1998 | Howard | Industry, Science and Tourism |
| David Kemp | 1998–2004 | 1998-2001: Education, Training and Youth Affairs; Assistant Treasurer; 2001-2004: Environment and Heritage | ||
| Nick Minchin | 2004–2007 | Finance and Administration | ||
| John Faulkner | Australian Labor Party | 2007–2010 | Rudd | Special Minister of State (2007–2009); Defence (2009–2010) |
| 2010 | Gillard | Defence | ||
| Robert McClelland | 2010- | Attorney-General |