Prime Minister of Australia
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The Prime Minister is the head of the Australian government, responsible for leading the country and making major policy decisions. This role matters because the Prime Minister wields significant power in shaping laws, managing the economy, and representing Australia both domestically and internationally.
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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 responsible 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 described by the Australian constitution but rather 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 able to command the confidence of the House of Representatives (the lower house). Since Federation, this has almost always been the leader of the majority party or coalition. In practice, this means 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 majority party changing its leader internally between elections.