Can the deputy prime minister be a senator, or do they have to be in the House of Representatives?
Role of the Prime Minister in Australia
Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)
Role of the Prime Minister in Australia
Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)
Description
The Prime Minister is:
- the most senior minister in the Australian Government
- the key spokesperson for Australia
- the head of Cabinet
- the leader of the government.
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Hi Janet, thanks for your question.
There is no rule that stops the prime minister or deputy prime minister from being a senator. However, by convention – tradition – they are both members of the House of Representatives.
As the leader of the government, the prime minister sits in the House of Representatives because this is where government is formed with the support of the majority of members. If the prime minster is unavailable to carry out their duties in the House, the deputy prime minister can act in their place. The deputy prime minister could not do this if they were a senator.
No deputy prime minister has ever been a senator at the time of holding the role. The only person to serve as prime minister while still a senator was John Gorton in 1967. He was elected leader of the Liberal Party, then in coalition government with the Country Party, after Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming off the Victorian coast. After he was sworn in, Gorton remained a senator for 3 weeks before resigning and successfully standing for the House of Representatives in Holt’s former seat of Higgins.