What are the major differences between the roles of Federal Treasurer and Finance Minister?

Thanks for your question! The Treasurer is usually a member of the House of Representatives and the Minister for Finance is often a senator.

The Treasurer’s main responsibility is to deliver the Budget each year – the Australian Government’s annual statement of how it plans to collect and spend money. The Treasurer's role has traditionally been responsible for areas such as:

• Public Service pay and conditions
• bank notes
• the taxation system
• pensions and other welfare payments
• postage stamps.

The Treasury website lists many current issues they are also responsible for, such as:

• the collection of statistics
• providing advice to the government on the economy
• foreign investment
• superannuation
• international economic policies.

The Treasury also has a role in providing Australian Government payments to state and territory governments.

By comparison, the Minister for Finance's Departmental website lists responsibility for issues including:

• Budget and financial reporting
• managing government property
• coordinating how government money is managed, including grants and contracts
• overseeing government advertising campaigns
• providing advice to government-owned businesses, like Australia Post.

This is a very general overview only. The roles have areas of similarity as well as difference. You would need to take a close look at the websites of both ministers and their departments if you require more detail.