The Liberal Party gives its leader the power to choose the members of the ministry and to determine which of them will be in the Cabinet.
Theoretically, the Liberal leader has great flexibility to mould the ministry as he sees fit.
John Howard’s coalition commands the support of 114 members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are 30 members of the ministry (17 of them in Cabinet), plus 12 Parliamentary Secretaries. The frontbench of 42 members comprises 37% of the coalition’s total parliamentary numbers.
In practice, however, Howard has to take account of a number of factors in choosing his ministry:
- The coalition partner, the National Party, has to be given a proportion of the ministerial positions. This number is negotiated after each election and depends on the relative numbers of each party. The National Party currently holds 16 of the 79 seats, or 20%, held by the coalition in the House. These proportions are mirrored in the composition of the ministry. There are currently 6 Nationals in the ministry (20%), of which 3 are in the Cabinet (18%). These positions are usually nominated by the National Party leader.
- A balance of House and Senate members is necessary. The government has to secure the passage of its legislation through the Senate and submit to questioning in the upper house. There are currently 8 senators in the ministry (27%), of whom 4 are in the Cabinet (24%).
- A balance of ministers from the States and Territories is necessary in order to maintain internal party power relationships. There are currently 6 Cabinet ministers from the largest state, New South Wales (35%) and 5 from Victoria (29%). These proportions are maintained throughout the Cabinet and Outer Ministry. Only the ACT does not have a Minister or Parliamentary Secretary, but the Senate President, Margaret Reid, is from the ACT.
- A gender balance is required, although this is still extremely unbalanced. There are currently 8 women in the government’s lineup, representing 19% of the total. Only one, Senator Amanda Vanstone, is in Cabinet, and only two women are in the Outer Ministry.
The most significant influence the Prime Minister is able to have on the shape of the government is in the allocation of portfolios. The more conservative elements of the coalition parties are strongly represented in the most senior portfolios.
| Analysis of the Howard Ministry | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Cabinet | Outer Ministry |
Total Ministry |
Parl. Secs |
Totals |
| Total Numbers |
17
|
13
|
30
|
12
|
42
|
| House of Reps |
13
|
9
|
22
|
6
|
28
|
| Senate |
4
|
4
|
8
|
6
|
14
|
| Liberal Party |
14
|
10
|
24
|
11
|
35
|
| National Party |
3
|
3
|
6
|
1
|
7
|
| Males |
16
|
11
|
27
|
7
|
34
|
| Females |
1
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
8
|
| NSW |
6
|
4
|
10
|
2
|
12
|
| VIC |
5
|
2
|
7
|
3
|
10
|
| QLD |
1
|
4
|
5
|
3
|
8
|
| SA |
4
|
–
|
4
|
2
|
6
|
| WA |
1
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
4
|
| TAS |
–
|
1
|
1
|
–
|
1
|
| NT |
–
|
–
|
–
|
1
|
1
|
| ACT |
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
