Category:Australian Leaders of the Opposition

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This category features Australian Leaders of the Opposition. In Australian Federal Politics, the Leader of the Opposition is a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives. The position is usually held by the leader of the party which has the most seats but is not part of the Government. When in Parliament the Leader of the Opposition sits on the left-hand side of the Speaker, in front of the Opposition and opposite the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the party with the most seats in Parliament, and thus is the leader of the Government. The leader is elected by the Opposition Caucus. A new Opposition Leader may be elected when the incumbent dies, resigns or is challenged for the leadership.

The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system and is based on the Westminster model. The term Opposition has a specific meaning in the parliamentary sense, in its formal title of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. This is an important component of the Westminster system: the Opposition directs its criticism at the Government and attempts to defeat and replace the Government. The Opposition is therefore the 'Government in waiting' and it is a formal part of the parliamentary system, just as is the Government. It is opposed to the Government, but not to the Crown, hence the term 'Loyal Opposition'.

The Current Leader of the Opposition is Brendan Nelson of the Australian Liberal Party. Previously Kevin Rudd was Opposition Leader until he won the 2007 Election. The Liberal Party has been in Opposition since losing the 2007 election to the Australian Labor Party led by Kevin Rudd.