50-468: The National Health and Medical Research Council ( NHMRC ) is the main statutory authority of the Australian Government responsible for medical research . It was the eighth largest research funding body in the world in 2016, and NHMRC-funded research is globally recognised for its high quality. Around 45% of all Australian medical research from 2008–12 was funded by the federal government, through
100-604: A 10-year strategic health and medical research plan for the nation and included recommendations relating to NHMRC. As part of the 2014–15 Budget the Government announced the establishment of the $ 20 billion Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). The MRFF provides funding to address medical research priorities, drive innovation, improve delivery of health care, boost the effectiveness of the health system, and contribute to economic growth. It therefore complements and enhances funding for health and medical research provided by NHMRC. NHMRC
150-424: A cabinet minister. The cabinet consists of the prime minister and senior ministers and makes most of the important policy decisions of the government. Members of the cabinet are selected by the prime minister and may be added or removed at any time, usually through a cabinet reshuffle . Cabinet meetings are strictly private and occur once a week where vital issues are discussed and policy formulated. The cabinet
200-727: A fivefold increase in funding. Following amendments to the NHMRC Act 1992 , NHMRC became an independent statutory agency within the Health and Ageing portfolio on 1 July 2006. The Strategic Review of Health and Medical Research in Australia ( McKeon Review ) was established by the Australian Government in late 2011, and the report of the Review was publicly released in April 2013. The Review recommended
250-625: A predominant influence over who was elected to Labor ministries, although the leaders of the party factions also exercised considerable influence. However, in 2007 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd , assumed the power to choose the ministry alone. Later, the caucus regained this power in 2013. According to reporting by the Sydney Morning Herald , ministerial positions are allocated by the Left and Right factions proportionally according to their representation in
300-464: Is an Australian lawyer, businessman, philanthropist , and sportsman. He has been chancellor of Monash University , and non-executive director of Rio Tinto , Spotless Group , and National Australia Bank . He is retained by Macquarie Bank Melbourne as a consultant and is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD). On 25 January 2011 he was named the 2011 Australian of
350-634: Is assisting the Department of Health and Aged Care to implement disbursements from the MRFF as a provisional grants hub, along with the Business Grants Hub within the Australian Department of Industry, Science and Resources. This assistance draws on NHMRC's application and assessment processes and the expertise available to NHMRC through the health and medical research sector and other sources. The CEO
400-418: Is difficult to apply as many actions by executive agencies are wide-ranging, binding and conducted independently of Parliament. The executive can also be delegated legislative power through provisions allowing for statutory instruments and Henry VIII clauses . Ultimately whether power is executive or legislative is determined on a case-by-case basis, and involves the weighing up of various factors, rather than
450-560: Is not a legal entity; it exists solely by convention. Its decisions do not in and of themselves have legal force. However, it serves as the practical expression of the Federal Executive Council , which is Australia's highest formal governmental body. In practice, the Federal Executive Council meets solely to endorse and give legal force to decisions already made by the cabinet. All members of the cabinet are members of
500-623: Is supported by the Office of NHMRC. Section 35 of the NHMRC Act 1992 allows the Minister for Health to establish Principal Committees to assist the council to carry out any of its functions. Section 39 of the Act enables the CEO to establish working committees to help carry out the functions of the CEO, the council or a Principal Committee. Peer Review Panels are the most common type of working committee established by
550-477: Is supporting the effective and rapid translation of research findings into health policy and practice. Specific activities undertaken by NHMRC to support research translation include: NHMRC is, formally, a council consisting of the Commonwealth, state and territory chief medical officers , as well as persons with expertise in a variety of areas including: This Council advises the chief executive officer (CEO) and
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#1732852122290600-603: Is the accountable authority of NHMRC. The role of CEO was established in 2000 through a change to the NHMRC Act 1992. The functions of the council, led by the chair, are to provide advice to the CEO in relation to the performance of his or her functions. Prior to the establishment of the role of CEO, a number of the CEO's functions were performed by the Secretary of the council. Australian Government [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Australian Government , also known as
650-632: The Australian Capital Territory . The head offices of all the federal departments are located in Canberra, along with Parliament House and the High Court . The name of the government in the Constitution of Australia is the "Government of the Commonwealth". This was the name used in many early federal government publications. However, in 1965 Robert Menzies indicated his preference for
700-474: The Australian Labor Party (ALP), in office since the 2022 federal election . The prime minister is the head of the federal government and is a role which exists by constitutional convention, rather than by law. They are appointed to the role by the governor-general (the representative of the monarch of Australia ). The governor-general normally appoints the parliamentary leader who commands
750-590: The Australian Takeovers Panel from 1999– 2010. He was also the Chairman of software specialist MYOB LTD 2006–2009. McKeon was chairman of CSIRO from June 2010 until 2015, replacing Dr John Stocker . McKeon was appointed to the AMP Limited Board on 27 March 2013 and subsequently appointed Chairman of AMP on 8 May 2014, replacing Peter Mason. On 26 April 2016 he announced his intention to resign from
800-707: The Commonwealth Government or simply as the Federal government , is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy . The executive consists of the prime minister and other cabinet ministers that currently have the support of a majority of the members of the House of Representatives (the lower house) and also includes the departments and other executive bodies that ministers oversee. The current executive government consists of Anthony Albanese and other ministers of
850-901: The AMP board at the conclusion of the AGM in May. McKeon is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors , and is a member of the AICD Chairman's Forum and is the inaugural President of the Australian banking industry's Review Panel for the Banking and Financing oath. He volunteered as a counsellor for heroin addicts at the First Step Clinic in St Kilda . McKeon was one of the Directors of Rio Tinto in May 2020 when
900-567: The Australian Government and other sources through the Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA) amounted to $ 882.7 million in 2018–19. This amount was exclusive of NHMRC's administrative costs, which are funded separately to the MREA. The funds invested by NHMRC are drawn from its Medical Research Endowment Account and from separate accounts established to hold philanthropic gifts and bequests. One of NHMRC's primary responsibilities
950-564: The CEO. In May 1923, the Australian Government called a Premiers' Conference "to devise measures for the co-operation of the Commonwealth and the States and of States with States and to provide uniformity of legislation and administration on health matters". By agreement at the Conference, a Royal Commission on health was appointed in 1925. The report of the commission (the Hone Report) recommended
1000-560: The Commonwealth on the expenditure of money on medical research. To support this latter activity, the Medical Research Endowment Act 1937 was passed. This Act established the Medical Research Endowment Fund to support medical research. The National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992 ( NHMRC Act 1992 ) , which came into effect on 24 June 1993, provided a legislative basis for NHMRC. In 1998,
1050-456: The Constitution . These were defined by High Court Justice Anthony Mason , as powers "peculiarly adapted to the government of a nation and which cannot otherwise be carried on for the benefit of the nation". They have been found to include the power to provide financial stimulus payments to households during a financial crisis and the power to prevent "unlawful non-citizens" from entering
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#17328521222901100-534: The Dismissal of 1975. In that case, the Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed the prime minister and government due to his conclusion that the government had failed to secure supply. The propriety of the use of the powers during that event remain highly contested. The Federal Executive Council is the body that formally advises the governor-general in the exercise of executive power. Decisions of
1150-668: The Executive Council. A senior member of the cabinet holds the office of vice-president of the Executive Council and acts as presiding officer of the Executive Council in the absence of the governor-general. The cabinet meets not only in Canberra but also in state capitals, most frequently Sydney and Melbourne. Kevin Rudd was in favour of the cabinet meeting in other places, such as major regional cities. There are Commonwealth Parliament Offices in each state capital, with those in Sydney located in 1 Bligh Street . Until 1956 all members of
1200-520: The Health and Medical Research Strategic Review committee, chaired by Mr Peter Wills AC, presented a report to the Australian Government ( The Virtuous Cycle ) which led to a significant increase in funding for the health and medical research sector through NHMRC. Between 2000 and 2018, the number of NHMRC-funded grants – across all research grant schemes – increased from 1870 to 4241 active grants, and total expenditure from NHMRC's Medical Research Endowment Account increased from $ 170 million to $ 861 million:
1250-511: The King and the governor-general must follow the advice of the prime minister or other ministers in the exercise of his powers. Powers subject to the governor-general’s discretion are known as reserve powers. While certain reserve powers, such as the ability to choose the prime minister most likely to command the confidence of the lower house, are uncontroversial, others are subject to much greater debate. The most notable example of their use occurring in
1300-778: The NHMRC. As an independent arm of the Department of Health , the NHMRC funds high quality health and medical research, builds research capability in Australia, support the translation of health and medical research into better health outcomes, and promote the ethics and integrity in research. Non-health research is funded by the Australian Research Council . The National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992 provides for NHMRC to pursue activities designed to: NHMRC invests in health and medical research through its grant program. Funding received for health and medical research from
1350-538: The Parliament. The King is not involved with the day-to-day operations of the government, belonging (according to the Bagehot formulation) to the "dignified" rather than the "efficient" part of government. While the executive power of the Commonwealth is formally vested in the monarch, the Constitution requires those powers to be exercisable by a governor-general, appointed by the monarch as their representative (but since
1400-633: The Year . After completing a Bachelor of Commerce in 1976 and Bachelor of Laws in 1978, both at the University of Melbourne , Simon McKeon practised law in Sydney with Blake Dawson Waldron before taking up a post with the Macquarie Bank , where he became the Executive Chairman (Melbourne Office). He was Founding President of the statutory dispute resolution body for Australian public company takeovers,
1450-573: The allocation of their portfolios. When Labor first held office under Chris Watson , Watson assumed the right to choose members of his cabinet. In 1907, however, the party decided that future Labor cabinets would be elected by the members of the Parliamentary Labor Party, the Caucus , and the prime minister would retain the right to allocate portfolios. This practice was followed until 2007. Between 1907 and 2007, Labor prime ministers exercised
1500-488: The application of a strict test. As most executive power is granted by statute, the executive power of the government is similarly limited to those areas in which the Commonwealth is granted the power to legislate under the constitution (primarily under section 51 ). They also retain certain powers traditionally part of the royal prerogative , such as the power to declare war and enter into treaties. Finally, there exists certain "nationhood powers", implied from section 61 of
1550-444: The appointing of Sir Isaac Isaacs in 1931, always appointed according to the advice of federal ministers, rather than British ministers). Members of the government do not exercise executive power of their own accord but are instead appointed by the governor-general as ministers, formally as the "Queen's [or King's] Ministers of State". As such, while government ministers make most major decisions in cabinet, if those decisions require
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1600-414: The body give legal effect to decisions already deliberated at cabinet. All current and formers ministers are members of the council, although only current ministers are summoned to meetings. The governor-general usually presides at council meetings, but in his or her absence another minister nominated as the vice-president of the Executive Council presides at the meeting of the council. Since 1 June 2022,
1650-594: The bottom layer includes public servants , police, government departments and independent statutory bodies who directly implement policy and laws. Executive power is also difficult to clearly define. In the British context, it was defined by John Locke as all government power not legislative or judicial in nature. The key distinction is that while legislative power involves setting down rules of general application, executive power involves applying those rules to specific situations. In practice, however, this definition
1700-466: The confidence of a majority of the members of the House of Representatives. Also by convention, the prime minister is a member of the lower house. The prime minister and their sworn ministers form the cabinet , the key decision-making organ of the government that makes policy and decides the agenda of the government. Members of the government can exercise both legislative power (through their control of
1750-414: The constitution of a Federal Health Council as an advisory body which should meet at least annually for the purpose of reviewing co-operation between Commonwealth and State health authorities. The Report also recommended that the Commonwealth should provide a fund in aid of research on health questions, and establish a Council to administer it. In response to these recommendations, a Federal Health Council
1800-421: The country . Ministers drawn from the Australian parliament form the core of the Australian Government. A subset of these ministers form the cabinet, the de facto highest executive body of the government. Ministers not part of cabinet belong to the outer ministry. Additionally, there are also assistant ministers (formally parliamentary secretaries ), responsible for a specific policy area, reporting directly to
1850-419: The formal endorsement of the governor-general in council, those decisions do not have legal force until approved by the Federal Executive Council , which is presided over by the governor-general. Similarly, laws passed by both houses of parliament require royal assent before being enacted, as the monarch is a constituent part of the Parliament. However, in all these cases, except for certain reserve powers,
1900-465: The mining company deliberately destroyed the Australian Aboriginal sacred site at Juukan Gorge - the only inland site in Australia to show signs of continuous human occupation for over 46,000 years. Following his role in the controversy and its aftermath, McKeon was promoted from Independent Director to Senior Independent Director, with an accompanying $ 80,000 pay rise. In October 2015, it
1950-746: The ministry differs depending on their party. When the Liberal Party and its predecessors (the Nationalist Party and the United Australia Party ) have been in coalition with the National Party or its predecessor the Country Party , the leader of the junior Coalition party has had the right to nominate their party's members of the Coalition ministry, and to be consulted by the prime minister on
2000-459: The ministry were members of the cabinet. The growth of the ministry in the 1940s and 1950s made this increasingly impractical, and in 1956 Robert Menzies created a two-tier ministry, with only senior ministers holding cabinet rank, also known within parliament as the front bench . This practice has been continued by all governments except the Whitlam government . The prime minister's power to select
2050-399: The name "Australian Government" in order to prevent confusion with the new Commonwealth of Nations . The Whitlam government legislated the use of "Government of Australia" in 1973 in line with its policy of promoting national goals and aspirations. However, academic Anne Twomey argues that the government was also motivated by a desire to blur the differences between the Commonwealth and
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2100-404: The other two branches of government, however, membership of the executive is not clearly defined. One definition describes the executive as a pyramid, consisting of three layers. At the top stands the king, as the symbolic apex and formal repository of executive power. Below him lies a second layer made up of the prime minister, cabinet and other ministers who in practice lead the executive. Finally,
2150-418: The parliament) and executive power (as ministers on behalf of the governor-general and the monarch). However, in accordance with responsible government , and to ensure accountability, actions of the government in its executive capacity are subject to scrutiny from parliament. The Australian Government is headquartered in the executive wing of Parliament House , located in the nation's capital, Canberra , in
2200-576: The previous proposals on research made by the Royal Commission on Health. In September 1936, a revised Order-in-Council created a National Health and Medical Research Council to replace the Federal Health Council. In addition to its previous role advising the Commonwealth and states (but not territories, as these did not exist at that time) on public health questions, NHMRC was also able to provide advice on medical research, including advice to
2250-509: The states in an attempt to increase federal power. The Parliament of Australia website also notes that the name "Australian Government" is preferable in order to avoid confusion with the Commonwealth of Nations and the US federal government by those not familiar with Australia's system of government. This terminology remains preferred by the government. However, the terms Commonwealth Government and federal government are also common. In some contexts,
2300-455: The term "government" refers to all public agencies that exercise the power of the State , whether legislative, executive or judicial. The government's primary role, in its executive capacity, is to implement the laws passed by the parliament. However, laws are frequently drafted according to the interests of the executive branch as the government often also controls the legislative branch. Unlike
2350-619: The vice-president has been senator Katy Gallagher . As of 17 August 2024 , there are 16 departments of the Australian Government. Additionally, there are four departments which support the Parliament of Australia : The following corporations are prescribed by Acts of Parliament: As of March 2024 , the following Corporate Commonwealth entities are prescribed as Government Business Enterprises (GBEs): The following Commonwealth companies are prescribed as GBEs: Simon McKeon Simon Vincent McKeon (born 19 December 1955)
2400-660: Was announced that McKeon would succeed Dr Alan Finkel as Chancellor of Monash University in January 2016. He has been a part-time lecturer with Melbourne University's Masters of Applied Finance and Masters of Laws courses and has been a member of the Advisory Board of the University's Centre for Energy and Resources Law. He served on the Campaign Board of the University of Melbourne from 2013 until 2015. In October 2015, McKeon
2450-536: Was conferred an honorary Doctorate of Public Health by La Trobe University. On 25 January 2011, McKeon was named the 2011 Australian of the Year . On 11 June 2012, McKeon was named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "distinguished service to business and commerce through leadership and advisory roles, and to the community as a supporter of national and international charitable, educational and sporting organisations." In 2014, McKeon, along with Harry Messel ,
2500-614: Was established by the Governor-General (by Order-in-Council) in 1926. The secretariat to the council was provided by the Australian Government Department of Health, which was itself established in 1921. The first meeting of the council was held on the 25 January 1927. At its ninth session, in April 1936, the Council proposed a revision of its functions, and the Commonwealth responded to this recommendation, together with
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