43-707: The National Rail Corporation was an Australian rail operator established by the Federal , New South Wales and Victorian governments in February 1992. In February 2002, National Rail was sold to a Patrick Corporation and Toll Holdings consortium and rebranded Pacific National . The National Rail Corporation was established in February 1992 after the Federal Government , and State Governments of New South Wales and Victoria agreed to its establishment in July 1991. It took over
86-519: A Patrick Corporation and Toll Holdings consortium and rebranded as Pacific National . Upon commencing operations in April 1993, National Rail inherited a diverse collection of rolling stock. The fleet included locomotives of mixed age and power provided by Australian National , FreightCorp and V/Line . This was an interim measure pending delivery of a fleet of modern locomotives to replace them. An order for 80, later to become 120 NR class locomotives
129-424: 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
172-637: A class of diesel locomotive built by Clyde Engineering , Rosewater for the Victorian Railways in 1977–1978. The C class were purchased by the Victorian Railways for heavy freight haulage. They are a variant of the WAGR L class (itself an Australianised EMD SD40 ) fitted with safety cabs . Initially, the first four were placed on the North East line to haul services from Melbourne to Albury while
215-625: 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
258-418: 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
301-560: 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
344-524: 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
387-687: 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
430-474: 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
473-811: The 1435 mm standard gauge. However until the Melbourne-Adelaide railway was converted in June 1995, these services operated on the 1600 mm broad gauge. SteelLink services from Port Kembla to Long Island used to transfer their loads from standard gauge to broad gauge wagons at Albury , but this was transferred to Dynon in May 1995. From 1998, National Rail was able to compete for intrastate contracts. In June 1999, National Rail began operating blue metal trains from Dunmore to Cooks River . In August 1999, National Rail began operating iron ore services from Cobar to Newcastle with subcontractor Silverton Rail hauling
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#1732863318253516-465: The 1600 mm broad gauge, X class locomotives were hired from V/Line until replaced by four dedicated BL class locomotives. [REDACTED] Media related to National Rail Corporation at Wikimedia Commons Government of Australia [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Australian Government , also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the Federal government ,
559-490: The C class were put into storage at Junee Locomotive Depot in 1997 before being moved to Islington Railway Workshops , Adelaide . Unlike the other locomotives National Rail initially used, ownership of the C class passed to National Rail. In August 1999 two were repainted in National Rail livery and returned to service as Melbourne shunters. The class was then sold with one going to Seymour Railway Heritage Centre and
602-456: 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
645-534: 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
688-668: 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
731-511: 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
774-588: The National Rail roster in November 1997 and placed in store at Islington Railway Workshops . Once all 120 NR class locomotives were delivered, the National Rail retained the BL , DL and AN class units, along with thirteen 81 class and several hired G class . National Rail decided it would operate diesel locomotives over the electrified New South Wales lines from Sydney to Broadmeadow and Lithgow . To operate SteelLink services for BHP from Long Island to Dynon on
817-538: 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
860-573: 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
903-488: 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
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#1732863318253946-444: 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
989-414: 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,
1032-594: 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
1075-466: 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
1118-538: 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
1161-472: The driver and guard using fixed units in lieu of the earlier portable units. The trial was deemed a success, with through-running becoming a regular feature from 12 November. At the time a number of C Class engines were running on the standard gauge between Melbourne and Albury, and it was intended to recall these for broad gauge interstate work and have them replaced by locomotives from Australian National Railways. In September 1988, two were transferred back to
1204-419: 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,
1247-540: The latter six were put on the broad gauge to haul services on the Serviceton line . Following upgrades to the infrastructure, they were also able to operate on the Ballarat to Geelong line and from January 1982 through to Adelaide with the standard gauge units transferred to the broad gauge . On 3 August 1979, engines C505 and 506 ran through to Adelaide for the first time as part of a trial of through-running, in place of
1290-746: 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
1333-459: 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
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1376-399: 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
1419-562: The other nine to Allco Rail with two leased to Pacific National and seven to Silverton Rail as the Cs class. Following the collapse of Allco Finance three were sold to Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia and six to Greentrains in January 2008 with all resuming their original identities. In April 2016, the six Greentrains units were sold to Southern Shorthaul Railroad . Having been in store at South Dynon Locomotive Depot , all were taken to
1462-404: 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,
1505-418: 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
1548-498: The previous practice involving changing locomotives at the border. C505 led on the westbound trip with a trailing load of 1,755 tonnes and 506 led on the eastbound with 1,804 tonnes. A number of stop-and-start tests were undertaken on the Adelaide hills line to test the engines' ability to handle heavy loads, and running times were tested particularly between Tailem Bend and Mile End. New radio communication systems were also trialled between
1591-519: The running of all interstate services from Australian National , FreightCorp and V/Line . National Rail took over cross-border operations progressively from April 1993 over the interstate network between Brisbane , Sydney , Melbourne , Adelaide , Alice Springs and Perth . The first National Rail crewed trains ran between Melbourne and Adelaide on 8 November 1993. National Rail established four business units, Intermodal, SeaTrain, SteelLink and Trailerail. Most of National Rail's operations were on
1634-450: The standard gauge and began to operate services through to Sydney . Following the Melbourne-Adelaide railway being closed for gauge conversion , all remaining broad gauge units were converted to standard gauge and operated services from Melbourne to Parkes until the converted line reopened in July 1995. All were transferred by V/Line to National Rail in June 1995. Following the delivery of National Rail's NR class locomotives,
1677-509: 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,
1720-455: 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
1763-556: The trains between Cobar and Narromine . In November 1999, National Rail began operating limestone services from Marulan to Port Kembla . In early 2000, National Rail commenced operating a contract for Macquarie Generation to haul coal to their Bayswater and Liddell Power Stations in the Hunter Valley . In February 2002, National Rail was combined with the New South Wales Government owned FreightCorp and sold to
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1806-613: 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: Victorian Railways C class (diesel) The C Class are
1849-538: Was placed with A Goninan & Co in September 1995. The first unit commenced trials in September 1996 with all delivered by October 1997. With the arrival of the NR class, National Rail was able to return leased units to their owners, including FreightCorp 422 , 80 , 81 , and 82 class units; Silverton Rail 442s ; and V/Line C class locomotives. The relatively new Australian National EL class were also withdrawn from
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