Table of precedence for the Commonwealth of Australia
Appearance
The following is the Australian Table of Precedence.
- The Queen of Australia (Elizabeth II)
- The Governor-General of Australia (Sir Peter Cosgrove)
- Governors of states in order of appointment:
- Governor of New South Wales (Professor Dame Marie Bashir) (1 March 2001)
- Governor of South Australia (Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce) (8 August 2007)
- Governor of Tasmania (Peter Underwood) (2 April 2008)
- Governor of Queensland (Penelope Wensley) (29 July 2008)
- Governor of Victoria (Alex Chernov) (8 April 2011)
- Governor of Western Australia (vacant from 1 July 2014; Wayne Martin as Administrator of the State)
- The Prime Minister (Tony Abbott)
- The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives in order of appointment:
- The Chief Justice of Australia (Robert French)
- Senior diplomatic posts
- Ambassadors and High Commissioners in order of date of presentation of the Letters of Credence or Commission
- Chargés d'affaires en pied or en titre in order of date of presentation of the Letters of Credence or Commission
- Chargés d'affaires and Acting High Commissioners in order of date of assumption of duties
- Members of the Federal Executive Council:
- Vice-President of the Executive Council, Attorney-General and Minister for the Arts (George Brandis)
- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development (Warren Truss)
- Minister for Foreign Affairs (Julie Bishop)
- Minister for Employment and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Public Service (Eric Abetz)
- Treasurer (Joe Hockey)
- Minister for Agriculture (Barnaby Joyce)
- Minister for Education (Christopher Pyne)
- Minister for Indigenous Affairs (Nigel Scullion)
- Minister for Industry (Ian Macfarlane)
- Minister for Social Services (Kevin Andrews)
- Minister for Communications (Malcolm Turnbull)
- Minister for Health and Minister for Sport (Peter Dutton)
- Minister for Small Business (Bruce Billson)
- Minister for Trade and Investment (Andrew Robb)
- Minister for Defence (David Johnston)
- Minister for Environment (Greg Hunt)
- Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (Scott Morrison)
- Minister for Finance (Mathias Cormann)
- Assistant Minister for Social Services (Mitch Fifield)
- Assistant Minister for Health (Fiona Nash)
- Assistant Minister for Employment (Luke Hartsuyker)
- Assistant Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC (Michael Ronaldson)
- Assistant Minister for Education (Sussan Ley)
- Minister for Human Services (Marise Payne)
- Minister for Justice (Michael Keenan)
- Assistant Minister for Defence (Stuart Robert)
- Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women (Michaelia Cash)
- Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development (Jamie Briggs)
- Assistant Treasurer (Arthur Sinodinos)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture (Richard Colbeck)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry (Bob Baldwin)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Brett Mason)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer (Steven Ciobo)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Services (Concetta Fierravanti-Wells)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment (Simon Birmingham)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education (Scott Ryan)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence (Darren Chester)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications (Paul Fletcher)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (Josh Frydenberg)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (Alan Tudge)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance (Michael McCormack)
- Administrators of Territories in order of appointment:
- The Leader of the Opposition (Bill Shorten)
- Former Governors-General in order of leaving office:
- Sir Ninian Stephen (1982–1989)
- Bill Hayden (1989–1996)
- Sir William Deane (1996–2001)
- Dr Peter Hollingworth (2001–2003)
- Major General Michael Jeffery (2003–2008)
- Dame Quentin Bryce (2008–2014)
- Former Prime Ministers in order of leaving office:
- Gough Whitlam (1972–1975)
- Malcolm Fraser (1975–1983)
- Bob Hawke (1983–1991)
- Paul Keating (1991–1996)
- John Howard (1996–2007)
- Kevin Rudd (2007–2010, 2013)
- Julia Gillard (2010–2013)
- Former Chief Justices of Australia in order of leaving office:
- Sir Anthony Mason (1987–1995)
- Sir Gerard Brennan (1995–1998)
- Murray Gleeson (1998–2008)
- Premiers of states in order of state populations:
- The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory (Adam Giles)
- The Chief Minister of Norfolk Island (David Buffett)
- The Lord Mayor "within their City" (only applicable in a city with a Lord Mayor)
- Justices of the High Court in order of appointment:
- Kenneth Hayne (appointed 1997)
- Susan Crennan (appointed 2005)
- Susan Kiefel (appointed 2007)
- Virginia Bell (appointed 2009)
- Stephen Gageler (appointed 2012)
- Patrick Keane (appointed 2013)
- The Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia (James Allsop)
- The President of Fair Work Australia (Iain Ross)
- Chief Justices of States in order of appointment:
- The Chief of the Defence Force (Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin)
- Australian members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- Chief Judges of Federal Courts in order of appointment
- Members of Parliament (see list of Australian Senators and list of members of the Australian House of Representatives)
- Judges of Federal Courts and Deputy Presidents of the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission in order of appointment
- Lord Mayors of capital cities in order of city populations:
- Heads of religious communities according to the date of assuming office in Australia
- Presiding officers of State Legislatures in order of appointment
- Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly (Michael Sutherland)
- President of the Western Australian Legislative Council (Barry House)
- President of the Victorian Legislative Council (Bruce Atkinson)
- President of the New South Wales Legislative Council (Don Harwin)
- Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (Shelley Hancock)
- Speaker of the Queensland Legislative Assembly (Fiona Simpson)
- President of the South Australian Legislative Council (John Gazzola)
- Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly (Michael Atkinson)
- President of the Tasmanian Legislative Council (Jim Wilkinson)
- Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly (Christine Fyffe)
- Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly (Elise Archer)
- Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly (Kezia Purick)
- Speaker of the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly (David Buffett)
- Members of State Executive Councils in order of appointment
- Members of the Northern Territory Executive Council in order of appointment
- Leaders of the Opposition of State Legislatures in order of state populations
- Leader of the Opposition of the Northern Territory Legislature (Delia Lawrie)
- Judges of State Supreme Courts in order of appointment
- Members of State Legislatures in order of state populations
- Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
- Members of the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly
- The Secretaries of Departments of the Australian Public Service and their peers and the Chiefs of the Air Force, Army, and Navy and Vice-Chief of the Defence Force[citation needed] in order of first appointment to this group
- Vice-Chief of the Defence Force (Vice Admiral Ray Griggs)
- Chief of the Army (Lieutenant General David Morrison)
- Chief of the Navy (Vice Admiral Ray Griggs)
- Chief of the Air Force (Air Marshal Geoff Brown)
- Consuls-General, Consuls and Vice-Consuls according to the date on which recognition was granted
- Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory
- Recipients of Decorations or Honours from the Sovereign
Notes
- While the Queen herself is not listed in the order of precedence in the official Gazette, as Queen of Australia she holds the highest precedence in Australia.
- The Location of Officials matters for precedence; an official enjoys different precedence within and without his or her state.
- Each State and Territory also has its own Table of Precedence.
- The recipients of Decorations or Honours gain precedence in the order of Seniority or Superiority of the Orders themselves; the Orders of Knighthood in Australia have the same seniority as in the United Kingdom, with a few insertions or promotions of entirely Australian, non-British honours; see Australian Honours Order of Wearing.
- No reference is made to ACT Chief Minister or the Leader of the Opposition. This appears to be an oversight after the ACT was granted Self Government. This has been raised with the Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.[citation needed]
References
- Table of Precedence for the Commonwealth of Australia– as Gazetted in Special Gazette No. S206 on Tuesday, 5 October 1982. Note, this pre dates ACT Self Government, 1988.
- Protocol Guidelines, Appendix 22, Commonwealth Table of Precedence