The Executive Council of New South Wales (informally and more commonly, the Cabinet of New South Wales) is the cabinet of that Australian state, consisting of the Ministers, presided over by the Governor[1] .
Role and history
Made up of members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and the New South Wales Legislative Council, the Cabinet is similar in structure and role to the Cabinet of Australia. As federal and state responsibilities differ there are a number of different portfolios between the federal and state governments, most prominent being the absence of foreign or defence portfolios in state governments. Once sworn in, the members of the council are entitled to bear the title "The Honourable". Once leaving office, however, they must relinquish it unless they have served more than three years on the council or have been approved to bear it for life by the monarch on the advice of the council.
While typically the Governor acts as the President of the Executive Council, a minister is typically appointed to be Vice-President of the Executive Council to act as chair in the absence of the governor and to facilitate the agenda and reports of members before the council and the crown.
The Governor of New South Wales, as representative of the Queen in Right of New South Wales, heads the council, and is referred to as the Governor in Council. Other members of the Cabinet, who advise, or minister, the vice-regal, are selected by the Premier of New South Wales and appointed by the Governor. Most cabinet ministers are the head of a ministry, but this is not always the case.
In the early Crown colony of New South Wales prior to full self-government in 1856, the Executive Council was largely appointed by the Governor and included military and judicial officials, their role that of the Governor's cabinet, similar to the present except that the Governor took part in cabinet meetings and political decisions, whereas modern Governors do not. The colonial Legislative Council, established in 1824, was subordinate to the Governor and the Council and served more as a sounding-board than a legislative body.
Queen-in-Council
The Government of New South Wales, which is formally referred to as Her Majesty's Government is defined by the Constitution of New South Wales (1902) as the Queen acting on the advice of the Executive Council, or sometimes the Governor-in-Council, referring to the Governor as the Queen's representative. The sovereign or her viceroy govern by issuing Orders in Council, certified by the royal or viceroyal sign-manual and the Great Seal of New South Wales. In the construct of constitutional monarchy and responsible government, this is done on ministerial advice that is typically binding, though the sovereign and his or her representative may unilaterally use these powers in exceptional constitutional crisis situations.
Current Cabinet
The current ministry has been in place since Barry O'Farrell was sworn into office by the Governor on 28 March 2011.[2] He named the current cabinet a few days later on 3 April 2011, being sworn in by the Lieutenant Governor, James Spigelman.[3]
References
- ^ "The Governor of NSW". Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
- ^ "Barry O'Farrell sworn in as NSW Premier". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. AAP. 28 March 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
- ^ "New faces in Barry O'Farrell's Cabinet". The Australian. AAP. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.