(176 KB)Members' roles and responsibilities
All MLAs have three core responsibilities as elected members. They may also take on additional roles with extra responsibilities, too.
Their main responsibilities
As elected members of parliament, all MLAs have three main responsibilities that come with the job. They are responsible for:
- making, changing, and removing laws for the ACT
- holding the government accountable for its actions and spending, and
- representing the interests and concerns of the people in their electorate.
Every MLA shares these responsibilities, regardless of how long they have been in office, what party (if any) they belong to, and what other roles they take on.
Other roles
Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Assistant Speakers
The Speaker is the head of the Assembly. They are elected by all MLAs at the first sitting after an election to run the parliament on their behalf. Some responsibilities of this role are to:
- run the chamber on sitting days
- interpret and enforce standing orders – the Assembly’s rule book
- look after the Assembly building precincts
- appoint the Clerk and Officers of the Assembly, and
- represent the Assembly elsewhere in Australia or overseas.
Being fair and impartial is an important requirement of being the Speaker. To not appear biased, MLAs who are elected Speaker often stop attending their political party’s caucus meetings.
A Deputy Speaker is also elected to take on these responsibilities if they Speaker is away. Some MLAs also take on the responsibility of running the chamber on sitting days as Assistant Speakers.
Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister
The Chief Minister is the head of the government. They are elected by all MLAs at the first sitting after an election. This is unique to the ACT – nowhere else in Australia elects their Premier or Chief or Prime Minister. Some responsibilities of this role include to:
- lead the ACT Government
- appoint MLAs as ministers to help run the government
- set the government’s policy direction
- manage the annual budget, and
- represent the ACT elsewhere in Australia or overseas.
They also appoint a Deputy Chief Minister to take on these responsibilities if they are away.
Opposition Leader
The Opposition Leader is the leader of the largest party not in government. It is not a formal role. Their responsibilities are also those of the whole Opposition: to hold the government accountable for its actions and spending.
Ministers, shadow ministers, and spokespeople
A minister is an MLA responsible for running an area of government. They are appointed by the Chief Minister. There can be no more than nine ministers (including the Chief Minister) at any one time. However, it is common for ministers to hold multiple portfolios. Some of their responsibilities include:
- making policy decisions in the areas of government they look after
- answering questions from other MLAs during question time
- responding to public petitions, and
- appearing at estimates and annual reports hearings.
A shadow minister or spokesperson is an MLA who focuses on an area of government. Though they are appointed by their party leaders, these are not formal roles. Their responsibility is to hold ministers accountable for their decisions and actions on a certain topic.
Whips
A whip is an MLA who manages their party in the Assembly chamber. They are appointed by their party leaders and work with them closely. Their responsibilities include to:
- ensure their party’s MLAs are in the chamber when a vote is taken
- manage with other whips if an MLA is away or sick to keep votes proportional, and
- advise the Speaker on how the Assembly is run.
We inherited the job title ‘whip’ from the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It comes from fox hunting, where a ‘whipper-in’ is the person whose job is to keep the hunting dog pack together.