Lyla Lindsey
In Australia, the Chief Government Whip is a member of parliament chosen to manage the business of their party and ensure party discipline. The position was created on May 12, 1994, and the current Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives is Joanne Ryan of the Australian Labor Party, who has held the office since May 31, 2022. The Chief Whip has the same power as ministers and parliamentary secretaries to move business motions and plays a central role in voting, ensuring their fellow party members are present and on the correct side of the house. They also draw up lists of speakers in debates and negotiate 'pairs' from opposing parties to balance numbers between the government and opposition.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of paid whips in Parliament | 14 |
| Number of Labor and Liberal whips | 5 each |
| Number of Nationals whips | 2 in the House of Representatives and 1 in the Senate |
| Number of Greens whips | 1 in the Senate |
| Additional salary for Government Chief Whip in the House of Representatives | 26% of base pay as MP |
| Additional salary for Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Representatives | 23% of base pay as MP |
| Additional salary for Government Chief Whip in the Senate | 20% of base pay as MP |
| Additional salary for Opposition Chief Whip in the Senate | 18% of base pay as MP |
| Additional salaries for other whips | Range from 3% to 13% of base pay |
| Current Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives | Joanne Ryan of the Australian Labor Party |
| Date of appointment of current Chief Government Whip | 31 May 2022 |
| Powers | Same as ministers and parliamentary secretaries to move business motions |
| Role | Ensure party discipline, help manage legislative business, and carry out other functions on behalf of the party leadership |
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What You'll Learn
The role of the Chief Whip
In the Parliament of Australia, the Chief Whip is a member of parliament chosen to manage their party during sitting weeks. The role of the Chief Whip is varied and busy, and they are responsible for managing business and maintaining party discipline for their federal political party in the House of Representatives.
The Chief Whip has the same power as ministers and parliamentary secretaries to move business motions, a right extended with the creation of the parallel chamber to facilitate the movement of business between it and the floor of the House of Representatives. This right can also be exercised by another whip acting on the Chief Whip's behalf.
During each vote, Chief Whips ensure that their fellow party members are present and seated on the correct side of the house while votes are counted. They also tally the votes. They draw up lists of speakers in debates, which are not binding but assist the occupant of the chair in deciding whom to call on.
Chief Whips also play a role in negotiating 'pairs' from opposing parties, so that numbers between the government and opposition are kept in balance if members of parliament are absent. In the House of Representatives, Chief Whips sit in the back row behind their party, so they can see who is present and what is happening among party members. They are quite visible as they move around, speaking to colleagues, organising the business of the party, and making decisions with opposing party whips, the Clerks, the President, or the Speaker.
The Chief Whip is the most senior whip in their party. Each of the three main parties appoints a Chief Whip, while the Australian Labor Party and Liberals each have an additional two whips, and the Nationals have one additional whip. The current Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives is Joanne Ryan of the Australian Labor Party, in office since 31 May 2022.
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Chief Whip's salary
The Chief Whip is a political leader who enforces the whipping system, which ensures that legislators who are members of a political party attend and vote on legislation as the party leadership prescribes. In Australia, the Chief Whip's salary is determined by their additional salary as a percentage of their base pay as an MP. The Government and Opposition Chief Whips in the House of Representatives earn an additional salary equal to 26% and 23%, respectively, of their base pay. Their counterparts in the Senate earn slightly less: 20% for the Government Chief Whip and 18% for the Opposition Chief Whip. Additional salaries for other whips range from 3% to 13% of base pay.
In Australia, each of the three main parties appoints a Chief Whip. Labor and the Liberals each have five paid whips, three in the House and two in the Senate. The Nationals have two whips in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate, and the Greens have a Senate whip.
The role of the Chief Whip is to assist the party business managers in arranging the order of business on the floor and drawing up lists of speakers in debates. They also play a primary role in managing business in the parallel debating chamber. The Chief Whip is a crucial position in maintaining party discipline and ensuring the smooth functioning of the legislative process.
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History of Chief Whips
The position of Chief Whip in the Australian House of Representatives has a long history, with the term originating in the British parliamentary system. In Australia, the role of the Chief Whip is to ensure party discipline, help manage legislative business, and carry out various functions on behalf of the party leadership.
The appointment of a second official whip in the House of Representatives appears to have begun with the Commonwealth Liberal Party in 1913, when they appointed "joint Ministerial whips". The practice of having two whips continued until 1923 when a coalition was formed, and each party contributed one whip. The senior whip, or Chief Whip, was the one who had served longer in the role.
Over time, as the number of members of parliament and the amount of business before the House increased, so too did the number of whips. In 1968, the Labor Party had a Deputy Whip, and by 1994, the titles of senior and junior whips were changed to "Chief Whip" and "Whip", respectively. The position of Government Chief Whip was officially created on 12 May 1994.
Today, each of the three main parties appoints a Chief Whip, with the Australian Labor Party and Liberals each having an additional two whips, and the Nationals having one additional whip. The current Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives is Joanne Ryan of the Australian Labor Party, who has held the position since 31 May 2022.
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Current Chief Whip
In Australia, the Chief Whip is a member of parliament chosen to be the party manager. The Chief Whip is responsible for ensuring party discipline, helping to manage legislative business, and carrying out other functions on behalf of the party leadership. They play a central role in voting, ensuring that their fellow party members are present and seated on the correct side of the house, and tallying votes. The Chief Whip also has the power to move business motions, and they play a role in managing business in the debating chamber.
The current Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives is Joanne Ryan of the Australian Labor Party. She has held this position since 31 May 2022. Ryan is also the Federal Member for Lalor.
The Chief Whip in Australia earns an additional salary on top of their base pay as an MP. This salary is equal to roughly 26% of their base pay, which is comparable to the salary of an assistant minister or a parliamentary secretary.
In addition to the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party and the Nationals also appoint a Chief Whip. The Nationals have a Chief Whip and a Whip in the House, and one Whip in the Senate. The Greens have had a Whip in the Senate since May 1995.
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Chief Whip's power
Chief whips in Australia are members of Parliament chosen to manage their party and ensure party discipline. They are not official office holders, but they are recognised for parliamentary purposes. The role of chief whip is so varied and busy that the major parties appoint two deputy whips to support them.
Chief whips have the same power as ministers and parliamentary secretaries to move business motions. This right was extended with the creation of the parallel chamber (then called the Main Committee) to facilitate the movement of business between it and the floor of the House of Representatives. Another whip can also exercise this right on behalf of the Chief Whip.
Chief whips play a central role in voting. During each vote, they ensure their fellow party members are present and seated on the correct side of the house while votes are counted. They also tally the votes.
Chief whips are responsible for negotiating 'pairs' from opposing parties, so that numbers between the government and opposition are kept in balance if members of parliament are absent. In the House of Representatives, whips sit in the back row behind their party so they can see who is present and what is happening among party members.
In addition to their duties as a senator or member of the House, the chief whip has many responsibilities, including: meeting with the whips of other parties to plan what will be talked about during a sitting day; creating a list of party members to speak on bills and other issues, and then giving this list to either the President of the Senate or Speaker of the House of Representatives; and ensuring that party members attend and vote together during a division.
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Frequently asked questions
A Chief Government Whip in Australia is a member of parliament who has been chosen to be the party manager.
The Chief Government Whip has the same power as ministers and parliamentary secretaries to move business motions. They also play a central role in voting, ensuring that their fellow party members are present and seated on the correct side of the house while votes are counted.
The Government and Opposition Chief Whips in the House of Representatives earn an additional salary equal to 26% and 23%, respectively, of their base pay as MPs.
The current Chief Government Whip in the House of Representatives is Joanne Ryan of the Australian Labor Party, in office since 31 May 2022.
Each of the three main parties appoints a Chief Whip. The Nationals have a Chief Whip and a Whip in the House and one Whip in the Senate. The Greens have had a Whip in the Senate since May 1995.
