[5] The current executive government consists of Anthony Albanese and other ministers of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), in office since the 2022 federal election.

[7] The prime minister is the head of the federal government and is a role which exists by constitutional convention, rather than by law.

[8] The governor-general normally appoints the parliamentary leader who commands the confidence of a majority of the members of the House of Representatives.

[16] However, in 1965 Robert Menzies indicated his preference for the name "Australian Government" in order to prevent confusion with the new Commonwealth of Nations.

[b][20][16] However, academic Anne Twomey argues that the government was also motivated by a desire to blur the differences between the Commonwealth and the states in an attempt to increase federal power.

[24] In some contexts, the term "government" refers to all public agencies that exercise the power of the State, whether legislative, executive or judicial.

[25][26] The government's primary role, in its executive capacity, is to implement the laws passed by the parliament.

Finally, the bottom layer includes public servants, police, government departments and independent statutory bodies who directly implement policy and laws.

In the British context, it was defined by John Locke as all government power not legislative or judicial in nature.

In practice, however, this definition 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.

[30] 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 the application of a strict test.

A subset of these ministers form the cabinet, the de facto highest executive body of the government.

[41] Cabinet meetings are strictly private and occur once a week where vital issues are discussed and policy formulated.

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.

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.