[1] The opposition leader is the head of the shadow ministry, allocating portfolios and, in the case of the Coalition, determining its membership.

[1] The position of opposition leader has no constitutional basis but exists as a matter of convention in the Westminster system.

A 1960 inquiry into parliamentary salaries and allowances observed:[1] The Leader of the Opposition has to make himself master of all the business which comes before the House (not merely that of one or two departments); he has to do this at times at short notice and under constant pressure; and he gets no help from permanent officials.

George Reid became the de facto leader of the opposition in the lead-up to the inaugural 1901 federal election, following the appointment of Edmund Barton to lead a caretaker government as Australia's first prime minister.

As a result, Reid had to maintain his legal practice in Sydney to support himself and was able to attend just over one-third of the sitting days in the first session of parliament.

[5] Although the role was firmly established, the House did not formally recognise the position of opposition leader in its records until 1920.

[5] Prime Minister Andrew Fisher had previously offered Opposition Leader Alfred Deakin an allowance in 1910.