The Leader of the Opposition is an elected Member of the House of Assembly and the leader of the party with the second largest number of seats in the House of Assembly. They are the chief spokesperson for their party.
What does the Leader of the Opposition do?
The Leader of the Opposition leads their party in the Parliament. They participate in debate and lead the Opposition in scrutinising (closely checking) the work of the Government. They do this by questioning government policies, decisions and spending. The Opposition also proposes alternative ideas for solving problems facing Tasmania, and are sometimes known as the "alternative Government".
Despite the name, the Leader of the Opposition does not always oppose Government policies. If they believe that Government ideas are in the best interests of Tasmanians, they will vote in support of them.
The Leader of the Opposition chooses Members from their party to be "Shadow Ministers". Shadow Ministers are given specific areas of government work to scrutinise. For example there is a Shadow Minister for Health, who is the Opposition expert on health and carefully checks the Government's work in this area. The Leader of the Opposition may also have shadow ministries they are responsible for.
How is the Leader of the Opposition chosen?
To be eligible to be the Leader of the Opposition, a person must be elected to the House of Assembly. The Leader of the Opposition is chosen by their party. They stay Leader of the Opposition unless they lose their seat at an election, or their party loses confidence in them and chooses another party member to take on the role.