Shadow cabinet (Australia)

According to , the shadow cabinet exists as a "recognised component of the parliamentary system" but "the functions, roles and practices of the Shadow Cabinet are far less clear than those of the Cabinet". The role of the shadow ministry in making opposition policy has varied. Meetings of shadow cabinet are less formal than actual cabinet meetings, typically lasting a shorter time. Many of the characteristics of the cabinet also apply to the shadow cabinet, such as shadow cabinet collective responsibility. ==History==

In May 1965, the Australian Labor Party Caucus voted to establish a formal shadow ministry of 25 members. This replaced an earlier "opposition executive" consisting of 14 members. Since 1987, the shadow ministry has had at least as many members as the ministry, and sometimes more. Shadow parliamentary secretaries (known as shadow assistant ministers since 2016) were first appointed in 1990. ==Current arrangement==

, ordinary shadow ministers were entitled to either a 20 or 25 percent loading on top of the base parliamentary salary. The loading depends on the number of shadow ministers. Officeholders within the opposition receive higher loadings, up to 87 percent for the leader of the opposition. Historically, ordinary shadow ministers received no additional salary compared to backbenchers but were granted an additional staffing allowance. ==See also==