As a leader of the party with the most seats at a general election, the Prime Minister is able to form government. He chooses the other members of the Cabinet and has a residence and offices at 10 Downing Street.
Prime Ministers lead the executive branch of government, which is responsible for implementing policy. This includes the budget and financial affairs, macroeconomic policy, foreign relations, defence and security. The Prime Minister and his team of advisers must keep abreast of public opinion through polls, by-elections and the activities of pressure groups. They must also be able to manage the political ambitions of their cabinet. The most successful prime ministers have been able to keep their caucus behind them, allowing them to serve long terms in office, for example Sidney Holland (from 1949-57) and Keith Holyoake (from 1960-72).
The Prime Minister also leads the Union government which consists of the Commonwealth member states. The Prime Minister must work closely with State governments to ensure that Federal and State government business is conducted smoothly. The Prime Minister is the leading spokesperson on policy issues and during a crisis is the country’s political crisis manager. He meets diverse groups of people in the country, gets memos and communicates with the media to convey a positive image of the Government to citizens.
The Prime Minister is a member of the Privy Council, earning the title ‘The Right Honourable’. He must remain a privy counsellor after becoming prime minister and it is a constitutional convention that only a privy counsellor can be the prime minister.
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