Federal Cabinet of Concadia

The Cabinet of the Federal Republic of Concadia is a group in the government of the Federal Republic of Concadia, consisting of the highest-ranking Ministers of the Republic in the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Concadia. A committee of the Executive Council, the Cabinet consists of the principal secretaries who head government departments.

The current Cabinet was formed by Oliver Slaughter on 10 September 2031 following a reshuffle.

Ministers
Ministers of the Republic are selected from the elected members of the House of Commons and the House of Senators. Following the Cabinet Act 1964, all senior Ministers must be selected from the House of Commons. Senior Cabinet Ministers usually head government departments, mostly with the title ‘Federal Secretary of …’. Some are junior Federal Ministers, working within government departments.

Composition
Cabinet Ministers, like all other Ministers, are appointed and may be dismissed by the President with or without notice on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Cabinet has always been led by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet Act 1843 limits the number of Cabinet Ministers to 19 Ministers, but there are regular attendees who are not paid as Cabinet Ministers.

The Cabinet Secretary does not have a political appointment such as a Federal Secretary and is not a member of the Cabinet, but is the head of the Republic’s Civil Service.

In constitutional terms, the Cabinet is the executive committee of the Executive Council. Therefore, all members of the Cabinet are members of the Executive Council and are thus entitled to be styled ‘The Right Honourable..’.

There are also several junior members of the Government who are not members of the Cabinet. These include Federal Ministers, Parliamentary Under-Secretaries and Parliamentary Private Secretaries. Some junior Ministers below Cabinet level may be invited to all Cabinet meetings as a matter of course, for example, the Attorney General.

Meetings of the Cabinet
The Cabinet meets regularly, usually weekly on a Tuesday morning, to discuss the most important issues of government policy. Following a Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister usually has an audience with the President.

The Cabinet has numerous sub-committees which look at particular issues, especially ones that cut across several ministerial responsibilities. These may be permanent or set up for a short duration to look at particular issues. Junior Ministers are usually members of these committees, along with Secretaries of State.

Location of Cabinet Meetings
Cabinet meetings are usually held in the Cabinet Room at Parliament House, although there is also a room at the Prime Minister's Residence which can be used for Cabinet meetings.

Shadow Cabinet
The official opposition (currently the Conservative Party) is led by the Leader of the Opposition (currently Henry Hall) and supported by a shadow cabinet and numerous shadow ministers.