Vice-President of the Executive Council

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The Vice-President of the Executive Council is a position in Australian governments, whose holder acts as presiding officer of the Executive Council in the absence of the Governor-General or Governor, who is the substantive President of the Executive Council although the actual title is not used. [1]

The Vice-President's principal responsibility is to preside at meetings of the Executive Council, the body where the Governor-General or Governor formally assents to Orders-in-Council, makes regulations and formal statutory appointments. As the duties of the post are not rigorous it is usually given to a government minister who holds another portfolio. In this sense, it is usually not a 'Minister without portfolio' such as the equivalent position, Lord President of the Council, is in the United Kingdom, although it has sometimes been used thus in the past (Enid Lyons in the First Menzies Ministry and Jim Killen in the Third Fraser Ministry served in the post without holding another portfolio simultaneously).

The current Vice-President of the Executive Council is Nick Minchin, who is also Minister for Finance and Administration and Leader of the Government in the Senate.