What are the federal Cabinet committees?
The Albanese government’s five Cabinet committees and one subcommittee as of October 2026: what each does, who chairs it, and what it means for your organisation.
Cabinet committees are small groups of ministers that consider issues in detail for the federal Cabinet. As of October 2026, the Albanese government has five Cabinet committees and one subcommittee. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) lists them, with their members, in Annex A of the Cabinet Handbook.
The Prime Minister decides which committees exist, who sits on them and what they cover. Membership changes with each ministry and reshuffle, so check the Handbook or the Australian Government Directory before relying on a name.
The committees at a glance
| Committee | Chair | Deputy chair | Decisions need Cabinet’s endorsement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expenditure Review Committee (ERC) | Anthony Albanese | Jim Chalmers | Yes |
| National Security Committee (NSC) | Anthony Albanese | Richard Marles | No |
| Parliamentary Business Committee (PBC) | Tony Burke | Senator Penny Wong | No |
| Priority and Delivery Committee (PDC) | Anthony Albanese | None listed | Yes |
| Government Communications Committee (GCC) | Senator Katy Gallagher | Jason Clare | Yes |
| National Security Investment Subcommittee (NSIS) | Senator Katy Gallagher | Richard Marles | No: the NSC endorses them |
How Cabinet committees work
They work for the Cabinet. Committees give ministers a forum for detailed discussion before matters reach the full Cabinet. The Prime Minister can also set up time-limited committees or ministerial taskforces for particular issues.
Most decisions need Cabinet’s endorsement. A committee’s decision usually takes effect only once Cabinet endorses it, and Cabinet can change it or send it back. The National Security Committee and the Parliamentary Business Committee are the exceptions: their decisions don’t need Cabinet’s endorsement. The Prime Minister can also endorse a committee’s decision as final when it must be acted on urgently.
A minister brings each proposal. Every submission to Cabinet or a committee needs a sponsoring minister, usually the Cabinet minister responsible for the portfolio. Ministers outside Cabinet can be co-opted to a meeting for items in their portfolio.
They meet about once a month. Committees generally meet monthly, with extra meetings as needed. The ERC meets more often while the Budget and the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) are prepared. The NSC may meet more often in response to events at home or abroad.
Officials attend only by approval. The Prime Minister or the Cabinet Secretary can approve ministerial staff and officials to attend a committee meeting for their expertise. The Cabinet Secretary, Dr Andrew Charlton, may attend committee meetings, and PM&C’s Cabinet Division supports the chairs.
Discussions are confidential. Ministers, staff and officials must not disclose what was discussed at a meeting or the views anyone expressed there.
Expenditure Review Committee
The ERC considers new spending and revenue proposals during and between Budget updates. The Handbook says its work is informed by gender analysis, in line with the government’s gender responsive budgeting requirements. Its decisions need Cabinet’s endorsement.
Members as of October 2026:
- Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister (chair)
- Jim Chalmers, Treasurer (deputy chair)
- Senator Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Senator Katy Gallagher, Minister for Finance
- Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence
- Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Ageing
- Catherine King, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
- Amanda Rishworth, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
- Daniel Mulino, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services
National Security Committee
The NSC considers “the highest-priority, highest-risk and most strategic national security matters of the day”, in the Handbook’s words. Its decisions don’t need Cabinet’s endorsement.
Members as of October 2026:
- Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister (chair)
- Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence (deputy chair)
- Senator Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Jim Chalmers, Treasurer
- Senator Katy Gallagher, Minister for Finance
- Tony Burke, Minister for Home Affairs
- Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy
- Michelle Rowland, Attorney-General
- Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry
The National Security Investment Subcommittee sits under the NSC. It considers lower-risk, operational and technical national security matters that are mainly financial, and its decisions need the NSC’s endorsement. Senator Katy Gallagher chairs it, with Richard Marles as deputy chair, Tony Burke and Pat Conroy.
Parliamentary Business Committee
The PBC considers priorities for the government’s legislation program. Its decisions don’t need Cabinet’s endorsement.
Members as of October 2026:
- Tony Burke, Leader of the House (chair)
- Senator Penny Wong, Leader of the Government in the Senate (deputy chair)
- Senator Katy Gallagher, Manager of Government Business in the Senate
- Mark Butler, Deputy Leader of the House
- Michelle Rowland, Attorney-General
- Patrick Gorman, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister
Priority and Delivery, and Government Communications
The Priority and Delivery Committee oversees the delivery of the government’s key policies and priorities. The Prime Minister chairs it, and its other members are Jim Chalmers and Senator Katy Gallagher. The Handbook lists no deputy chair, and the committee’s decisions need Cabinet’s endorsement.
The Government Communications Committee oversees and coordinates government advertising campaigns, and its decisions need Cabinet’s endorsement. Senator Katy Gallagher chairs it, with Jason Clare, Minister for Education, as deputy chair. Its other members are Senator Don Farrell, Senator Murray Watt and Patrick Gorman.
How the committees have changed
Each ministry sets its own committees. The March 2023 Handbook listed a Constitutional Recognition Committee, on constitutional recognition of First Nations peoples and an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. By August 2024 it had gone, and a Net Zero Economy Committee had been added.
The 16th edition of the Handbook, published in 2026, lists neither. Government communications, a subcommittee in earlier editions, is now a committee in its own right.
What this means for government relations
There is no direct way in. Cabinet committees don’t take submissions or hold hearings. Proposals reach them through a sponsoring minister and the department that prepares the submission, so that is where to make your case.
Spending decisions follow the Budget cycle. Proposals with a cost come forward in the Budget and MYEFO processes, where the ERC considers them. Treasury also invites pre-Budget submissions: for the 2026–27 Budget, it asked for them in November 2025, closing on 30 January 2026.
Cabinet business is planned a year ahead. Three times a year, ministers put forward the items they want Cabinet to consider over the next 12 months. Raise an issue with the minister and department early, while proposals are still being shaped.
Know who is in the room. Membership shows which ministers take part in decisions beyond their own portfolios. The Treasurer and the Finance Minister, for example, sit on both the ERC and the NSC.
Our guide to building a government relations strategy covers the federal year, including a worked Budget ask.
Cabinet committees, parliamentary committees and National Cabinet
Cabinet committees are part of the executive government. Their members are ministers, and they meet in private.
Parliamentary committees are different. Their members are MPs and senators from across the Parliament, and they take submissions and hold public hearings. Our guide to parliamentary committees explains how they work.
National Cabinet is different again. It is a forum for the Prime Minister, premiers and chief ministers, set up on 13 March 2020 and chaired by the Prime Minister. It is not one of the Cabinet committees in the Handbook.
Common questions
What is a Cabinet committee? A group of ministers, set up by the Prime Minister, that considers matters in detail for the Cabinet. Most committee decisions take effect only once Cabinet endorses them.
How many Cabinet committees are there? As of October 2026, five committees and one subcommittee. They are the Expenditure Review, National Security, Parliamentary Business, Priority and Delivery, and Government Communications committees, plus the National Security Investment Subcommittee. The Prime Minister can set up others, including time-limited committees and ministerial taskforces.
Who sits on the National Security Committee of Cabinet? As of October 2026, Anthony Albanese chairs it and Richard Marles is deputy chair. The other members are Penny Wong, Jim Chalmers, Katy Gallagher, Tony Burke, Chris Bowen, Michelle Rowland and Pat Conroy. Its decisions don’t need Cabinet’s endorsement.
Who is on the Expenditure Review Committee? As of October 2026, Anthony Albanese chairs it and Jim Chalmers is deputy chair. The other members are Penny Wong, Katy Gallagher, Richard Marles, Mark Butler, Catherine King, Amanda Rishworth and Daniel Mulino.
Who is the Cabinet Secretary? As of October 2026, Dr Andrew Charlton, who is also Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy. The Cabinet Secretary looks after the day-to-day running of the Cabinet and its committees for the Prime Minister.
