“Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

The spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia is generally a high-profile individual, and assists the prime minister with his or her ceremonial duties as well as performing various other functions. The wife of the current prime minister is Jenny Morrison.

With a few exceptions, the prime minister's spouse has been a public figure and the subject of media interest. Most have used the position to promote charitable causes. By convention, the spouse of the prime minister serves as the host or hostess of The Lodge and Kirribilli House, the official residences of the prime minister. He or she also assists the prime minister in welcoming foreign dignitaries to Parliament House and various other locations during ceremonial events. However, the position is unpaid and there are no official responsibilities.

The prime minister is often assisted by his or her spouse when campaigning at elections. However, only two prime minister's spouses have held public office in their own right – Enid Lyons became the first woman elected to the House of Representatives several years after her husband's death in office, while Lucy Turnbull served as Lord Mayor of Sydney over a decade before her husband became prime minister. Ethel Page held senior offices in the organisational wing of the Country Party.

All prime ministers except John McEwen and Julia Gillard were married for the duration of their term in office. McEwen was a widower during his short term, while Gillard had a domestic partner, Tim Mathieson. Until relatively recently it was uncommon for the spouse of a prime minister to have their own career. Zara Holt, a fashion designer, was the first to continue her career during her husband's term in office, and reputedly earned more money than him. Other businesswomen to hold the position have included Thérèse Rein, who ran an employment services company, and Margie Abbott, who ran a childcare centre. Bettina Gorton was an academic who lectured part-time at the Australian National University.

Role

The Prime Minister's spouse has no official duties. Some earlier spouses stayed mainly at home and took little part in public life.^[1] Although a Prime Minister's wife may be unofficially referred to as Australia's "first lady", a spouse does not receive a staff or official budget.^[2]

However, most recent Prime Ministers' spouses have been involved in charities or community organisations, working to raise public awareness, funds, and support for a range of causes. They generally assist their partners in political campaigns, and participate in official duties that come with the position, such as hosting foreign dignitaries, and, in particular, entertaining the spouses of dignitaries; accompanying the Prime Ministers on national and international trips; attending conferences and functions; and speaking in public, particularly in the Prime Minister's constituency.^[3] They have attended the opening of Parliament; hosted visitors at The Lodge and Kirribilli House; visited Buckingham Palace, the White House, or the Japanese Imperial Palace; and been present at royal coronations and conferences.^[3]

Others were initially preoccupied with rearing children, most notably Dame Enid Lyons (1932–39), who had 12 children (one died in infancy). In 1943, four years after her husband's death in office, she was the first woman to be elected to the House of Representatives. She was a junior minister in the Menzies Government from 1949 to 1951.

Official recognition

Some Prime Ministers' spouses have received official recognition for their services to the community:

Tamie Fraser was the first spouse of a Prime Minister to be provided with an official secretary for dealing with her correspondence.^[6]

List of spouses

Living former spouses

There are currently seven living spouses of former prime ministers of Australia:

The most recent spouse of an Australian prime minister to die was Hazel Hawke (ex-wife of Bob Hawke), on 23 May 2013.^[7]

Others

A number of prime ministers have remarried after leaving office or had marriages that ended before taking office.

See also

References

1. ^{{cite web|url = http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/meetpm.asp?pmId=16&pageName=wife| title = Elizabeth Chifley |work = Australia's Prime Ministers|publisher = National Archives of Australia|accessdate = 30 July 2008 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080720114307/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/meetpm.asp?pmId=16&pageName=wife |archivedate = 20 July 2008}}
2. ^{{Cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/jenny-morrison-australia-s-new-first-lady-20180825-p4zzr2.html |title=Jenny Morrison, Australia's new first lady |last=Visentin |first=Lisa |date=2018-08-25 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=2018-08-25 |language=en}}
3. ^¹{{cite web|url = http://www.oph.gov.au/mrspm/national_hostess.asp|title = National Hostess|work = Mrs Prime Minister—Public Image, Private Lives: Travelling exhibition|publisher = Old Parliament House (Commonwealth of Australia: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts)| accessdate = 30 July 2008}}
4. ^Australian Women's Register. Retrieved 27 June 2013
5. ^National Archives of Australia, Australia’s Prime Ministers: Pattie Deakin. Retrieved 27 June 2013
6. ^{{cite web|url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/meetpm.asp?pmId=22&pageName=wife |title=Tamie Fraser |work=Australia's Prime Ministers |publisher=National Archives of Australia |accessdate=30 July 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720143846/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/meetpm.asp?pmId=22&pageName=wife |archivedate=20 July 2008 }}
7. ^Carolyn Webb and Catherine Chisholm, The Age, 23 May 2013. "Hazel Hawke dies after battle with dementia"