Leader of the Government in the Senate (Australia)
The current Leader of the Government in the Senate is Mathias Cormann. The current Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate is Simon Birmingham, who was appointed on the same date following the resignation of Mitch Fifield.
Loan Council
The Loan Council consists of the Prime Minister of Australia, the Premier of each State and Chief Minister of each Territory. However, in practice each member is represented by a nominee, usually the Treasurer of that jurisdiction. The Treasurer of Australia acts as the chair and the Commonwealth Treasury provides secretarial services. Each jurisdiction nominates a Loan Council Allocation for the forthcoming year and the Loan Council normally meets once a year in person (usually in March) to consider the nominations having regard to each jurisdiction's fiscal position and the macroeconomic implications of the aggregate figure; otherwise business of the Council is conducted by correspondence. The Commonwealth has a dominant position over the Council, having two votes and also a casting vote. Under this arrangement the votes of six states/territories are required to outvote a Commonwealth proposition.