Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Portfolio Overview (Core Function)

PM&C coordinates national priorities, Cabinet processes, whole‑of‑government strategy, crisis response, intergovernmental alignment, and stewardship of the Australian Public Service.

At Australians Unified, we examine the central coordination of national priorities, Cabinet processes, whole-of-government strategy, and public service stewardship. Discover how the Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet operates across federal, state, and local spheres, and explore our practical roadmap to overcome bureaucratic inertia and foster genuine national unity.

Federal Role

PM&C supports the Prime Minister, Cabinet, National Security Committee, whole‑of‑government policy alignment, APS reform, national priorities, and crisis coordination.

At the commonwealth tier, PM&C provides direct policy stewardship to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, and the National Security Committee. Its primary function is aligning whole-of-government policy agendas, stewarding the Australian Public Service (APS), and spearheading crisis response. We advocate for depoliticised, frank, and fearless public service advice to ensure that national decisions always serve everyday Australians first.

State Role

PM&C works with Premiers, COAG‑style bodies, intergovernmental agreements, national reforms, emergency management, and shared policy domains such as health, education, transport, and infrastructure.

Effective national leadership requires structured cooperation with state Premiers and intergovernmental councils. PM&C coordinates multilateral agreements across essential shared domains including healthcare, education, transport infrastructure, and national emergency management. Streamlining these intergovernmental ties eliminates friction, reduces costly overlap, and builds cohesion across all state and territory borders.

Local Role

Local Government has minimal direct interaction with PM&C, but relies on national frameworks, emergency coordination, regulatory harmonization, and federal funding agreements shaped by PM&C.

While the department maintains minimal direct contact with local councils, national frameworks, funding models, and emergency coordination deeply shape community life. Our mission addresses pervasive systemic bottlenecks: combating over-centralisation, dismantling slow bureaucracy, increasing public transparency, and ending duplicative programs. Join us at Australians Unified as we champion responsive, accountable governance built on common ground.