Party Whip

The party whip is a member of parliament who has been chosen to be the party manager. This fact sheet will explain their role within their party and in the Senate and House of Representatives.

What will I learn?

  • Whips manage the day-to-day organisation of their party during sitting weeks.
  • Whips help plan what will be talked about during sitting days.
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Glossary words

pair, sitting

Party whips counting the votes in a division in the Senate.

Party whips counting the votes in a division in the Senate.

DPS Auspic

Party whips counting the votes in a division in the Senate.

Party whips counting the votes in a division in the Senate.

DPS Auspic

Description

A woman and a man stand on either side of the Clerk's table in the Senate. There are people sitting at the central table.

Copyright information

Permission should be sought from DPS AUSPIC for third-party or commercial uses of this image. To contact DPS AUSPIC email: auspic@aph.gov.au or phone: 02 6277 3342.

What is a party whip?

A whip is a senator or member of the House of Representatives who manages their party during sitting weeks in the Australian Parliament.

Each parliamentary party has whips in the Senate and House of Representatives. The role is so varied and busy that the major parties have a chief whip and 2 deputy whips. Each political party chooses who they want as their party whip.

The responsibilities of a party whip

On top of their duties as a senator or a member of the House, the party whip has many responsibilities, including:

  • meeting with the whips of other parties to plan out what will be talked about during a sitting day
  • providing advice and support to party members
  • creating a list of party members to speak on bills – a proposal for a new law – and other issues, and then giving this list to either the President of the Senate or Speaker of the House of Representatives
  • ensuring that party members attend and vote together during a division 
  • counting and recording the votes in a division
  • making sure decisions made by the party are carried out
  • negotiating the pairs from opposing parties, so numbers between the government and opposition stay balanced if members are away.

How the whips work in the Senate and the House of Representatives

Whips sit in seats in the Senate and the House  where they can see who is present and what is happening in their team.

Whips move throughout the Senate and House speaking to party members, organising the business of the party. They will also make decisions together with opposing party whips, the clerks and the President or Speaker.

History

The term ‘whip’ comes from the pastime of fox hunting in England. The ‘whipper-in’ was the person who whipped the hounds into a pack, pointed them in the right direction to chase the fox and made sure the pack did not stray. The parliamentary term dates back as far as the 17th century.