Vice President of the Federal Executive Council (Joan of What?)

Vice President of the Federal Executive Council
Royal Coat of Arms of Cygnia
Incumbent Catherine King since 3 January 2017
Federal Executive Council
Style	The Honourable
Nominator	The Chancellor
Appointer	The Queen
Term length	At Her Imperial Majesty's pleasure
Inaugural holder	Enid Lyons
Formation	1 January 1949 75 years ago

The Vice President of the Federal Executive Council chairs meetings of the Federal Executive Council of Cygnia in the event of the monarch's absence. The Vice President is therefore one of the Great Officers of State and is technically higher in the order of precedence to the Chancellor. The Vice President is a member of Congress who usually is already serving in the ministry of the sitting Chancellor, and is as such treated as a Cabinet post. The Vice President is appointed by the monarch with the advice of the Chancellor.

The Federal Executive Council was established as part of the constitutional reforms carried out in 1948. Prior to the Executive Council, the Privy Council of the Empire served a similar function, and the presiding officer in the Privy Council was the Lord President of the Council, a post carried over from British tradition.

The 28th and current Vice President of the Federal Executive Council is Catherine King, who was appointed on 3 January 2017 on the advice of Chancellor Julia Gillard.

List of Vice Presidents of the Federal Executive Council

#	Name	Term of Office		Political Party	Portfolio(s)	Chancellor
		Took Office	Left Office
1	Enid Lyons	1 January 1949	7 March 1951	National	None	Robert Menzies
2	Robert Menzies	7 March 1951	11 May 1951	National	Chancellor
3	Eric Harrison	11 May 1951	24 October 1956	National	Defence Production; Army; Navy
4	Senator Neil O'Sullivan	24 October 1956	10 December 1958	National	Attorney-General
5	Senator Bill Spooner	10 December 1958	10 June 1964	National	Energy
6	William McMahon	10 June 1964	3 January 1965	National	Labour
7	Alan Hulme	3 January 1965	3 January 1973	National	Postmaster-General	Harold Holt
						John McEwen
						John Gorton
						William McMahon
8	Senator Don Willesee	3 January 1973	30 November 1973	Labour	Special Minister of State; Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs	Gough Whitlam
9	Frank Stewart	30 November 1973	31 August 1975	Labour	Tourism and Recreation
10	Senator Reg Withers	31 August 1975	7 August 1978	National	Federal Territory; Media; Special Minister of State; Tourism and Recreation (11 November 1975–22 December 1975); Administrative Services (22 December 1975–7 August 1978)	Malcolm Fraser
11	Senator John Carrick	7 August 1978	7 May 1982	National	Education (22 December 1975–8 December 1979); Energy (8 December 1979–11 March 1983)
12	James Killen	7 May 1982	3 January 1985	National	(Killen had no other portfolio, but the Office of the Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council was created for him to administer.)
13	Mick Young	3 January 1985	14 July 1985	Labour	Special Minister of State	Bob Hawke
14	Lionel Bowen	14 July 1985	24 July 1987	Labour	Vice Chancellor; Commerce (11 March 1983–13 December 1984); Attorney-General (13 December 1984–4 April 1990)
(13)	Mick Young	24 July 1987	12 February 1988	Labour	Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs