See also: 2003 Australian incumbents, Events in Australia in 2004, 2005 Australian incumbents, incumbents around the world in 2004

Federal government

• Head of State - Queen Elizabeth II
• Governor General - Michael Jeffery

Cabinet

• Prime Minister - John Howard

• Deputy Prime Minister - John Anderson
• Minister for Transport and Regional Services - John Anderson
• Treasurer - Peter Costello
• Minister for Trade - Mark Vaile
• Minister for Foreign Affairs - Alexander Downer
• Minister for Defence - Robert Hill
• Minister for Finance and Administration - Nick Minchin
• Minister for Health and Ageing - Kay Patterson, then Tony Abbott
• Attorney General - Daryl Williams, then Philip Ruddock
• Minister for the Environment and Heritage - David Kemp, then Ian Campbell
• Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts - Daryl Williams, then Helen Coonan
• Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Warren Truss
• Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs - Amanda Vanstone
• Minister for Education, Science and Training - Brendan Nelson
• Minister for Family and Community Services - Kay Patterson
• Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources - Ian Macfarlane
• Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations - Tony Abbott, then Kevin Andrews

Other Ministers

• Minister for Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation - Ian Macdonald
• Minister for the Arts and Sport - Rod Kemp
• Minister for Science - Peter McGauran
• Minister for Children and Youth Affairs - Larry Anthony
• Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer - Helen Coonan, then Mal Brough
• Special Minister of State - Eric Abetz
• Minister for Justice and Customs - Chris Ellison
• Minister for Veterans' Affairs - Danna Vale, then De-Anne Kelly
• Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs - Gary Hardgrave, then Peter McGauran
• Minister for Ageing - Julie Bishop
• Minister for Employment Services - Mal Brough, then Fran Bailey
• Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads - Ian Campbell, then Jim Lloyd
• Minister for Small Business and Tourism - Joe Hockey (position abolished in November)
• Minister for Science - Peter McGauran (position abolished in November)
• Minister for Children and Youth Affairs - Larry Anthony (position abolished in November)
• Minister for Vocational and Technical Education - Gary Hardgrave (new position in November)
• Minister for Workforce Participation - Peter Dutton (new position in November)
• Minister for Human Services - Joe Hockey (new position in November)

Members of Parliament

See: 40th Australian parliament, then 41st Australian parliament

Opposition leaders

• Australian Labor Party - Mark Latham
• Australian Greens - Bob Brown (de facto)
• Australian Democrats - Andrew Bartlett, then Lyn Allison
• Family First - Andrea Mason, then Steve Fielding

High Court justices

• Chief Justice: Anthony Murray Gleeson
• Michael McHugh
• William Gummow
• Michael Kirby
• Kenneth Hayne
• Ian Callinan
• John Heydon

Other

• Speaker of the House of Representatives - Neil Andrew, then David Hawker
• President of the Senate - Paul Calvert
• Chairman of the Reserve Bank of Australia - Ian Macfarlane
• Chief of the Australian Defence Force - Lieutenant-General Peter Cosgrove

States

Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales - Bob Carr
• Premier of South Australia - Mike Rann
• Premier of Queensland - Peter Beattie
• Premier of Tasmania - Jim Bacon, then Paul Lennon
• Premier of Western Australia - Geoffrey Gallop
• Premier of Victoria - Steve Bracks
• Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory - Jon Stanhope
• Chief Minister of the Northern Territory - Clare Martin

Governors

• Governor of New South Wales - Marie Bashir
• Governor of South Australia - Marjorie Jackson-Nelson
• Governor of Queensland - Quentin Bryce
• Governor of Tasmania - Richard Butler, then William Cox
• Governor of Western Australia - John Sanderson
• Governor of Victoria - John Landy
• Administrator of the Northern Territory - Ted Egan

Lord Mayors

• Adelaide - Michael Harbison
• Brisbane - Tim Quinn, then Campbell Newman
• Darwin - Peter Adamson
• Hobart - Rob Valentine
• Melbourne - John So
• Perth - Peter Nattrass
• Sydney - Lucy Turnbull, then Clover Moore

Religious leaders

• Roman Catholic Church
  • Roman Catholic Bishop of Adelaide - Archbishop Philip Wilson
  • Roman Catholic Bishop of Brisbane - Archbishop John Bathersby
  • Roman Catholic Bishop of Hobart - Archbishop Adrian Doyle
  • Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne - Archbishop Denis Hart
  • Roman Catholic Bishop of Perth - Archbishop Barry Hickey
  • Roman Catholic Bishop of Sydney - Cardinal Archbishop George Pell
• Uniting Church in Australia
  • President of the Uniting Church in Australia - Reverend Dean Drayton
• Anglican Church of Australia
  • Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia - Archbishop Peter Carnley
  • Anglican Bishop of Adelaide - Archbishop Ian George
  • Anglican Bishop of Brisbane - Archbishop Phillip Aspinall
  • Anglican Bishop of Melbourne - Archbishop Peter Watson
  • Anglican Bishop of Perth - Archbishop Peter Carnley
  • Anglican Bishop of Sydney - Archbishop Peter Jensen