See also: 2003 Australian incumbents, Events in Australia in 2004, 2005 Australian incumbents, incumbents around the world in 2004
Federal government
Cabinet
- 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 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
- 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