Job titles

Use maximal capitals for full formal job titles:

Chancellor of Adelaide University     Chief Executive Officer of Qantas     Lord Mayor of Melbourne     Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade     Speaker of the House  

but do not capitalise these terms when used generically:

She was appointed as an adjunct professor.

A chief accountant is responsible for …

Larger companies usually have a general manager as well as a chief executive officer.    

We have a vacancy for a human resources manager.

Always capitalise job titles when they are associated with the name of the person currently holding that position, including in address blocks and resumés. Job titles can also be capitalised in internal organisational documents when referring to a specific role.

Job titles may be shortened after their first use in the text. Whether to use capitals for shortened forms depends on whether the shortened form consists only of the generic component (eg the minister) or retains some significant part of the descriptor (eg the Environment Minister). An exception to this rule is for the shortened titles of current Australian and foreign heads of state, which always take maximal capitals.

Do not capitalise plurals of job titles or former holders of the position.

Examples to illustrate these conventions are set out in the table.

Full formal title Informal, generic and plural use, and shortened forms
  • the Prime Minister of Australia
  • Prime Minister Peter Brown
  • the Prime Minister, Peter Brown
  • former prime minister John Smith
  • previous prime ministers
  • the Minister for Health
  • Minister Anne Jones
  • the Minister for Health, Anne Jones 
  • the Health Minister
  • the minister
  • the Cabinet ministers
  • the Premier of South Australia
  • the Premier, Pamela Smith
  • the Premier (in internal documents)
  • the premier (if used in a generic sense)
  • the premiers of South Australia and Queensland
  • Coles General Manager
  • the General Manager, John Black 
  • the General Manager (in internal documents if referring specifically to that role)
  • the general manager (if used in a generic sense)
  • the managers
  • the Qantas Board Chair
  • Board Chair, Carol Philips
  • the Chair (in internal organisational documents referring specifically to that role)
  • the chair (if used in a generic sense)
  • Professor John Brown
  • Professor Brown
  • the professor
  • the King of Australia
  • His Majesty The King
  • King Charles III
  • the King
  • the kings and queens of England
  • Pope Francis 

 
  • the Pope
  • the first pope

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