I would like to know the minsterial positions in the US federal goverment and the states and cities

I am trying to compare them to the Australian minsterial postes

Their titles are generally "Secretary", and they compose what is called the Cabinet. What most people think of as the Cabinet is actually a more limited notion than what it actually is. The current executive departments and their heads:

Dept. of State - Sec. Condoleeza Rice
Dept. of Treasury - Sec. Henry Paulson
Dept. of Defense (DoD) - Sec. Robert Gates
Dept. of Justice - Atty. Gen. Michael Mukasey
Dept. of Interior - Sec. Dirk Kempthorne
Dept. of Agriculture - Sec. Chuck Conner, acting
Dept. of Commerce - Sec. Carlos Gutierrez
Dept. of Labor - Sec. Elaine Chao
Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) - Sec. Michael Leavitt
Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - Sec. Alphonso Jackson
Dept. of Transportation - Sec. Mary Peters
Dept. of Energy (DoE) - Sec. Samuel Bodman
Dept. of Education - Sec. Margaret Spellings
Dept. of Veterans' Affairs (VA) - Sec. James Peake
Dept. of Homeland Security - Sec. Michael Chertoff

There are several administrative members of the Cabinet as well:

Vice President of the United States - Dick Cheney
White House Chief of Staff - Josh Bolten
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Stephen Johnson
Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) - Jim Nussle
Director of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) - John Walters
U.S. Trade Representative - Susan Schwab

Wikipedia lists three additional people included in the pay grade for Cabinet officials:

Chairman of the Federal Reserve ("The Fed") - Ben Bernanke
Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) - Michael Astrue
Director of National Intelligence - Mike McConnell

And the Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Cabinet) on the Cabinet is pretty good, with some basic discussion of the Constitutional basis and history of its operation. It's what I used for the lists above.

(I suppose over the long run we can try to include the links for all these departments, but I'm not up to it at the moment. Apologies, of course. I'll try to get back to it over the next couple days.)

In Australia its different, ministers can be ministers without being in cabinate

This is from the previous goverment (aparently the parlimentry libary hasnt been updated). This is just the federal goverment


Cabinet

Prime Minister The Hon John Howard MP

Minister for Transport and Regional Services (Deputy Prime Minister) The Hon Mark Vaile MP

Treasurer The Hon Peter Costello MP

Minister for Foreign Affairs The Hon Alexander Downer MP

Minister for Trade The Hon Warren Truss MP

Minister for Finance and Administration(Leader of the Government in the Senate) (Vice-President of the Executive Council) Senator the Hon Nick Minchin

Minister for Health and Ageing (Leader of the House) The Hon Tony Abbott MP

Attorney-General The Hon Philip Ruddock MP

Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Senator the Hon Helen Coonan

Minister for Defence The Hon Dr Brendan Nelson MP

Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources The Hon Ian Macfarlane MP

Minister for Immigration and Citizenship The Hon Kevin Andrews MP

Minister for Human Services Senator the Hon Chris Ellison

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Deputy Leader of the House) The Hon Peter McGauran MP

Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs The Hon Mal Brough MP

Minister for Education, Science and Training Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues The Hon Julie Bishop MP

Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service The Hon Joe Hockey MP

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP

Outer Ministry

Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads The Hon Jim Lloyd MP

Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer The Hon Peter Dutton MP

Special Minister of State The Hon Gary Nairn MP

Minister for Ageing The Hon Christopher Pyne, MP

Minister for Justice and Customs Senator the Hon David Johnston

Minister for the Arts and Sport Senator The Hon George Brandis SC

Minister for Veterans' Affairs Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence The Hon Bruce Billson MP

Minister for Small Business and Tourism The Hon Fran Bailey MP

Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation (Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Senator the Hon Eric Abetz

Minister for Community Services Senator the Hon Nigel Scullion

Minister for Vocational and Further Education The Hon Andrew Robb AO MP

Minister for Workforce Participation The Hon Dr Sharman Stone MP

Assistant Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries

Assistant Minister for the Environment and Water Resources The Hon John Cobb MP

Assistant Minister for Immigration and Citizenship The Hon Teresa Gambaro, MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister The Hon Tony Smith MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services The Hon De-Anne Kelly MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer The Hon Chris Pearce MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs The Hon Greg Hunt MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance and Administration Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence The Hon Peter Lindsay MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources The Hon Bob Baldwin MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry The Hon Sussan Ley MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education, Science and Training The Hon Pat Farmer MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing Senator the Hon Brett Mason

From HERE (http://wopared.parl.net/library/parl/41/ministry/ministry.htm)

Damn. That's a lot of Ministers and Secretaries.

I haven't a clue right now how many Congressional committees we have at present. I mean, there's 535 people between the two houses, and I wouldn't be surprised if, when we add it all up, there is more than that number of committees.

How long do your MPs serve, and how are they elevated to Ministers and Secretaries? Parliamentary election? PM appointment? And is it something they are capable of doing quickly?

Umm, the PM is always apointed by a vote of cuacious. Not the sort you have, here it means all the parlimentry members of the labor party (not actually sure what the Librals call it)

In the Libral goverments the PM apoints his ministery, in Labor it USED to be done by cauause but after the last election Kevin Rudd demanded the right to apoint his own Ministry

As for how long it takes to rise through the ranks i guess that would depend on tallent. 2 star recruites from the labor party got parlimentry secretry jobs after the last election (there first), but there have been back benches that have spent there whole lives there. There is an election for the house of reps and half the senate every 3 years andn 3 months at the most (in the federal goverment its the PM who decides when to call it, in SA they are fixed terms) which a lot of people think are to short because the goverment is always in election mode rather than doing its job.

Oh and that had nothing to do with the parlimentry commites, they are a bipadisan thing that is set by the parliment. All of those members are from the Libral and National parties because at that time they held power. Now all those posts are filled by the Labor party

Oh and one other thing, they are not set in stone. The party in goverment can chose to add or delete from that list (although some will never go like the tresure, Atornie General ect). For instance Rudd has a Enviroment minister, a water minister and a minster for climate change

OH and there are 150 members of the house of reps and 76 senators in the federal parliament


This is the state government of SA's ministries
I cant find out how many representatives there are in two houses of the state parliament at the moment

Hon. Michael David RANN, MA, JP
Premier
Minister for Economic Development
Minister for Social Inclusion
Minister for The Arts
Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change
Member of Executive Council

Hon. Kevin Owen FOLEY,
Deputy Premier
Treasurer
Minister for Industry and Trade
Minister for Federal / State Relations
Member of Executive Council

Hon. Paul HOLLOWAY, B.Sc., B.E.(Hons), B.Ec.
Minister for Police
Minister for Mineral Resources Development
Minister for Urban Development and Planning
Member of Executive Council

Hon. Patrick Frederick CONLON, BA, LLB(Hons)
Minister for Transport
Minister for Infrastructure
Minister for Energy
Member of Executive Council

Hon. Michael John ATKINSON, BA(Hons), LLB, JP
Attorney-General
Minister for Justice
Minister for Multicultural Affairs
Member of Executive Council

Hon. John HILL, BA, DipEd, LLB, JP
Minister for Health
Minister for Southern Suburbs
Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts
Member of Executive Council

Hon. Michael John WRIGHT, BEd
Minister for Industrial Relations
Minister for Finance
Minister for Government Enterprises
Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing
Member of Executive Council

Hon. Jane Diane LOMAX-SMITH, BSc, MBBS, PhD, FRCPA
Minister for Education and Children's Services
Minister for Tourism
Minister for The City of Adelaide
Member of Executive Council

Hon. Jay Wilson WEATHERILL, LLB, BEc, GDLP
Minister for Families and Communities
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation
Minister for Housing
Minister for Ageing
Minister for Disability
Minister Assisting the Premier in Cabinet Business & Public Sector Management
Member of Executive Council

Hon. Rory John MCEWEN, B.Ag.Sc,. Grad.Dip.Ed. Admin., Grad.Dip.Curr.Devel., JP
Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries
Minister for Forests
Member of Executive Council

Hon. Karlene Ann MAYWALD,
Minister for River Murray
Minister for Water Security
Minister for Regional Development
Minister for Small Business
Minister Assisting the Minister for Industry and Trade
Member of Executive Council

Hon. Carmelina ZOLLO,
Minister for Emergency Services
Minister for Correctional Services
Minister for Road Safety
Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs
Member of Executive Council

Hon. Jennifer Mary RANKINE,
Minister for State / Local Government Relations
Minister for the Status of Women
Minister for Volunteers
Minister for Consumer Affairs
Minister Assisting in Early Childhood Development
Member of Executive Council

Hon. Paul CAICA, BA, JP
Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education
Minister for Science and Information Economy
Minister for Gambling
Minister for Youth
Member of Executive Council

Hon. Gail Elizabeth GAGO, B.Sc. (Hons.), Diploma of Applied Science (Nursing)
Minister for Environment and Conservation
Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Minister Assisting the Minister for Health
Member of Executive Council

FromHERE (http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/Members/Ministers/Ministers.htm)

But the the UK they have a ministry of funny walks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0STjDKhiMRg

Oh tiassa i forgot to mention one thing that i probably should have for those who dont know the australian system

Everyone of those people are elected members of parliment NOT public servants. They each also have to report to there local electrate as well as to the parliment for there ministerial actions

For example John Howard was the member for belolong and became the second sitting PM to ever lose his own seat.

Now the ex-Minister for Defence, The Hon Dr Brendan Nelson MP (which stands for member of parliment in case anyone was interested) is now the oposition leader.

As for the senior public servants like the secretry of the tresury and people like the chairman of the reserve bank i have no idea who they are (actually it would probably take me a lifetime to find out who the top PS in every goverment department)

Our system works like the English system. If you have ever seen yes minister thats kind of like how our system works:p

I love watching Prime Minister's Questions on CSPAN (sometimes I even catch the Australian ones too!)

~String

if your interested in the australian parliment go to this http://www.aph.gov.au/ site click either the house of reps or the senate and you can watch paliment (and the commities if your interested) when they are sitting live:)