Style The Honourable | Inaugural holder Arthur Calwell | |
 | ||
Appointer Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia Formation 13 July 1945 (1945-07-13) | ||
The Australian Minister for Immigration and Border Protection is the Hon. Peter Dutton MP. The current Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection is the Hon. Alex Hawke MP
Contents
- Scope
- List of Ministers for Immigration
- List of Ministers for Customs
- List of assistant ministers
- References
In the Government of Australia, the above Ministers administer these portfolios through the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
Scope
The portfolio and department was created in July 1945, during the last months of World War II. Previously, immigration affairs were handled by the Minister for Home Affairs (1901–1932) and the Minister for the Interior (1932–1945), except that between January 1925 and January 1928 Reginald Wilson and Thomas Paterson were Ministers for Markets and Migration.
The Minister for Immigration, Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship is usually one of the senior members of Cabinet, although between the Tenth Menzies Ministry and the Third Fraser Ministry, the post was downgraded to that of a junior minister. The minister and department have on several occasions been responsible for another portfolio in addition to immigration, such as ethnic/multicultural affairs, local government or border protection.
List of Ministers for Immigration
The following individuals have been Ministers for Immigration and Border Protection, or any precedent titles:
Notes
1 Barnard was one of a two-man ministry consisting of himself and Gough Whitlam for two weeks until the full ministry was announced.List of Ministers for Customs
From 1901 to 1956 Customs was handled by the Minister for Trade and Customs. In 1956 Frederick Osborne was appointed Minister for Customs and Excise. Kep Enderby was appointed Minister for Police and Customs in 1975. In 1975 responsibility for customs was absorbed into the portfolio of the Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs, John Howard. In May 1982, the portfolio of the Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs was abolished and customs functions were transferred to the Minister for Industry and Commerce, Phillip Lynch. In January 1988, Barry Jones became responsible for customs as Minister for Science, Customs and Small Business within John Button's portfolio of Industry and Commerce and there were subsequently junior ministers responsible for customs within the industry portfolio until March 1993 and from March 1994 until December 2007, when customs became part of the responsibility of the Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus. Since September 2013, it has been the responsibility of the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection.
The following individuals have had responsibility for customs:
Notes
1 Whitlam was one of a two-man ministry consisting of himself and Lance Barnard for two weeks until the full ministry was announced.List of assistant ministers
On 24 July 1987 (1987-07-24) the third Hawke ministry implemented a two-level ministerial structure, with distinctions drawn between senior and junior ministers. This arrangement has been continued by subsequent governments; although there has not always been a junior minister in the immigration portfolio. Senior ministers are shown above. Junior ministers are shown below. The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs, or any precedent titles: