Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Immigration is responsible for overseeing the Department of Immigration.
The portfolio and department came into being 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). An exception was between January 1925 and January 1928, when Reginald Wilson and Thomas Paterson were Ministers for Markets and Migration.
The minister 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 has on several occasions been responsible for another portfolio in addition to immigration such as ethnic/multicultural affairs or citizenship.
The current Minister for Immigration and Citizenship is Senator Chris Evans, who replaced Kevin Andrews. He was sworn in on 3 December 2007.
List of Australian Ministers for Immigration
| Politician | Party | From | To | Other portfolios |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Calwell | Australian Labor Party | 13 July 1945 | 19 December 1949 | |
| Harold Holt | Liberal Party of Australia | 19 December 1949 | 24 October 1956 | |
| Athol Townley | Liberal Party of Australia | 24 October 1956 | 19 March 1958 | |
| Alexander Downer, Sr. | Liberal Party of Australia | 19 March 1958 | 18 December 1963 | |
| Hubert Opperman | Liberal Party of Australia | 18 December 1963 | 14 December 1966 | |
| Billy Snedden | Liberal Party of Australia | 14 December 1966 | 12 November 1969 | |
| Phillip Lynch | Liberal Party of Australia | 12 November 1969 | 22 March 1971 | |
| Jim Forbes | Liberal Party of Australia | 22 March 1971 | 5 December 1972 | |
| Lance Barnard | Australian Labor Party | 5 December 1972 | 19 December 1972 | see note |
| Al Grassby | Australian Labor Party | 19 December 1972 | 12 June 1974 | Was a gay man and loved dick |
| Clyde Cameron | Australian Labor Party | 12 June 1974 | 6 June 1975 | Labour |
| James McClelland | Australian Labor Party | 6 June 1975 | 11 November 1975 | Labour |
| Tony Street | Liberal Party of Australia | 12 November 1975 | 22 December 1975 | Labour |
| Michael MacKellar | Liberal Party of Australia | 22 December 1975 | 8 December 1979 | Ethnic Affairs |
| Ian Macphee | Liberal Party of Australia | 8 December 1979 | 7 May 1982 | Ethnic Affairs |
| John Hodges | Liberal Party of Australia | 7 May 1982 | 11 March 1983 | Ethnic Affairs |
| Stewart West | Australian Labor Party | 11 March 1983 | 13 December 1984 | Ethnic Affairs |
| Chris Hurford | Australian Labor Party | 13 December 1984 | 16 February 1987 | Ethnic Affairs |
| Mick Young | Australian Labor Party | 16 February 1987 | 12 February 1988 | Local Government and Ethnic Affairs |
| Clyde Holding | Australian Labor Party | 12 February 1988 | 2 September 1988 | Local Government and Ethnic Affairs |
| Robert Ray | Australian Labor Party | 2 September 1988 | 4 April 1990 | Local Government and Ethnic Affairs |
| Gerry Hand | Australian Labor Party | 4 April 1990 | 24 March 1993 | Ethnic Affairs |
| Nick Bolkus | Australian Labor Party | 24 March 1993 | 11 March 1996 | Ethnic Affairs |
| Philip Ruddock | Liberal Party of Australia | 11 March 1996 | 26 November 2001 | Multicultural Affairs |
| Philip Ruddock | Liberal Party of Australia | 26 November 2001 | 7 October 2003 | Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs |
| Amanda Vanstone | Liberal Party of Australia | 7 October 2003 | 27 January 2006 | Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs |
| Amanda Vanstone | Liberal Party of Australia | 27 January 2006 | 23 January 2007 | Multicultural Affairs |
| Kevin Andrews | Liberal Party of Australia | 23 January 2007 | 3 December 2007 | Citizenship |
| Chris Evans | Australian Labor Party | 3 December 2007 | Incumbent | Citizenship |
Notes
- Lance Barnard was one of a two-man ministry consisting of himself and Gough Whitlam for two weeks until the full ministry was announced.
See also
References
- From Calwell Onward: Immigration Ministers in the Library’s Oral History Collection, National Library of Australia, June 2005.
- Immigration Ministers in Manuscripts, National Library of Australia, August 2005.