Minister for Home Affairs (Australia) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Minister for Home Affairs |
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.jpg) Clare O'Neil since 1 June 2022 |
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| Department of Home Affairs | |
| Appointer | Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia |
| Inaugural holder | William Lyne |
| Formation | 1 January 1901 |
The Minister for Home Affairs is a very important job in the Australian government. This person is in charge of the Department of Home Affairs. This department is like the country's "interior ministry." It handles things that keep Australia safe and organized inside its borders.
The current Minister is Clare O'Neil. She is from the Labor Party. She has been in this role since June 1, 2022.
The Department of Home Affairs we have today started in December 2017. But a department with a similar name first began in 1901. This was when Australia became a federation, joining together as one country. That first department handled many different areas that other government groups didn't cover. Over the years, similar departments have existed under various names. The specific title "Minister for Home Affairs" has been used six times in Australia's history.
History of the Home Affairs Role
The job of Minister for Home Affairs existed for a long time, from 1901 until 1932. After that, it changed names to "Minister for the Interior." This role was responsible for many internal matters in Australia.
Over time, new government jobs were created. These new roles took over some of the tasks that the Home Affairs Minister used to do. For example, separate ministers were created for:
- Transport
- Immigration
- Agriculture
- Industry
The "Minister for the Interior" role lasted from 1932 to 1972. There was also a "Minister for Territories" who looked after Australia's territories.
The Home Affairs Ministry was brought back in 2007. It took over responsibilities like criminal justice, law enforcement, and border control. It also oversaw important groups like the Australian Federal Police.
From 2010 to 2013, the Minister for Home Affairs was also the "Minister for Justice." In 2013, the Home Affairs job was stopped again. Its duties were split between the "Minister for Immigration and Border Protection" and the "Minister for Justice."
Then, in 2017, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that a new Home Affairs department would be created. This new department would handle immigration, border control, national security, and law enforcement.
On December 20, 2017, Peter Dutton became the new Minister for Home Affairs. The department was given responsibilities for national security, including keeping computer systems safe (cybersecurity) and stopping terrorism. It also handles law enforcement, emergency management, transport safety, immigration, citizenship, border control, and multicultural affairs.
Ministers for Home Affairs
Many people have served as the Minister for Home Affairs or in similar roles. Here is a list of those who have held the title of Minister for Home Affairs:
| Order | Minister | Party | Prime Minister | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office | |
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| 1 | Sir William Lyne, KCMG | Protectionist | Barton | Minister for Home Affairs | 1 January 1901 | 11 August 1903 | 2 years, 222 days | |
| 2 | Sir John Forrest, KCMG | 11 August 1903 | 24 September 1903 | 260 days | ||||
| Deakin | 24 September 1903 | 27 April 1904 | ||||||
| 3 | Lee Batchelor | Labor | Watson | 27 April 1904 | 17 August 1904 | 112 days | ||
| 4 | Dugald Thomson | Free Trade | Reid | 17 August 1904 | 5 July 1905 | 322 days | ||
| 5 | Littleton Groom, KC | Protectionist | Deakin | 5 July 1905 | 12 October 1906 | 1 year, 99 days | ||
| 6 | Thomas Ewing | 12 October 1906 | 24 January 1907 | 104 days | ||||
| 7 | John Keating | 24 January 1907 | 13 November 1908 | 1 year, 294 days | ||||
| 8 | Hugh Mahon | Labor | Fisher | 13 November 1908 | 2 June 1909 | 201 days | ||
| 9 | George Fuller | Liberal | Deakin | 2 June 1909 | 29 April 1910 | 331 days | ||
| 10 | King O'Malley | Labor | Fisher | 29 April 1910 | 24 June 1913 | 3 years, 56 days | ||
| 11 | Joseph Cook | Liberal | Cook | 24 June 1913 | 17 September 1914 | 1 year, 85 days | ||
| 12 | William Archibald | Labor | Fisher | 17 September 1914 | 27 October 1915 | 1 year, 40 days | ||
| (10) | King O'Malley | Hughes | 27 October 1915 | 14 November 1916 | 1 year, 18 days | |||
| 13 | Fred Bamford | National Labor | Minister for Home and Territories | 14 November 1916 | 17 February 1917 | 95 days | ||
| 14 | Paddy Glynn, KC | Nationalist | 17 February 1917 | 3 February 1920 | 2 years, 351 days | |||
| 15 | Alexander Poynton, OBE | 3 February 1920 | 21 December 1921 | 1 year, 321 days | ||||
| 16 | George Pearce | 21 December 1921 | 9 February 1923 | 4 years, 179 days | ||||
| Bruce | 9 February 1923 | 18 June 1926 | ||||||
| 17 | Sir William Glasgow, KCB, CMG, DSO, VD | 18 June 1926 | 2 April 1927 | 288 days | ||||
| 18 | Charles Marr, DSO, MC | 2 April 1927 | 24 February 1928 | 328 days | ||||
| 19 | Sir Neville Howse, VC, KCB, KCMG | 24 February 1928 | 29 November 1928 | 279 days | ||||
| 20 | Aubrey Abbott | Country | 29 November 1928 | 22 October 1929 | 327 days | |||
| 21 | Arthur Blakeley | Labor | Scullin | Minister for Home Affairs | 22 October 1929 | 6 January 1932 | 2 years, 76 days | |
| 22 | Sir Archdale Parkhill, KCMG | United Australia | Lyons | 6 January 1932 | 12 April 1932 | 97 days | ||
| 23 | Robert Ellicott, QC | Liberal | Fraser | Minister for Home Affairs | 20 December 1977 | 3 November 1980 | 3 years, 59 days | |
| Minister for Home Affairs and Environment | 3 November 1980 | 17 February 1981 | ||||||
| 24 | Michael MacKellar | 17 February 1981 | 19 March 1981 | 30 days | ||||
| 25 | Ian Wilson | 19 March 1981 | 7 May 1982 | 1 year, 49 days | ||||
| 26 | Tom McVeigh | National Country | 7 May 1982 | 16 October 1982 | 308 days | |||
| National | 16 October 1982 | 11 March 1983 | ||||||
| 27 | Barry Cohen | Labor | Hawke | 11 March 1983 | 13 December 1984 | 1 year, 277 days | ||
| 28 | Robert Ray | Labor | Hawke | Minister for Home Affairs | 24 July 1987 | 2 September 1988 | 1 year, 40 days | |
| 29 | Bob Debus | Labor | Rudd | Minister for Home Affairs | 3 December 2007 | 9 June 2009 | 1 year, 188 days | |
| 30 | Brendan O'Connor | 9 June 2009 | 24 June 2010 | 2 years, 188 days | ||||
| Gillard | 24 June 2010 | 14 December 2011 | ||||||
| 31 | Jason Clare | 14 December 2011 | 27 June 2013 | 1 year, 278 days | ||||
| Rudd | 27 June 2013 | 18 September 2013 | ||||||
| 32 | Peter Dutton | Liberal | Turnbull | Minister for Home Affairs | 20 December 2017 | 24 August 2018 | 3 years, 100 days | |
| Morrison | 24 August 2018 | 30 March 2021 | ||||||
| 33 | Karen Andrews | 30 March 2021 | 23 May 2022 | 1 year, 54 days | ||||
| Scott Morrison | 6 May 2021 | 23 May 2022 | 1 year, 17 days | |||||
| * | Jim Chalmers (Interim) | Labor | Albanese | 23 May 2022 | 1 June 2022 | 9 days | ||
| 34 | Clare O'Neil | 1 June 2022 | incumbent | 3 years, 18 days | ||||
- From May 2021 to May 2022, Scott Morrison also held the position of Minister for Home Affairs. This was not made public until August 2022.
See also
- Department of Home Affairs (1901–16)
- Department of Home and Territories (1916–1928)
- Department of Home Affairs (1928–32)
- Department of the Interior (1932–39)
- Department of the Interior (1939–72)
- Department of Home Affairs (1977–80)
- Department of Home Affairs and Environment (1980–84)
- Department of Home Affairs (2017–Present)
