Minister for Social Services

The Minister for Social Services is the Australian federal government minister who oversees Australian Government social services, including mental health, families and children's policy, and support for carers and people with disabilities, and seniors.[1] Amanda Rishworth was appointed as minister on 1 June 2022, following the Australian federal election in 2022.[2]

Minister for Social Services
Commonwealth Coat of Arms
Flag of Australia
Incumbent
Amanda Rishworth
since 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)
Department of Social Services
StyleThe Honourable
AppointerGovernor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Formation26 April 1939 (1939-04-26)
Websiteministers.dss.gov.au/amanda-rishworth

Portfolio

In the Government of Australia, the Ministers administer the portfolio through the Department of Social Services. Other portfolio bodies for which the Ministers are responsible include:

  • Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency
  • Australian Institute of Family Studies
  • Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Homelessness
  • Community and Disability Services Ministers' Conference
  • Community Services Ministers' Advisory Council
  • Emergency Relief State Advisory Committees
  • National Childcare Accreditation Council Inc.
  • National Disability Advisory Council
  • National Disability Insurance Agency
  • National Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) Coordination and Development Committee (CAD) representatives and Information Sub-committee
  • Social Security Appeals Tribunal

List of ministers for social services

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Social Services, or any of its precedent titles:[3]

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Frederick Stewart   United Australia Menzies Minister for Social Services 26 April 1939 29 August 1941 2 years, 164 days
Fadden 29 August 1941 7 October 1941
2 Jack Holloway   Labor Curtin 7 October 1941 21 September 1943 1 year, 349 days
3 James Fraser 21 September 1943 6 July 1945 2 years, 270 days
Forde 6 July 1934 13 July 1945
Chifley 13 July 1945 18 June 1946
4 Nick McKenna 18 June 1946 19 December 1949 3 years, 184 days
5 Bill Spooner   Liberal Menzies 19 December 1949 11 May 1951 1 year, 143 days
6 Athol Townley 11 May 1951 9 July 1954 3 years, 59 days
7 William McMahon 9 July 1954 28 February 1956 1 year, 234 days
8 Hugh Roberton   Country 28 February 1956 21 January 1965 8 years, 328 days
9 Reginald Swartz   Liberal 21 January 1965 22 February 1965 32 days
10 Ian Sinclair   Country 22 February 1965 26 January 1966 3 years, 6 days
Holt 26 January 1966 19 December 1967
McEwen 19 December 1967 10 January 1968
Gorton 10 January 1968 28 February 1968
11 Bill Wentworth   Liberal 28 February 1968 10 March 1971 4 years, 281 days
McMahon 10 March 1971 5 December 1972
12 Lance Barnard   Labor Whitlam 5 December 1972 19 December 1972 14 days
13 Don Grimes   Labor Hawke Minister for Community Services 13 December 1984 (1984-12-13) 16 February 1987 (1987-02-16) 2 years, 65 days
14 Chris Hurford   16 February 1987 (1987-02-16) 24 July 1987 (1987-07-24) 158 days
15 Neal Blewett   Minister for Community Services and Health 24 July 1987 (1987-07-24) 4 April 1990 (1990-04-04) 2 years, 254 days
16 Brian Howe   4 April 1990 (1990-04-04) 7 June 1991 (1991-06-07) 3 years, 355 days
  Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services 7 June 1991 (1991-06-07) 20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)
  Keating 20 December 1991 (1991-12-20) 24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)
  Minister for Housing, Local Government and Community Services 24 March 1993 (1993-03-24) 23 December 1993 (1993-12-23)
  Minister for Housing, Local Government and Human Services 23 December 1993 (1993-12-23) 25 March 1994 (1994-03-25)
17 Carmen Lawrence   Minister for Human Services and Health 25 March 1994 (1994-03-25) 11 March 1996 (1996-03-11) 1 year, 352 days
18 Michael Wooldridge   Liberal Howard Minister for Health and Family Services 11 March 1996 (1996-03-11) 21 October 1998 (1998-10-21) 2 years, 224 days
19 Jocelyn Newman   Minister for Family and Community Services 21 October 1998 (1998-10-21) 30 January 2001 (2001-01-30) 2 years, 101 days
20 Amanda Vanstone   30 January 2001 (2001-01-30) 7 October 2003 (2003-10-07) 2 years, 250 days
21 Kay Patterson   7 October 2003 (2003-10-07) 27 January 2006 (2006-01-27) 2 years, 112 days
22 Mal Brough   Minister for Families and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs 27 January 2006 (2006-01-27) 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) 1 year, 310 days
23 Jenny Macklin   Labor Rudd Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) 24 June 2010 (2010-06-24) 5 years, 289 days
  Gillard 24 June 2010 (2010-06-24) 14 December 2011 (2011-12-14)
  Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs 14 December 2011 (2011-12-14) 27 June 2013 (2013-06-27)
  Rudd 27 June 2013 (2013-06-27) 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)
24 Kevin Andrews   Liberal Abbott Minister for Social Services 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) 23 December 2014 (2014-12-23) 1 year, 96 days
25 Scott Morrison   23 December 2014 (2014-12-23) 15 September 2015 272 days
  Turnbull 15 September 2015 (2015-09-15) 21 September 2015
26 Christian Porter   21 September 2015 (2015-09-21) 20 December 2017 2 years, 90 days
27 Dan Tehan   20 December 2017 (2017-12-20) 28 August 2018 251 days
28 Paul Fletcher   Morrison Minister for Families and Social Services 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 29 May 2019 (2019-05-29) 274 days
29 Anne Ruston   29 May 2019 (2019-05-29) 23 May 2022 (2022-05-23) 2 years, 359 days
30 Amanda Rishworth Labor Albanese Minister for Social Services 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) incumbent 1 year, 146 days

Assistant ministers

List of Assistant Ministers for Social Services

The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Social Services, or any precedent titles:[3]

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Mitch Fifield   Liberal Abbott Assistant Minister for Social Services 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) 15 September 2015 2 years, 3 days
  Turnbull 15 September 2015 (2015-09-15) 21 September 2015
2 Craig Laundy   Liberal Turnbull Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs 18 February 2016 (2016-02-18) 18 July 2016 (2016-07-18) 151 days
3 Zed Seselja   Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs 18 July 2016 (2016-07-18) 20 December 2017 (2017-12-20) 1 year, 155 days
For multicultural affairs portfolio, see the Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
4 Justine Elliot Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for Social Services 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) Incumbent 1 year, 146 days

List of Assistant Ministers for the Prevention of Family Violence

The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, or any of its precedent titles:[3]

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Justine Elliot   Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) Incumbent 1 year, 146 days

Former portfolio ministers

List of ministers for major projects
Further information: Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development (Australia) § List of ministers for major projects

List of ministers for urban development
Further information: Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development (Australia) § List of ministers for urban development

List of ministers for aged care

Ministers for aged care or ageing were appointed from 1988 to 1993 and again from 1998 to 2013. The portfolio gained a mental health component in 2010. The latter returned to the health portfolio in 2013, with ageing moving to social services. The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, or any of its precedent titles:[3] The Turnbull government transferred the aged care portfolio back to the Department of Health in October 2015.

Order Minister Party Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Peter Morris   Labor Minister for Housing and Aged Care 19 January 1988 (1988-01-19) 15 February 1988 (1988-02-15) 27 days
2 Peter Staples 15 February 1988 (1988-02-15) 7 May 1990 (1990-05-07) 5 years, 64 days
Minister for Aged, Family and Health Services 7 May 1990 (1990-05-07) 24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)
3 Bronwyn Bishop Liberal Minister for Aged Care 21 October 1998 (1998-10-21) 26 November 2001 (2001-11-26) 3 years, 36 days
4 Kevin Andrews Minister for Ageing 26 November 2001 (2001-11-26) 7 October 2003 (2003-10-07) 1 year, 315 days
5 Julie Bishop 7 October 2003 (2003-10-07) 27 January 2006 (2006-01-27) 2 years, 112 days
6 Santo Santoro 27 January 2006 (2006-01-27) 21 March 2007 (2007-03-21) 1 year, 53 days
7 Christopher Pyne 21 March 2007 (2007-03-21) 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) 257 days
8 Justine Elliot Labor 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) 28 June 2010 (2010-06-28) 2 years, 207 days
9 Mark Butler Minister for Mental Health and Ageing 28 June 2010 (2010-06-28) 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) 3 years, 3 days
10 Jacinta Collins 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) 79 days
For subsequent appointments, see the List of Australian ministers for aged care

List of ministers for community services

A separate outer ministry role of the Minister for Community Services existed between January 2006 and December 2007, supplementing the cabinet role of the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.[4][5]

Order Minister Party Title Term start Term end Term in office
For previous appointments, see the List of ministers for social services
1 John Cobb National Minister for Community Services 27 January 2006 (2006-01-27) 30 January 2007 (2007-01-30) 1 year, 3 days
2 Nigel Scullion 30 January 2007 (2007-01-30) 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) 307 days
For subsequent appointments, see the List of ministers for social services

List of Assistant Ministers for Children and Families

The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Children and Families, or any precedent titles:

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 David Gillespie   The Nationals Turnbull Assistant Minister for Children and Families 20 December 2017 (2017-12-20) 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 251 days
2 Michelle Landry   Morrison 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 23 May 2022 (2022-05-23) 3 years, 268 days

See also

References
  1. "Ministers". Department of Social Services. Government of Australia.
  2. "Press Conference - Parliament House, Canberra | Prime Minister of Australia". pm.gov.au. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  3. "The 45th Parliament: Parliamentary Handbook of the Commonwealth of Australia 2017". Parliament of Australia. 2017. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  4. "Ministerial Arrangements - House Hansard". Parliament of Australia. 7 February 2006.
  5. "Ministerial Arrangements - House Hansard". Parliament of Australia. 6 February 2007.
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