Minister for Communications (Australia)

The Australian Minister for Communications has the overall responsibility for broadcasting, the information and communications technology industry, the information economy, and telecommunications within Australia. The portfolio is currently held by Michelle Rowland in the Albanese ministry since 1 June 2022, following the Australian federal election in 2022.[1]

Minister for Communications
Commonwealth Coat of Arms
Flag of Australia
Incumbent
Michelle Rowland
since 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts
StyleThe Honourable
AppointerGovernor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Inaugural holderJohn Forrest (as Postmaster-General)
Formation1 January 1901 (1901-01-01)
Websiteminister.infrastructure.gov.au/rowland

In the Government of Australia, the ministers administer the portfolio through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.

Scope

Portfolio agencies and bodies include:

List of ministers

The minister responsible for telecommunications policy has had various titles. From 1901 until December 1975 it was the Postmaster-General, who administered the portfolio through the Postmaster-General's Department.

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Communications, or any of its precedent titles:[2][3]

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 John Forrest   Protectionist Barton Postmaster-General 1 January 1901 (1901-01-01) 17 January 1901 (1901-01-17) 16 days
2 James Drake 5 February 1901 (1901-02-05) 10 August 1903 (1903-08-10) 2 years, 186 days
3 Philip Fysh 10 August 1903 (1903-08-10) 24 September 1903 (1903-09-24) 261 days
Deakin 24 September 1903 (1903-09-24) 27 April 1904 (1904-04-27)
4 Hugh Mahon Labor Watson 27 April 1904 (1904-04-27) 17 August 1904 (1904-08-17) 112 days
5 Sydney Smith Free Trade George Reid 17 August 1904 (1904-08-17) 5 July 1905 (1905-07-05) 322 days
6 Austin Chapman Protectionist Deakin 5 July 1905 (1905-07-05) 30 July 1907 (1907-07-30) 2 years, 25 days
7 Samuel Mauger 30 July 1907 (1907-07-30) 13 November 1908 (1908-11-13) 1 year, 106 days
8 Josiah Thomas Labor Fisher 13 November 1908 (1908-11-13) 2 June 1909 (1909-06-02) 201 days
9 John Quick Protectionist Deakin 2 June 1909 (1909-06-02) 29 April 1910 (1910-04-29) 331 days
10 Josiah Thomas Labor Fisher 29 April 1910 (1910-04-29) 14 October 1911 (1911-10-14) 1 year, 168 days
11 Charlie Frazer 14 October 1911 (1911-10-14) 24 June 1913 (1913-06-24) 1 year, 253 days
12 Agar Wynne Liberal Cook 24 June 1913 (1913-06-24) 17 September 1914 (1914-09-17) 1 year, 85 days
13 William Spence Labor Fisher 17 September 1914 (1914-09-17) 27 October 1915 (1915-10-27) 1 year, 40 days
14 William Webster Hughes 27 October 1915 (1915-10-27) 14 November 1916 (1916-11-14) 4 years, 99 days
National Labor 14 November 1916 (1916-11-14) 17 February 1917 (1917-02-17)
Nationalist 17 February 1917 (1917-02-17) 3 February 1920 (1920-02-03)
15 George Wise 3 February 1920 (1920-02-03) 21 December 1921 (1921-12-21) 1 year, 321 days
16 Alexander Poynton 21 December 1921 (1921-12-21) 5 February 1923 (1923-02-05) 1 year, 46 days
17 William Gibson Country Bruce 5 February 1923 (1923-02-05) 22 October 1929 (1929-10-22) 6 years, 259 days
18 Joseph Lyons Labor Scullin 22 October 1929 (1929-10-22) 4 February 1931 (1931-02-04) 1 year, 105 days
19 Albert Green 4 February 1931 (1931-02-04) 6 January 1932 (1932-01-06) 336 days
20 James Fenton United Australia Lyons 6 January 1932 (1932-01-06) 13 October 1932 (1932-10-13) 281 days
21 Archdale Parkhill 13 October 1932 (1932-10-13) 12 October 1934 (1934-10-12) 1 year, 364 days
22 Alexander McLachlan 12 October 1934 (1934-10-12) 7 November 1938 (1938-11-07) 6 years, 25 days
23 Archie Cameron Country 7 November 1938 (1938-11-07) 7 April 1939 (1939-04-07) 170 days
Page 7 April 1939 (1939-04-07) 26 April 1939 (1939-04-26)
24 Eric Harrison United Australia Menzies 26 April 1939 (1939-04-26) 14 March 1940 (1940-03-14) 323 days
25 Harold Thorby Country 14 March 1940 (1940-03-14) 28 October 1940 (1940-10-28) 228 days
26 George McLeay United Australia 28 October 1940 (1940-10-28) 26 June 1941 (1941-06-26) 241 days
27 Thomas Collins Country 26 June 1941 (1941-06-26) 29 August 1941 (1941-08-29) 103 days
Fadden 29 August 1941 (1941-08-29) 7 October 1941 (1941-10-07)
28 Bill Ashley Labor Curtin 7 October 1941 (1941-10-07) 2 February 1945 (1945-02-02) 3 years, 118 days
29 Don Cameron 2 February 1945 (1945-02-02) 6 July 1945 (1945-07-06) 4 years, 320 days
Forde 6 July 1945 (1945-07-06) 13 July 1945 (1945-07-13)
Chifley 13 July 1945 (1945-07-13) 19 December 1949 (1949-12-19)
30 Larry Anthony Country Menzies 19 December 1949 (1949-12-19) 11 January 1956 (1956-01-11) 6 years, 23 days
31 Charles Davidson 11 January 1956 (1956-01-11) 18 December 1963 (1963-12-18) 7 years, 341 days
32 Alan Hulme Liberal 18 December 1963 (1963-12-18) 26 January 1966 (1966-01-26) 8 years, 353 days
Holt 26 January 1966 (1966-01-26) 19 December 1967 (1967-12-19)
McEwen 19 December 1967 (1967-12-19) 10 January 1968 (1968-01-10)
Gorton 10 January 1968 (1968-01-10) 10 March 1971 (1971-03-10)
McMahon 10 March 1971 (1971-03-10) 5 December 1972 (1972-12-05)
33 Lance Barnard1 Labor Whitlam 5 December 1972 (1972-12-05) 19 December 1972 (1972-12-19) 14 days
34 Lionel Bowen 19 December 1972 (1972-12-19) 12 June 1974 (1974-06-12) 1 year, 175 days
35 Reg Bishop 12 June 1974 (1974-06-12) 11 November 1975 (1975-11-11) 1 year, 152 days
36 Peter Nixon National Country Fraser 11 November 1975 (1975-11-11) 22 December 1975 (1975-12-22) 41 days
37 Victor Garland Liberal Minister for Post and Telecommunications 22 December 1975 (1975-12-22) 6 December 1976 (1976-12-06) 350 days
38 Eric Robinson 6 December 1976 (1976-12-06) 20 December 1977 (1977-12-20) 1 year, 14 days
39 Tony Staley 20 December 1977 (1977-12-20) 3 November 1980 (1980-11-03) 2 years, 319 days
40 Ian Sinclair National Country Minister for Communications 3 November 1980 (1980-11-03) 7 May 1982 (1982-05-07) 1 year, 185 days
41 Neil Brown Liberal 7 May 1982 (1982-05-07) 11 March 1983 (1983-03-11) 308 days
42 Michael Duffy Labor Hawke 11 March 1983 (1983-03-11) 24 July 1987 (1987-07-24) 4 years, 135 days
43 Gareth Evans Minister for Transport and Communications2 24 July 1987 (1987-07-24) 2 September 1988 (1988-09-02) 1 year, 40 days
44 Ralph Willis 2 September 1988 (1988-09-02) 4 April 1990 (1990-04-04) 1 year, 214 days
45 Kim Beazley 4 April 1990 (1990-04-04) 9 December 1991 (1991-12-09) 1 year, 249 days
46 John Kerin 9 December 1991 (1991-12-09) 20 December 1991 (1991-12-20) 18 days
Keating 20 December 1991 (1991-12-20) 27 December 1991 (1991-12-27)
47 Graham Richardson 27 December 1991 (1991-12-27) 18 May 1992 (1992-05-18) 143 days
48 Bob Collins 18 May 1992 (1992-05-18) 23 December 1993 (1993-12-23) 1 year, 219 days
49 Michael Lee Minister for Communications 23 December 1993 (1993-12-23) 30 January 1994 (1994-01-30) 2 years, 79 days
Minister for Communications and the Arts 30 January 1994 (1994-01-30) 11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)
50 Richard Alston Liberal Howard 11 March 1996 (1996-03-11) 9 October 1997 (1997-10-09) 7 years, 210 days
Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts 9 October 1997 (1997-10-09) 21 October 1998 (1998-10-21)
Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts 21 October 1998 (1998-10-21) 7 October 2003 (2003-10-07)
51 Daryl Williams 7 October 2003 (2003-10-07) 18 July 2004 (2004-07-18) 285 days
52 Helen Coonan 18 July 2004 (2004-07-18) 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) 3 years, 138 days
53 Stephen Conroy Labor Rudd Minister for Broadband, Communications
and the Digital Economy		 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) 24 June 2010 (2010-06-24) 5 years, 210 days
Gillard 24 June 2010 (2010-06-24) 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)
54 Anthony Albanese Rudd 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) 79 days
55 Malcolm Turnbull Liberal Abbott Minister for Communications 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) 14 September 2015 (2015-09-14) 2 years, 3 days
Turnbull 15 September 2015 (2015-09-15) 21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)
56 Mitch Fifield 21 September 2015 (2015-09-21) 23 August 2018 (2018-08-23) 3 years, 250 days
Morrison Minister for Communications and the Arts 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)
57 Paul Fletcher Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts 29 May 2019 (2019-05-29) 22 December 2020 (2020-12-22) 2 years, 359 days
Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts 22 December 2020 (2020-12-22) 23 May 2022 (2022-05-23)
58 Michelle Rowland Labor Albanese Minister for Communications 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) Incumbent 1 year, 146 days

Notes

1 Barnard served as part of a two-man ministry together with Gough Whitlam for fourteen days, until the full ministry was commissioned.
2 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 ministries.[2] Junior ministers are shown in the table below.

List of ministers for regional communications

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Regional Communications, or any of its precedent titles:[4]

Order Minister Party affiliation Prime Minister Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Sharon Bird Labor Rudd Minister for Regional Communications 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) 79 days
2 Fiona Nash National Turnbull Minister for Regional Communications 18 February 2016 (2016-02-18) 26 October 2017 1 year, 250 days
3 Bridget McKenzie National Turnbull Minister for Regional Communications 20 December 2017 (2017-12-20) 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 251 days
For subsequent appointments, see the Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education

List of ministers for digital transformation

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 ministries; however, junior ministers have been appointed in the telecommunications portfolio on only five occasions. Senior ministers are shown in the table above.

The following individuals have been appointed as the Minister for Digital Transformation, or any of its precedent titles:[2][3]

Order Minister Party affiliation Prime Minister Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Gary Punch Labor Hawke Minister for Telecommunications and Aviation Support 24 July 1987 (1987-07-24) 28 March 1989 (1989-03-28) 1 year, 247 days
2 Ros Kelly 6 April 1989 (1989-04-06) 4 April 1990 (1990-04-04) 363 days
3 David Beddall Labor Keating Minister for Communications 24 March 1993 (1993-03-24) 23 December 1993 (1993-12-23) 274 days
4 Angus Taylor Liberal Turnbull Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Digital Transformation 18 February 2016 (2016-02-18) 20 December 2017 (2017-12-20) 1 year, 305 days
5 Michael Keenan Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Digital Transformation 20 December 2017 (2017-12-20) 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 1 year, 160 days
Morrison Minister for Digital Transformation 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)

References
  1. "Press Conference - Parliament House, Canberra | Prime Minister of Australia". www.pm.gov.au. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  2. "Ministries and Cabinets". 43rd Parliamentary Handbook: Historical information on the Australian Parliament. Parliament of Australia. 2010. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  3. "Second Rudd Ministry" (PDF). Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Commonwealth of Australia. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  4. Karp, Paul (27 October 2017). "High court citizenship case: Barnaby Joyce and four others ruled ineligible". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
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