Minister for Education (Australia)

Minister for Education
Commonwealth Coat of Arms
Flag of Australia
Incumbent
Jason Clare
since 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)
Department of Education (Australia)
StyleThe Honourable
AppointerGovernor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Inaugural holderJohn Gorton (as Minister for Education and Science)
Formation14 December 1966 (1966-12-14)
Websiteministers.education.gov.au/clare

In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Education administers the Department of Education. The position is held by Labor MP Jason Clare, following the Australian federal election in 2022.[1]

Portfolio scope

The Minister is responsible for a number of areas, including:[2]

  • Education policy and programs including schools, vocational, higher education and Indigenous education, but excluding migrant adult education
  • Education and training transitions policy and programs
  • Science awareness programs in schools
  • Training, including apprenticeships and training services
  • Policy, co-ordination and support for education exports and services
  • Income support policies and programs for students and apprentices

List of ministers for education

The persons who have been Ministers for Education are as follows:[3]

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 John Gorton   Liberal Menzies Minister in charge of Commonwealth Activities in Education and Research under the Prime Minister 18 December 1963 (1963-12-18) 26 January 1966 (1966-01-26) 4 years, 23 days
Holt 26 January 1966 (1966-01-26) 14 December 1966 (1966-12-14)
Minister for Education and Science 14 December 1966 (1966-12-14) 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) 28 February 1968 (1968-02-28)
2 Malcolm Fraser 28 February 1968 (1968-02-28) 12 November 1969 (1969-11-12) 1 year, 257 days
3 Nigel Bowen 12 November 1969 (1969-11-12) 10 March 1971 (1971-03-10) 3 years, 22 days
McMahon 10 March 1971 (1971-03-10) 22 March 1971 (1971-03-22)
4 David Fairbairn 22 March 1971 (1971-03-22) 20 August 1971 (1971-08-20) 151 days
acting Malcolm Fraser 20 August 1971 (1971-08-20) 5 December 1972 (1972-12-05) 1 year, 107 days
5 Gough Whitlam1 Labor Whitlam 5 December 1972 (1972-12-05) 19 December 1972 (1972-12-19) 14 days
6 Kim Beazley, Snr. Minister for Education 19 December 1972 (1972-12-19) 11 November 1975 (1975-11-11) 2 years, 327 days
7 Margaret Guilfoyle Liberal Fraser 11 November 1975 (1975-11-11) 22 December 1975 (1975-12-22) 41 days
8 John Carrick 22 December 1975 (1975-12-22) 8 December 1979 (1979-12-08) 3 years, 351 days
9 Wal Fife 8 December 1979 (1979-12-08) 7 May 1982 (1982-05-07) 2 years, 150 days
10 Peter Baume 7 May 1982 (1982-05-07) 11 March 1983 (1983-03-11) 308 days
11 Susan Ryan Labor Hawke Minister for Education and Youth Affairs 11 March 1983 (1983-03-11) 13 December 1984 (1984-12-13) 4 years, 135 days
Minister for Education 13 December 1984 (1984-12-13) 24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)
12 John Dawkins Minister for Employment, Education and Training 24 July 1987 (1987-07-24) 20 December 1991 (1991-12-20) 4 years, 156 days
Keating 20 December 1991 (1991-12-20) 27 December 1991 (1991-12-27)
13 Kim Beazley 27 December 1991 (1991-12-27) 23 December 1993 (1993-12-23) 1 year, 361 days
14 Simon Crean 23 December 1993 (1993-12-23) 11 March 1996 (1996-03-11) 4 years, 75 days
15 Amanda Vanstone Liberal Howard Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs 11 March 1996 (1996-03-11) 9 October 1997 (1997-10-09) 1 year, 212 days
16 David Kemp Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs 9 October 1997 (1997-10-09) 26 November 2001 (2001-11-26) 4 years, 48 days
17 Brendan Nelson Minister for Education, Science and Training 26 November 2001 (2001-11-26) 27 January 2006 (2006-01-27) 4 years, 62 days
18 Julie Bishop 27 January 2006 (2006-01-27) 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) 1 year, 310 days
19 Julia Gillard Labor Rudd Minister for Education 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) 24 June 2010 2 years, 207 days
Gillard 24 June 2010 28 June 2010 (2010-06-28)2
n/a Simon Crean 28 June 2010 (2010-06-28) 14 September 2010 (2010-09-14) 78 days
20 Peter Garrett Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth 14 September 2010 (2010-09-14) 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) 2 years, 290 days
21 Bill Shorten Rudd Minister for Education 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) 79 days
22 Christopher Pyne Liberal Abbott 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) 23 December 2014 (2014-12-23) 2 years, 3 days
Minister for Education and Training 23 December 2014 (2014-12-23) 15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)
Turnbull 15 September 2015 (2015-09-15) 21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)
23 Simon Birmingham 21 September 2015 (2015-09-21) 24 August 2018 (2018-08-24) 2 years, 341 days
Morrison 24 August 2018 (2018-08-24) 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)
24 Dan Tehan Minister for Education 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 22 December 2020 (2020-12-22) 2 years, 116 days
25 Alan Tudge Minister for Education and Youth 22 December 2020 (2020-12-22) 2 December 2021 (2021-12-02)[a] 345 days
(acting) Stuart Robert 2 December 2021 (2021-12-02) 23 May 2022 (2022-05-23) 172 days
26 Jason Clare Labor Albanese Minister for Education 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) Incumbent 2 years, 159 days

Notes

1 Whitlam was part of a two-man ministry comprising himself and Lance Barnard for fourteen days until the full ministry was commissioned.
2 Despite the First Rudd Ministry ending on 24 June 2010, Gillard was Minister for Education for four days in her first ministry, between 24 June and 28 June 2010, when the revised ministry was commissioned.

List of ministers for early childhood education

The following individuals have been appointed as Ministers with various titles that have included the words "early childhood":[3]

Order Minister Party affiliation Prime Minister Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Kate Ellis   Labor Rudd Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth 9 June 2009 (2009-06-09) 28 June 2010 (2010-06-28) 1 year, 19 days
2 Peter Garrett   Gillard Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth 28 June 2010 (2010-06-28) 26 June 2013 (2013-06-26) 2 years, 363 days
(1) Kate Ellis   Rudd Minister for Early Childhood, Childcare and Youth 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) 79 days
3 Anne Aly Labor Albanese Minister for Early Childhood Education 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) Incumbent 2 years, 159 days

List of ministers for vocational education and skills

This section is an excerpt from Minister for Skills and Training (Australia) § List of ministers for skills and training.[edit]

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

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Peter Baldwin Labor Hawke Minister for Higher Education and Employment Services 7 May 1990 (1990-05-07) 20 December 1991 (1991-12-20) 2 years, 321 days
Keating 20 December 1991 (1991-12-20) 24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)
2 Ross Free Minister for Schools, Vocational Education and Training 24 March 1993 11 March 1996 3 years, 18 days
3 David Kemp   Liberal Howard 11 March 1996 6 October 1997 1 year, 209 days
4 Chris Ellison   6 October 1997 21 October 1998 1 year, 15 days
5 Gary Hardgrave   Liberal Howard Minister for Vocational and Technical Education 22 October 2004 23 January 2007 2 years, 93 days
6 Andrew Robb   Minister for Vocational and Further Education 23 January 2007 3 December 2007 314 days
7 Chris Evans Labor Gillard Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations 14 September 2010 14 December 2011 2 years, 172 days
Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs, Science and Research 14 December 2011 2 February 2013
8 Chris Bowen 2 February 2013 22 March 2013 48 days
9 Craig Emerson 25 March 2013 26 June 2013 93 days
10 Brendan O'Connor Rudd Minister for Skills and Training 1 July 2013 18 September 2013 79 days
11 Luke Hartsuyker National Turnbull Minister for Vocational Education and Skills 21 September 2015 (2015-09-21) 18 February 2016 (2016-02-18) 150 days
12 Scott Ryan Liberal 18 February 2016 (2016-02-18) 19 July 2016 (2016-07-19) 152 days
13 Michaelia Cash   Liberal Morrison Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 29 May 2019 (2019-05-29) 2 years, 214 days
Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business 29 May 2019 (2019-05-29) 30 March 2021 (2021-03-30)
14 Stuart Robert Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business 30 March 2021 (2021-03-30) 23 May 2022 (2022-05-23) 1 year, 54 days
(10) Brendan O'Connor Labor Albanese Minister for Skills and Training 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) 29 July 2024 (2024-07-29) 2 years, 58 days
15 Andrew Giles 29 July 2024 (2024-07-29) Incumbent 101 days

Former ministerial titles

List of ministers for higher education

The persons who have been Ministers for Higher Education are as follows:

Order Minister Party affiliation Prime Minister Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Peter Baldwin Labor Hawke Minister for Higher Education and Employment Services 7 May 1990 (1990-05-07) 20 December 1991 (1991-12-20) 2 years, 321 days
Keating 20 December 1991 (1991-12-20) 24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)
2 Sharon Bird Labor Gillard Minister for Higher Education and Skills 25 March 2013 (2013-03-25) 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) 98 days

List of assistant ministers

The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Education and Training, or any of its precedent titles:[3]

Order Minister Party affiliation Prime Minister Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Sussan Ley Liberal Abbott Assistant Minister for Education 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) 23 December 2014 (2014-12-23) 1 year, 96 days
2 Simon Birmingham Assistant Minister for Education and Training 23 December 2014 (2014-12-23) 15 September 2015 (2015-09-15) 272 days
Turnbull 15 September 2015 (2015-09-15) 21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)
3 Anthony Chisholm Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for Education 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) Incumbent 2 years, 159 days

See also

References

  1. ^ On leave from 2 December 2021. Officially resigned on 4 March 2022.
  1. ^ "Press Conference – Parliament House, Canberra | Prime Minister of Australia". pm.gov.au. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Administrative Arrangement Order" (PDF). Government of Australia. 3 December 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2007.(Part 6, p14)
  3. ^ a b c "Ministries and Cabinets". 43rd Parliamentary Handbook: Historical information on the Australian Parliament. Parliament of Australia. 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  4. ^ "Ministries and Cabinets". 43rd Parliamentary Handbook: Historical information on the Australian Parliament. Parliament of Australia. 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2015.