The Minister for Health and Aged Care is the position in the Australian cabinet responsible for national health and wellbeing and medical research. The incumbent Minister is Labor MP Mark Butler.
| Minister for Health and Aged Care | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
 | |
| Department of Health and Aged Care | |
| Style | The Honourable |
| Appointer | Governor-General on the advice of the prime minister |
| Inaugural holder | Walter Massy-Greene (as Minister for Health) |
| Formation | 10 March 1921 |
| Website | www |
In the Government of Australia, the minister is responsible for national health and medical research policy, providing direction and oversight of the Department of Health and Aged Care.
History
editUnder Section 55(ix) of the Australian Constitution, the Commonwealth Parliament had the power to "make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to Quarantine." This was the only area of public health in which the Commonwealth had authority at the time of Federation. The federal parliament did not use this power until the proclamation of the Quarantine Act 1908,[1] on 30 March 1908. The control of the administration of quarantine was under the administration of the Minister for Trade and Customs from 1908 until 1921. This Minister's responsibilities in health matters increased as the Australian Government took a greater role in the provision of public health services during the early 20th century, in particular after the First World War.
A separate Department of Health was established on 10 March 1921, and the position of Minister for Health was then formally created in the fifth Hughes Ministry. The role of the Department of Health has continued to expand and further federal responsibility for health was authorised by the passage, at referendum, of a constitutional amendment in 1946. From 1987 until the establishment of the current department in 2013, the department controlled by the minister had various different names – Department of Community Services and Health (1987–1991), Department of Health, Housing and Community Services (1991–1993), Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services (1993), Department of Human Services and Health (1993–1996), Department of Health and Family Services (1996–1998), Department of Health and Aged Care (1998–2001), and Department of Health and Ageing (2001–2013).
Section 51 (xxiiiA) of the Constitution now states the Commonwealth (federal) Parliament has the power to
make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth [of Australia] with respect to the provision of maternity allowances, widows' pensions, child endowment, unemployment, pharmaceutical, sickness and hospital benefits, medical and dental services (but not so as to authorise any form of civil conscription), benefits to students and family allowances.
As a result of this amendment the federal government now has a key role in financing and providing medical services through entities such as Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
From 1972 to 1975 under Doug Everingham, the minister was named the "Minister for Helth [sic]" in some informal contexts due to Everingham's support of Spelling Reform.[2][3][4]
List of ministers
editHealth
editThe following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Health, or any of its precedent titles:[5]
| Order | Minister | Party | Prime Minister | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Massy-Greene | Nationalist | Hughes | Minister for Health | 10 March 1921 | 5 February 1923 | 1 year, 332 days | |
| 2 | Austin Chapman | Bruce | 9 February 1923 | 26 May 1924 | 1 year, 107 days | |||
| 3 | Littleton Groom | 26 May 1924 | 13 June 1924 | 18 days | ||||
| 4 | Herbert Pratten | 13 June 1924 | 16 January 1925 | 217 days | ||||
| 5 | Sir Neville Howse | 16 January 1925 | 2 April 1927 | 2 years, 76 days | ||||
| 6 | Stanley Bruce | 2 April 1927 | 24 February 1928 | 328 days | ||||
| (5) | Sir Neville Howse | 24 February 1928 | 22 October 1929 | 1 year, 240 days | ||||
| 7 | Frank Anstey | Labor | Scullin | 22 October 1929 | 3 March 1931 | 1 year, 132 days | ||
| 8 | John McNeill | 3 March 1931 | 6 January 1932 | 309 days | ||||
| 9 | Charles Marr | United Australia | Lyons | 6 January 1932 | 12 October 1934 | 2 years, 279 days | ||
| 10 | Billy Hughes | 12 October 1934 | 6 November 1935 | 1 year, 25 days | ||||
| 11 | Joseph Lyons | 6 November 1935 | 26 February 1936 | 112 days | ||||
| (10) | Billy Hughes | 26 February 1936 | 29 November 1937 | 1 year, 276 days | ||||
| 12 | Sir Earle Page | Country | 29 November 1937 | 7 November 1938 | 343 days | |||
| 13 | Harry Foll | United Australia | 7 November 1938 | 7 April 1939 | 170 days | |||
| Page | 7 April 1939 | 26 April 1939 | ||||||
| 14 | Sir Frederick Stewart | Menzies | 26 April 1939 | 14 March 1940 | 323 days | |||
| 15 | Harold Thorby | Country | 14 March 1940 | 28 October 1940 | 228 days | |||
| (14) | Sir Frederick Stewart | United Australia | 28 October 1940 | 29 August 1941 | 344 days | |||
| Fadden | 29 August 1941 | 7 October 1941 | ||||||
| 16 | Jack Holloway | Labor | Curtin | 7 October 1941 | 21 September 1943 | 1 year, 349 days | ||
| 17 | James Fraser | 21 September 1943 | 6 July 1945 | 1 year, 288 days | ||||
| Forde | 6 July 1945 | 13 July 1945 | 7 days | |||||
| Chifley | 13 July 1945 | 18 June 1946 | 340 days | |||||
| 18 | Nick McKenna | 18 June 1946 | 19 December 1949 | 3 years, 184 days | ||||
| (12) | Sir Earle Page | Country | Menzies | 19 December 1949 | 11 January 1956 | 6 years, 23 days | ||
| 19 | Donald Cameron | Liberal | 11 January 1956 | 22 December 1961 | 5 years, 345 days | |||
| 20 | Harrie Wade | Country | 22 December 1961 | 18 November 1964 | 2 years, 332 days | |||
| 21 | Reginald Swartz | Liberal | 21 November 1964 | 26 January 1966 | 1 year, 66 days | |||
| 22 | Jim Forbes | Holt | 26 January 1966 | 19 December 1967 | 5 years, 55 days | |||
| McEwen | 19 December 1967 | 10 January 1968 | ||||||
| Gorton | 10 January 1968 | 10 March 1971 | ||||||
| McMahon | 10 March 1971 | 22 March 1971 | ||||||
| 23 | Ivor Greenwood | 22 March 1971 | 2 August 1971 | 133 days | ||||
| 24 | Sir Ken Anderson | 2 August 1971 | 5 December 1972 | 1 year, 125 days | ||||
| 25 | Lance Barnard1 | Labor | Whitlam | 5 December 1972 | 19 December 1972 | 14 days | ||
| 26 | Doug Everingham | Minister for Health2 | 19 December 1972 | 11 November 1975 | 2 years, 327 days | |||
| 27 | Don Chipp | Liberal | Fraser | Minister for Health | 11 November 1975 | 22 December 1975 | 41 days | |
| 28 | Ralph Hunt | National Country | 22 December 1975 | 8 December 1979 | 3 years, 351 days | |||
| 29 | Michael MacKellar | Liberal | 8 December 1979 | 20 April 1982 | 2 years, 133 days | |||
| 30 | Peter Baume | 20 April 1982 | 7 May 1982 | 17 days | ||||
| 31 | Jim Carlton | 7 May 1982 | 11 March 1983 | 308 days | ||||
| 32 | Neal Blewett | Labor | Hawke | 11 March 1983 | 24 July 1987 | 7 years, 24 days | ||
| Minister for Community Services and Health | 24 July 1987 | 4 April 1990 | ||||||
| 33 | Brian Howe | 4 April 1990 | 7 June 1991 | 2 years, 354 days | ||||
| Keating | Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services | 7 June 1991 | 24 March 1993 | |||||
| 34 | Graham Richardson | Minister for Health | 24 March 1993 | 25 March 1994 | 1 year, 1 day | |||
| 35 | Carmen Lawrence | Minister for Human Services and Health | 25 March 1994 | 11 March 1996 | 1 year, 352 days | |||
| 36 | Michael Wooldridge | Liberal | Howard | Minister for Health and Family Services | 11 March 1996 | 21 October 1998 | 5 years, 260 days | |
| Minister for Health and Aged Care | 21 October 1998 | 26 November 2001 | ||||||
| 37 | Kay Patterson | Minister for Health and Ageing | 26 November 2001 | 7 October 2003 | 1 year, 315 days | |||
| 38 | Tony Abbott | 7 October 2003 | 3 December 2007 | 4 years, 57 days | ||||
| 39 | Nicola Roxon | Labor | Rudd | 3 December 2007 | 24 June 2010 | 4 years, 8 days | ||
| Gillard | 24 June 2010 | 11 December 2011 | ||||||
| 40 | Tanya Plibersek | Minister for Health | 11 December 2011 | 1 July 2013 | 1 year, 281 days | |||
| Rudd | Minister for Health and Medical Research | 1 July 2013 | 18 September 2013 | |||||
| 41 | Peter Dutton | Liberal | Abbott | Minister for Health | 18 September 2013 | 23 December 2014 | 1 year, 96 days | |
| 42 | Sussan Ley | 23 December 2014 | 15 September 2015 | 2 years, 21 days | ||||
| Turnbull | 15 September 2015 | 19 July 2016 | ||||||
| Minister for Health and Ageing | 19 July 2016 | 13 January 2017 | ||||||
| (acting) | Arthur Sinodinos[6] | 13 January 2017 | 24 January 2017 | 11 days | ||||
| 43 | Greg Hunt3 | Minister for Health | 24 January 2017 | 24 August 2018 | 5 years, 119 days | |||
| Morrison | 24 August 2018 | 22 December 2020 | ||||||
| Minister for Health and Aged Care | 22 December 2020 | 23 May 2022 | ||||||
| Scott Morrison3 [7] | Minister for Health | 14 March 2020 | 2 years, 70 days | |||||
| (acting) | Katy Gallagher4 [8] | Labor | Albanese | Minister for Health and Aged Care | 23 May 2022 | 1 June 2022 | 9 days | |
| 44 | Mark Butler | 1 June 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 174 days | ||||
Notes
- 1 Barnard was part of a two-man ministry that comprised just Gough Whitlam and Barnard for fourteen days until the full ministry was announced.
- 2 Doug Everingham was a supporter of Spelling Reform and he preferred to spell it "Helth", but this was not the formal spelling of the portfolio's name (see above).
- 3 Morrison was appointed as Minister for Health by the Governor-General on Morrison's advice in March 2020, with both Morrison and Hunt holding the position of Minister for Health until May 2022. However, the appointment of Morrison was not made public until August 2022.
- 4 Senator Gallagher is part of an interim Albanese ministry that consisted of Anthony Albanese, Richard Marles, Penny Wong, Jim Chalmers and herself until the full ministry was sworn in on 1 June 2022.
Aged care
editThe following individuals have been appointed as the Minister for Aged Care, or any of its precedent titles. 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:[9] The Turnbull government transferred the aged care portfolio back to the Department of Health in October 2015. The position, since January 2017, is a separate outer ministry role that supplements the cabinet role of the Minister for Health and Aged Care.[10]
| Order | Minister | Party | Prime Minister | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Morris | Labor | Hawke | Minister for Housing and Aged Care | 19 January 1988 | 15 February 1988 | 27 days | |
| 2 | Peter Staples | 15 February 1988 | 7 May 1990 | 5 years, 64 days | ||||
| Minister for Aged, Family and Health Services | 7 May 1990 | 20 December 1991 | ||||||
| Keating | 20 December 1991 | 24 March 1993 | ||||||
| 3 | Bronwyn Bishop | Liberal | Howard | Minister for Aged Care | 21 October 1998 | 26 November 2001 | 3 years, 36 days | |
| 4 | Kevin Andrews | Minister for Ageing | 26 November 2001 | 7 October 2003 | 1 year, 315 days | |||
| 5 | Julie Bishop | 7 October 2003 | 27 January 2006 | 2 years, 112 days | ||||
| 6 | Santo Santoro | 27 January 2006 | 21 March 2007 | 1 year, 53 days | ||||
| 7 | Christopher Pyne | 21 March 2007 | 3 December 2007 | 257 days | ||||
| 8 | Justine Elliot | Labor | Rudd | 3 December 2007 | 28 June 2010 | 2 years, 207 days | ||
| 9 | Mark Butler | Gillard | Minister for Mental Health and Ageing | 28 June 2010 | 1 July 2013 | 3 years, 3 days | ||
| 10 | Jacinta Collins | Rudd | 1 July 2013 | 18 September 2013 | 79 days | |||
| 11 | Sussan Ley | Liberal | Turnbull | Minister for Aged Care | 30 September 2015 | 19 July 2016 | 1 year, 105 days | |
| Minister for Health and Ageing | 19 July 2016 | 13 January 2017 | ||||||
| (acting) | Arthur Sinodinos[11] | 13 January 2017 | 24 January 2017 | 11 days | ||||
| 12 | Ken Wyatt | Minister for Aged Care | 24 January 2017 | 28 August 2018 | 2 years, 125 days | |||
| Morrison | Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care | 28 August 2018 | 29 May 2019 | |||||
| 13 | Richard Colbeck | Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians | 29 May 2019 | 22 December 2020 | 2 years, 359 days | |||
| Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services | 22 December 2020 | 23 May 2022 | ||||||
| (9) | Mark Butler | Labor | Albanese | Minister for Health and Aged Care | 1 June 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 174 days | |
| 14 | Anika Wells | Minister for Aged Care | ||||||
List of assistant ministers
editHealth and aged care
editThe following individual has been appointed as Assistant Ministers of Health and Aged Care, or any of its precedent titles:[5]
| Order | Minister | Party | Prime Minister | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Pyne | Liberal | Howard | Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing | 30 January 2007 | 21 March 2007 | 50 days | |
| 2 | Ken Wyatt | Liberal | Turnbull | Assistant Minister for Health | 30 September 2015 | 18 February 2016 | 1 year, 110 days | |
| Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care | 18 February 2016 | 18 January 2017 | ||||||
| 3 | David Gillespie | Nationals | Assistant Minister for Health | 24 January 2017 | 20 December 2017 | 330 days | ||
| 4 | Ged Kearney | Labor | Albanese | Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care | 1 June 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 174 days | |
Indigenous health
editThe following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health, or any of its precedent titles:[5]
| Order | Minister | Party | Prime Minister | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warren Snowdon | Labor | Rudd | Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery | 9 June 2009 | 24 June 2010 | 4 years, 101 days | |
| Gillard | 24 June 2010 | 14 September 2010 | ||||||
| Minister for Indigenous Health | 14 September 2010 | 27 June 2013 | ||||||
| Rudd | 27 June 2013 | 18 September 2013 | ||||||
| 2 | Ken Wyatt | Liberal | Turnbull Morrison |
Minister for Indigenous Health | 24 January 2017 | 29 May 2019 | 2 years, 125 days | |
| 3 | Malarndirri McCarthy | Labor | Albanese | Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health | 1 June 2022 | 29 July 2024 | 2 years, 58 days | |
| 4 | Ged Kearney | 29 July 2024 | Incumbent | 116 days | ||||
Rural and regional health
editThe following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health, or any of its precedent titles:[5]
| Order | Minister | Party | Prime Minister | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warren Snowdon | Labor | Rudd | Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery | 9 June 2009 | 24 June 2010 | 1 year, 97 days | |
| Gillard | 24 June 2010 | 14 September 2010 | ||||||
| 2 | Fiona Nash | Nationals | Turnbull | Minister for Rural Health | 21 September 2015 | 19 July 2016 | 302 days | |
| 3 | David Gillespie | Assistant Minister for Rural Health | 19 July 2016 | 24 January 2017 | 1 year, 154 days | |||
| Assistant Minister for Health | 24 January 2017 | 20 December 2017 | ||||||
| 4 | Bridget McKenzie | Minister for Rural Health | 20 December 2017 | 28 August 2018 | 251 days | |||
| 5 | Mark Coulton | Nationals | Morrison | Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government | 6 February 2020 | 2 July 2021 | 1 year, 146 days | |
| (3) | David Gillespie | Minister for Regional Health | 2 July 2021 | 22 May 2022 | 324 days | |||
| 6 | Emma McBride | Labor | Albanese | Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health | 1 June 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 174 days | |
Mental health and suicide prevention
editThe following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, or any of its precedent titles:[5]
| Order | Minister | Party | Prime Minister | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melissa Parke | Labor | Gillard | Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health | 4 February 2013 | 1 July 2013 | 147 days | |
| 2 | David Coleman | Liberal | Morrison | Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention | 22 December 2020 | 23 May 2022 | 1 year, 152 days | |
| 3 | Emma McBride | Labor | Albanese | Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention | 1 June 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 174 days | |
References
edit- ^ "Communicable Diseases Surveillance: Surveillance Systems". Department of Health and Ageing. Commonwealth of Australia. 12 February 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ Sampson, Geoffrey (1990). Writing Systems. Stanford University Press. p. 197.
- ^ Landry, Michelle (5 September 2017). "Everingham, Hon. Douglas Nixon 'Doug'" (PDF). Australian House of Representatives Hansard. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "The Case for SR1 and Nothing Else". Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "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.
- ^ Anderson, Stephanie (18 January 2017). "Greg Hunt announced as Sussan Ley's replacement as Health Minister". ABC News. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ "Anthony Albanese reveals former prime minister Scott Morrison secretly appointed himself to five ministries in power grab". ABC News. 16 August 2022.
- ^ "ATAGI expands COVID-19 booster access to allow more people to get a fourth dose". ABC News. 25 May 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Ministerial Arrangements - House of Representatives Hansard". Parliament of Australia. 7 February 2017.
- ^ Anderson, Stephanie (18 January 2017). "Greg Hunt announced as Sussan Ley's replacement as Health Minister". ABC News. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
External links
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