Minister for the Environment and Water

Minister for the Environment and Water
Minister for the Environment and Water
	Commonwealth Coat of Arms
	Flag of Australia
	Incumbent; Tanya Plibersek; since 1 June 2022
	Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	Governor-General; on the advice of the prime minister
Inaugural holder	Peter Howson (as Minister for the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts)
Formation	10 March 1971
Website	minister.dcceew.gov.au/plibersek

The Australian Minister for the Environment and Water is a position which is currently held by Tanya Plibersek in the Albanese ministry since 1 June 2022, following the Australian federal election in 2022.^[1]

In the Government of Australia, the minister and assistant minister are responsible for the protection and conservation of the environment; to ensure that Australia benefits from meteorological and related sciences and services; and to see that Australia's interests in Antarctica are advanced. The minister provides direction and oversight of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (previously the Department of the Environment and Energy, and before that the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) to develop and implement national policy, programs and legislation to protect and conserve Australia's environment and heritage.

Portfolio responsibilities

The minister administers their portfolio through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and its environment component bodies, including:

Antarctic Animal Ethics Committee
Antarctic Ethics Committee (Human Experimentation)
Antarctic Research Assessment Committees (ARACs)
Antarctic Science Advisory Committee
Australia-Netherlands Committee on Old Dutch Shipwrecks
Australian Antarctic Names and Medals Committee
Australian Heritage Council
Bureau of Meteorology
Environment Protection and Heritage Council
Great Barrier Reef Consultative Committee
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Great Barrier Reef Ministerial Council
Great Barrier Reef Structural Adjustment Package Technical Advisory Committee
Hazardous Waste Technical Group
Murray-Darling Basin Authority
National Environment Protection Council
National Environmental Education Council
New South Wales World Heritage Properties Ministerial Council
Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator
Science Program Management Committee
State of the Environment Committee 2006
Stockholm Intergovernmental Forum
Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Ministerial Council
Threatened Species Scientific Committee
Wet Tropics Ministerial Council

List of ministers

Environment

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for the Environment, or any precedent titles:^[2]

Order	Minister		Prime Minister	Ministerial title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Peter Howson	Liberal	McMahon	Minister for the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts	10 March 1971 (1971-03-10)	5 December 1972 (1972-12-05)	1 year, 270 days
2	Gough Whitlam¹	Labor	Whitlam	Minister for the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts	5 December 1972 (1972-12-05)	19 December 1972 (1972-12-19)	14 days
3	Moss Cass			Minister for the Environment and Conservation	19 December 1972 (1972-12-19)	21 April 1975 (1975-04-21)	2 years, 169 days
3	Moss Cass			Minister for the Environment	21 April 1975 (1975-04-21)	6 June 1975 (1975-06-06)	2 years, 169 days
4	Jim Cairns				6 June 1975 (1975-06-06)	2 July 1975 (1975-07-02)	26 days
(2)	Gough Whitlam				2 July 1975 (1975-07-02)	14 July 1975 (1975-07-14)	12 days
5	Joe Berinson				14 July 1975 (1975-07-14)	11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)	120 days
6	Andrew Peacock	Liberal	Fraser		11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)	22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	41 days
7	Ivor Greenwood			Minister for Environment, Housing and Community Development	22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	8 July 1976 (1976-07-08)	199 days
8	Kevin Newman				8 July 1976 (1976-07-08)	20 December 1977 (1977-12-20)	1 year, 165 days
9	Ray Groom				20 December 1977 (1977-12-20)	5 December 1978 (1978-12-05)	350 days
10	James Webster			Minister for Science and the Environment	5 December 1978 (1978-12-05)	8 December 1979 (1979-12-08)	1 year, 3 days
11	David Thomson			Minister for Science and the Environment	8 December 1979 (1979-12-08)	3 November 1980 (1980-11-03)	331 days
12	Robert Ellicott			Minister for Home Affairs and the Environment	3 November 1980 (1980-11-03)	17 February 1981 (1981-02-17)	106 days
13	Michael MacKellar				17 February 1981 (1981-02-17)	19 March 1981 (1981-03-19)	30 days
14	Ian Wilson				19 March 1981 (1981-03-19)	7 May 1982 (1982-05-07)	1 year, 49 days
15	Tom McVeigh	National Country			7 May 1982 (1982-05-07)	16 October 1982	308 days
15	Tom McVeigh	National			16 October 1982	11 March 1983	308 days
16	Barry Cohen	Labor	Hawke		11 March 1983 (1983-03-11)	13 December 1984 (1984-12-13)	4 years, 135 days
16	Barry Cohen			Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Environment	13 December 1984 (1984-12-13)	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)	4 years, 135 days
17	John Brown			Minister for Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)	18 December 1987 (1987-12-18)	147 days
18	Graham Richardson				19 January 1988 (1988-01-19)	4 April 1990 (1990-04-04)	2 years, 75 days
19	Ros Kelly				4 April 1990 (1990-04-04)	20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	3 years, 331 days
			Keating	Minister for Arts, Sport, the Environment and Territories	20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)
				Minister for the Environment, Sport and Territories	24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)	1 March 1994 (1994-03-01)
(18)	Graham Richardson				1 March 1994 (1994-03-01)	25 March 1994 (1994-03-25)	24 days
20	John Faulkner				25 March 1994 (1994-03-25)	11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)	1 year, 352 days
21	Robert Hill	Liberal	Howard	Minister for the Environment	11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)	21 October 1998 (1998-10-21)	5 years, 260 days
22	Robert Hill			Minister for the Environment and Heritage	21 October 1998 (1998-10-21)	26 November 2001 (2001-11-26)	5 years, 260 days
23	David Kemp				26 November 2001 (2001-11-26)	26 October 2004 (2004-10-26)	2 years, 335 days
24	Ian Campbell				26 October 2004 (2004-10-26)	30 January 2007 (2007-01-30)	2 years, 96 days
25	Malcolm Turnbull			Minister for the Environment and Water Resources	30 January 2007 (2007-01-30)	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	307 days
26	Peter Garrett	Labor	Rudd	Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	8 March 2010 (2010-03-08)	2 years, 285 days
			Rudd	Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts	8 March 2010 (2010-03-08)	24 June 2010 (2010-06-24)
			Gillard	Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts	24 June 2010 (2010-06-24)	14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)
27	Tony Burke		Gillard	Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities	14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	2 years, 290 days
28	Mark Butler		Rudd	Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Water	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	79 days
29	Greg Hunt	Liberal	Abbott	Minister for the Environment	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)	2 years, 305 days
29	Greg Hunt		Turnbull	Minister for the Environment	15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)	19 July 2016 (2016-07-19)	2 years, 305 days
30	Josh Frydenberg		Turnbull	Minister for the Environment and Energy	19 July 2016 (2016-07-19)	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	2 years, 40 days
31	Melissa Price		Morrison	Minister for the Environment	18 August 2018 (2018-08-18)	29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)	274 days
32	Sussan Ley		Morrison	Minister for the Environment	29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)	23 May 2022 (2022-05-23)	2 years, 359 days
33	Tanya Plibersek	Labor	Albanese	Minister for the Environment and Water	1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)	Incumbent	2 years, 174 days

Notes

¹ Whitlam was one of a two-man ministry consisting of himself and Lance Barnard for two weeks until the full ministry was announced.

Water

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Water, or any precedent titles:

Order	Minister		Prime Minister	Ministerial title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Malcolm Turnbull	Liberal	Howard	Minister for the Environment and Water Resources	30 January 2007 (2007-01-30)	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	307 days
2	Penny Wong	Labor	Rudd	Minister for Climate Change and Water	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	8 March 2010 (2010-03-08)	2 years, 285 days
			Rudd	Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water	8 March 2010 (2010-03-08)	24 June 2010 (2010-06-24)
			Gillard	Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water	24 June 2010 (2010-06-24)	14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)
3	Tony Burke		Gillard	Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities	14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	2 years, 290 days
4	Mark Butler		Rudd	Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Water	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	79 days

5	Barnaby Joyce	National	Turnbull	Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources	21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)	27 October 2017 (2017-10-27)	2 years, 36 days
(1)	Malcolm Turnbull	Liberal			27 October 2017 (2017-10-27)	6 December 2017 (2017-12-06)	40 days
(5)	Barnaby Joyce	National			6 December 2017 (2017-12-06)	20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)	14 days
6	David Littleproud				20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	2 years, 48 days
			Morrison		28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)
				Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management	29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)	6 February 2020 (2020-02-06)
7	Keith Pitt			Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia	6 February 2020 (2020-02-06)	2 July 2021 (2021-07-02)	2 years, 106 days
7	Keith Pitt			Minister for Resources and Water	2 July 2021 (2021-07-02)	23 May 2022 (2022-05-23)	2 years, 106 days
8	Tanya Plibersek	Labor	Albanese	Minister for the Environment and Water	1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)	Incumbent	2 years, 174 days

Former ministerial portfolios

List of ministers for population

The following individuals have served as the Minister for Cities, or any other precedent titles:^[3]^[4] The Minister for Sustainable Population was a ministerial portfolio administered through the Department of the Treasury responsible for "planning properly for the infrastructure needs, for the housing needs, for the transport needs, for the regional needs" of the Australian population of the future.^[5] Originally entitled the Minister for Population by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, his successor, Julia Gillard, renamed the portfolio to the Minister for Sustainable Population to reflect her policy changes on the matter of population growth and the need for a sustainable future for Australia, saying the change sends a clear message about the new direction the Government is taking.^[6] After the 2010 federal election, the portfolio was subsumed by the Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities portfolio.^[7]

Order	Minister		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Tom Uren	Labor	Whitlam	Minister for Urban and Regional Development	19 December 1972 (1972-12-19)	11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)	2 years, 327 days
2	John Carrick	Liberal	Fraser	Minister for Urban and Regional Development	11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)	22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	41 days
3	Ivor Greenwood			Minister for Environment, Housing and Community Development	22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	8 July 1976 (1976-07-08)	199 days
4	Kevin Newman				8 July 1976 (1976-07-08)	20 December 1977 (1977-12-20)	1 year, 165 days
5	Ray Groom				20 December 1977 (1977-12-20)	5 December 1978 (1978-12-05)	350 days

6	Tony Burke	Labor	Rudd	Minister for Population	14 April 2010 (2010-04-14)	28 June 2010 (2010-06-28)	3 years, 78 days
			Gillard	Minister for Sustainable Population	28 June 2010 (2010-06-28)	14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)
			Gillard	Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities	14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)

7	Jamie Briggs	Liberal	Abbott	Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	15 September 2015	2 years, 102 days
			Turnbull		15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)	21 September 2015
			Turnbull	Minister for Cities and the Built Environment	21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)	29 December 2015

8	Paul Fletcher	Liberal	Turnbull	Minister for Urban Infrastructure	19 July 2016 (2016-07-19)	20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)	2 years, 39 days
8	Paul Fletcher		Turnbull	Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities	20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	2 years, 39 days
9	Alan Tudge		Morrison	Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)	2 years, 116 days
9	Alan Tudge			Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure	29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)	22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)	2 years, 116 days
(8)	Paul Fletcher			Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts	22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)	23 May 2022 (2022-05-23)	1 year, 152 days

10	Jenny McAllister	Labor	Albanese	Minister for Cities	29 July 2024 (2024-07-29)	Incumbent	116 days

Assistant ministers

List of assistant ministers for the environment

The following individual has served as the Assistant Minister for the Environment.

Order	Minister		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Sharman Stone	Liberal	Howard	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage	21 October 1998 (1998-10-21)	26 October 2004 (2004-10-26)	6 years, 5 days
2	Greg Hunt	Liberal			26 October 2004 (2004-10-26)	30 January 2007 (2007-01-30)	2 years, 96 days
3	John Cobb	National		Assistant Minister for the Environment and Heritage	30 January 2007 (2007-01-30)	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	307 days

4	Amanda Rishworth	Labor	Rudd	Parliamentary Secretary for Environment and Urban Water	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	79 days
5	Simon Birmingham	Liberal	Abbott	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	23 December 2014 (2014-12-23)	1 year, 96 days
6	Bob Baldwin		Abbott	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment	23 December 2014 (2014-12-23)	21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)	272 days

7	Melissa Price		Liberal	Turnbull	Assistant Minister for the Environment	20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	251 days

List of assistant ministers for water

The following individual has served as the Assistant Minister for Water.

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Anne Ruston		Liberal	Turnbull	Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources	21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	2 years, 341 days

References

^ "Press Conference - Parliament House, Canberra | Prime Minister of Australia". www.pm.gov.au. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
^ "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.
^ "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.
^ "Ministerial Swearing-in Ceremony". Events. Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
^ "Burke takes on population portfolio". ABC News. Australia. 3 April 2010.
^ "Gillard puts brakes on 'big Australia'". ABC News. Australia. 27 June 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
^ "Second Gillard Ministry" (PDF). The Australian. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2010.

External links

Official website

[1] "Press Conference - Parliament House, Canberra | Prime Minister of Australia". www.pm.gov.au. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.

[parl-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.

[Minister_for_Cities_(Australia)_parl-3] "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.

[4] "Ministerial Swearing-in Ceremony". Events. Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.

[Minister_for_Cities_(Australia)_ABC-5] "Burke takes on population portfolio". ABC News. Australia. 3 April 2010.

[6] "Gillard puts brakes on 'big Australia'". ABC News. Australia. 27 June 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2010.

[7] "Second Gillard Ministry" (PDF). The Australian. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2010.

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