Minister for Indigenous Affairs (Australia)

Minister for Indigenous Affairs
Incumbent Nigel Scullion since 18 September 2013
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Inaugural holder	Don Grimes (Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) William Wentworth (Indigenous Affairs)
Formation	1984 (Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) 1968 (Indigenous Affairs)

The Australian Minister for Indigenous Affairs is Senator the Hon. Nigel Scullion, since 18 September 2013.

Portfolio

In the Government of Australia, the Minister administers the portfolio through the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and a range of other government agencies, including:

• Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination (OIPC)
  • Indigenous Coordination Centres
• Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC)
• Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA)
• Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC)
• Office of the Aboriginal Land Commissioner
• Anindilyakawa Land Council
• Central Land Council
• Northern Land Council
• Tiwi Land Council

List of Ministers for Indigenous Affairs

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Indigenous Affairs, or any precedent titles:^[1]

Order	Minister	Party affiliation		Prime Minister	Ministerial title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Bill Wentworth		Liberal	Gorton	Minister in charge of Aboriginal Affairs under the Prime Minister	28 February 1968	10 March 1971	3 years, 92 days
		McMahon		10 March 1971		31 May 1971
2	Peter Howson			Minister for the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts	31 May 1971	5 December 1972	1 year, 188 days
3	Gough Whitlam^1		Labor		Whitlam	5 December 1972	19 December 1972	14 days
4	Gordon Bryant	Minister for Aboriginal Affairs		19 December 1972		9 October 1973	294 days
5	Jim Cavanagh			9 October 1973		6 June 1975	1 year, 240 days
6	Les Johnson			6 June 1975		11 November 1975	158 days
7	Tom Drake-Brockman			National Country	Fraser	11 November 1975	22 December 1975	41 days
8	Ian Viner			Liberal		22 December 1975	5 December 1978	2 years, 348 days
9	Fred Chaney		5 December 1978			3 November 1980	1 year, 334 days
10	Peter Baume		3 November 1980			7 May 1982	1 year, 185 days
11	Ian Wilson		7 May 1982			11 March 1983	308 days
12	Clyde Holding			Labor	Hawke	11 March 1983	24 July 1987	4 years, 135 days
13	Gerry Hand		24 July 1987			4 April 1990	2 years, 254 days
14	Robert Tickner		4 April 1990			19 December 1991	5 years, 342 days
		Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs	19 December 1991			20 December 1991
			Keating		20 December 1991	11 March 1996
15	John Herron			Liberal	Howard	11 March 1996	30 January 2001	4 years, 325 days
16	Philip Ruddock	Minister for Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs	30 January 2001			26 November 2001	2 years, 250 days
		Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs	26 November 2001			7 October 2003
17	Amanda Vanstone		7 October 2003			27 January 2006	2 years, 112 days
18	Mal Brough	Minister for Families and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	27 January 2006			3 December 2007	1 year, 310 days
19	Jenny Macklin		Labor	Rudd	Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	3 December 2007	24 June 2010	5 years, 289 days
		Gillard		24 June 2010		14 December 2011
				Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	24 June 2010	27 June 2013
		Rudd			27 June 2013	18 September 2013
20	Nigel Scullion		Country Liberal Party	Abbott	Minister for Indigenous Affairs	18 September 2013	15 September 2015	3 years, 89 days
		Turnbull		15 September 2015		incumbent

List of Ministers assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Philip Ruddock		Liberal	Howard	Minister assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation	21 October 1998	30 January 2001	4 years, 351 days
					Minister for Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs	30 January 2001	26 November 2001
					Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation	26 November 2001	7 October 2003
2	Amanda Vanstone					7 October 2003	22 October 2004	1 year, 15 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.

See also

• Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Canada

References

1. "Ministries and Cabinets". 43rd Parliamentary Handbook: Historical information on the Australian Parliament. Parliament of Australia. 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2013.