Minister for Social Services

Minister for Social Services
Minister for Social Services
	Commonwealth Coat of Arms
	Flag of Australia
	Incumbent; Amanda Rishworth; since 1 June 2022
	Department of Social Services
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Formation	26 April 1939
Website	ministers.dss.gov.au/amanda-rishworth

The Minister for Social Services is the Australian federal government minister who oversees Australian Government social services, including mental health, families and children's policy, and support for carers and people with disabilities, and seniors.^[1] Amanda Rishworth was appointed as minister on 1 June 2022, following the Australian federal election in 2022.^[2]

Portfolio

In the Government of Australia, the Ministers administer the portfolio through the Department of Social Services. Other portfolio bodies for which the Ministers are responsible include:

Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency
Australian Institute of Family Studies
Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Homelessness
Community and Disability Services Ministers' Conference
Community Services Ministers' Advisory Council
Emergency Relief State Advisory Committees
National Childcare Accreditation Council Inc.
National Disability Advisory Council
National Disability Insurance Agency
National Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) Coordination and Development Committee (CAD) representatives and Information Sub-committee
Social Security Appeals Tribunal

List of ministers for social services

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

Order	Minister		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Frederick Stewart	United Australia	Menzies	Minister for Social Services	26 April 1939	29 August 1941	2 years, 164 days
1	Frederick Stewart	United Australia	Fadden		29 August 1941	7 October 1941	2 years, 164 days
2	Jack Holloway	Labor	Curtin		7 October 1941	21 September 1943	1 year, 349 days
3	James Fraser		Curtin		21 September 1943	6 July 1945	2 years, 270 days
			Forde		6 July 1934	13 July 1945
			Chifley		13 July 1945	18 June 1946
4	Nick McKenna		Chifley		18 June 1946	19 December 1949	3 years, 184 days
5	Bill Spooner	Liberal	Menzies		19 December 1949	11 May 1951	1 year, 143 days
6	Athol Townley				11 May 1951	9 July 1954	3 years, 59 days
7	William McMahon				9 July 1954	28 February 1956	1 year, 234 days
8	Hugh Roberton	Country			28 February 1956	21 January 1965	8 years, 328 days
9	Reginald Swartz	Liberal			21 January 1965	22 February 1965	32 days
10	Ian Sinclair	Country			22 February 1965	26 January 1966	3 years, 6 days
			Holt		26 January 1966	19 December 1967
			McEwen		19 December 1967	10 January 1968
			Gorton		10 January 1968	28 February 1968
11	Bill Wentworth	Liberal	Gorton		28 February 1968	10 March 1971	4 years, 281 days
11	Bill Wentworth	Liberal	McMahon		10 March 1971	5 December 1972	4 years, 281 days
12	Lance Barnard	Labor	Whitlam		5 December 1972	19 December 1972	14 days

13	Don Grimes	Labor	Hawke	Minister for Community Services	13 December 1984 (1984-12-13)	16 February 1987 (1987-02-16)	2 years, 65 days
14	Chris Hurford			Minister for Community Services	16 February 1987 (1987-02-16)	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)	158 days
15	Neal Blewett			Minister for Community Services and Health	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)	4 April 1990 (1990-04-04)	2 years, 254 days
16	Brian Howe			Minister for Community Services and Health	4 April 1990 (1990-04-04)	7 June 1991 (1991-06-07)	3 years, 355 days
				Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services	7 June 1991 (1991-06-07)	20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)
			Keating	Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services	20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)
				Minister for Housing, Local Government and Community Services	24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)	23 December 1993 (1993-12-23)
				Minister for Housing, Local Government and Human Services	23 December 1993 (1993-12-23)	25 March 1994 (1994-03-25)
17	Carmen Lawrence			Minister for Human Services and Health	25 March 1994 (1994-03-25)	11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)	1 year, 352 days
18	Michael Wooldridge	Liberal	Howard	Minister for Health and Family Services	11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)	21 October 1998 (1998-10-21)	2 years, 224 days
19	Jocelyn Newman			Minister for Family and Community Services	21 October 1998 (1998-10-21)	30 January 2001 (2001-01-30)	2 years, 101 days
20	Amanda Vanstone				30 January 2001 (2001-01-30)	7 October 2003 (2003-10-07)	2 years, 250 days
21	Kay Patterson				7 October 2003 (2003-10-07)	27 January 2006 (2006-01-27)	2 years, 112 days
22	Mal Brough			Minister for Families and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	27 January 2006 (2006-01-27)	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	1 year, 310 days
23	Jenny Macklin	Labor	Rudd	Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	24 June 2010 (2010-06-24)	5 years, 289 days
			Gillard		24 June 2010 (2010-06-24)	14 December 2011 (2011-12-14)
			Gillard	Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs	14 December 2011 (2011-12-14)	27 June 2013 (2013-06-27)
			Rudd		27 June 2013 (2013-06-27)	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)
24	Kevin Andrews	Liberal	Abbott	Minister for Social Services	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	23 December 2014 (2014-12-23)	1 year, 96 days
25	Scott Morrison		Abbott		23 December 2014 (2014-12-23)	15 September 2015	272 days
25	Scott Morrison		Turnbull		15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)	21 September 2015	272 days
26	Christian Porter				21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)	20 December 2017	2 years, 90 days
27	Dan Tehan				20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)	28 August 2018	251 days
28	Paul Fletcher		Morrison	Minister for Families and Social Services	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)	274 days
29	Anne Ruston		Morrison	Minister for Families and Social Services	29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)	23 May 2022 (2022-05-23)	2 years, 359 days
30	Amanda Rishworth	Labor	Albanese	Minister for Social Services	1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)	incumbent	2 years, 200 days

Assistant ministers

List of Assistant Ministers for Social Services

The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Social Services, or any precedent titles:^[3]

Order	Minister		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Mitch Fifield	Liberal	Abbott	Assistant Minister for Social Services	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	15 September 2015	2 years, 3 days
1	Mitch Fifield	Liberal	Turnbull	Assistant Minister for Social Services	15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)	21 September 2015	2 years, 3 days

2	Craig Laundy	Liberal	Turnbull	Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs	18 February 2016 (2016-02-18)	18 July 2016 (2016-07-18)	151 days
3	Zed Seselja	Liberal	Turnbull	Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs	18 July 2016 (2016-07-18)	20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)	1 year, 155 days

For multicultural affairs portfolio, see the Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
4	Justine Elliot	Labor	Albanese	Assistant Minister for Social Services	1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)	Incumbent	2 years, 200 days

List of Assistant Ministers for the Prevention of Family Violence

The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, or any of its precedent titles:^[3]

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Justine Elliot		Labor	Albanese	Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence	1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)	Incumbent	2 years, 200 days

Former portfolio ministers

List of ministers for major projects

List of ministers for urban development

List of ministers for aged care

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:^[3] The Turnbull Government transferred the aged care portfolio back to the Department of Health in October 2015.

Order	Minister		Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Peter Morris	Labor	Minister for Housing and Aged Care	19 January 1988 (1988-01-19)	15 February 1988 (1988-02-15)	27 days
2	Peter Staples		Minister for Housing and Aged Care	15 February 1988 (1988-02-15)	7 May 1990 (1990-05-07)	5 years, 64 days
2	Peter Staples		Minister for Aged, Family and Health Services	7 May 1990 (1990-05-07)	24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)	5 years, 64 days

3	Bronwyn Bishop	Liberal	Minister for Aged Care	21 October 1998 (1998-10-21)	26 November 2001 (2001-11-26)	3 years, 36 days
4	Kevin Andrews		Minister for Ageing	26 November 2001 (2001-11-26)	7 October 2003 (2003-10-07)	1 year, 315 days
5	Julie Bishop			7 October 2003 (2003-10-07)	27 January 2006 (2006-01-27)	2 years, 112 days
6	Santo Santoro			27 January 2006 (2006-01-27)	21 March 2007 (2007-03-21)	1 year, 53 days
7	Christopher Pyne			21 March 2007 (2007-03-21)	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	257 days
8	Justine Elliot	Labor		3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	28 June 2010 (2010-06-28)	2 years, 207 days
9	Mark Butler		Minister for Mental Health and Ageing	28 June 2010 (2010-06-28)	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	3 years, 3 days
10	Jacinta Collins		Minister for Mental Health and Ageing	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	79 days

For subsequent appointments, see the List of Australian ministers for aged care

List of ministers for community services

A separate outer ministry role of the Minister for Community Services existed between January 2006 and December 2007, supplementing the cabinet role of the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.^[4]^[5]

Order	Minister		Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
For previous appointments, see the List of ministers for social services

1	John Cobb	National	Minister for Community Services	27 January 2006 (2006-01-27)	30 January 2007 (2007-01-30)	1 year, 3 days
2	Nigel Scullion	National	Minister for Community Services	30 January 2007 (2007-01-30)	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	307 days

For subsequent appointments, see the List of ministers for social services

List of Assistant Ministers for Children and Families

The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Children and Families, or any precedent titles:

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	David Gillespie		The Nationals	Turnbull	Assistant Minister for Children and Families	20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	251 days
2	Michelle Landry		The Nationals	Morrison	Assistant Minister for Children and Families	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	23 May 2022 (2022-05-23)	3 years, 268 days

References

^ "Ministers". Department of Social Services. Government of Australia.
^ "Press Conference - Parliament House, Canberra | Prime Minister of Australia". www.pm.gov.au. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "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 Hansard". Parliament of Australia. 7 February 2006.
^ "Ministerial Arrangements - House Hansard". Parliament of Australia. 6 February 2007.

External links

Official website

[1] "Ministers". Department of Social Services. Government of Australia.

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

[parl-3] "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.

[4] "Ministerial Arrangements - House Hansard". Parliament of Australia. 7 February 2006.

[5] "Ministerial Arrangements - House Hansard". Parliament of Australia. 6 February 2007.

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