Australia Ministers

Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
Female Ministers of The Commonwealth of
Australia (Female Suffrage 1902 - for aborigines in 1962)Independent 1901. Australia have got a number of self-governing external territories. Norfolk Island, Cocos Islands and the uninhabited External Territories

See also Parliament and Heads of State for Queen, Governor-General and Deputies

1949-51 Minister without Portfolio and Vice-President of the Executive Council Lady Dame Enid Muriel Lyons.
First female MP 1943-51, widow of Sir J.A. Lyons, MP 1909-39 and Prime Minister 1932-39. She lived (1897-1982)

1966-71 Minister of Housing Dame Annabella Rankin
Senator 1947-71, Opposition Whip 1947-49, Government Whip in the Senate 1951-66, High Commissioner to New Zealand 1971-76(as the first female Ambassador). Unmarried and lived (1908-1986)

1975 Minister of Education Dame Margaret Guilfoyle
1975-80 Minister of Social Affairs
1980-83 Minister of Finance and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Child Care Matters
Liberal Senator 1971-87. Daughter of Northern Irish immigrants. (b. 1926-).

1983-87 Minister of Education and Youth Dame Susan Ryan
1987 Special Minister of State and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women and the Bicentenary and Minister Assisting the Minister for Community Service and Health (Member of Cabinet)
Labor Senator 1975-87 (b. 1942-)

1987-88 Parliamentary Secretary of Local Government Margaret Reynolds
1988-90 Minister for Local Government and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women
Labor Senator 1983-99, Temporary Chairperson of Committees of The Senate (Vice-President of Senate) Circa 1990-99. Mother of 3. (b. 1939-)

1987 Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Industry, Science and Personnel Ros Kelly
1987-88 Minister for Defence Industry, Science and Personnel
1988-90 Minister for Telecommunication and Aviation Support
1990-91 Minister of Tourism
1990-94 Minister of Arts, Sport, Environment and Territories
1992-94 Member of the Inner Cabinet
1993-94 Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women
Labor MP 1980-95. Married twice, she was the first sitting MP to give birth to a child, in 1983. (b. 1948-)

1990-91 Associate Minister of Local Government and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on The Status of Women
1991-93 Minister of Culture, Territories and Women Wendy F. Fatin
Labour MP 1983-96. (b. 1941-)

1992-96 Minister for Consumers' Affairs Jeanette McHugh
1993-94 Member of the Inner Cabinet
Labor MP 1983-96. Married to High Court Judge Michael McHugh. (b.1934-)

1993-96 Minister for Family Services Rosemary Crowley
1993-94 Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women
Labor Senator 1983-2002. Temporary Chairperson of Committees of the Senate 1990-93 and since 1996-2002. (b. 1938-).

1993 Parliamentary Secretary of Arts and Administrative Services Janice Crosio
1993-94 Parliamentary Secretary of Environment, Sport and Territories
1994-96 Parliamentary Secretary of Social Security 
Mayor of Marfield 1974-75 and 1977-80, 1984-88 Minister in the Government of New South Wales, 1996-99 and from 2002 Member of the Speaker’s Panel of the House of Representatives, since 2002 also Chief Whip of the Opposition (Labour). Mother of 3. (b. 1939-).

1994-96 Minister of Health and Human Service, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women Carmen Lawrence
Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Legislature 1986-88, Minister of Education 1988-90 and Premier of Western Australia 1991-93 she was Leader of Labour in the State 1990-93 and MP 1993-2007. Mother of a number of children. (b. 1937-)

1994-96 Parliamentary Secretary of Housing and Regional Development Mary Crawford
1996-98 Minister of Social Security
Secretary of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party (Caucus) 1990-93.

1996-97 Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women Jocelyn Newman
1996-2001 Minister of Family and Community Service and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women
1997-2001 Associate Minister for Defence
1997-2000 Minister for Veterans
Senator for Tasmania 1986-2002, 1994-96 Shadow Defence Minister. The Community Service Portfolio covers Social Affairs and Health. Her husband, Kevin Newman, was Minister in the 1970's. He died in 1999. She is mother of 2. (b. 1937-)

1996-97 Minister of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs Amanda Vanstone
1996-2001 Minister of Justice and Costumes (Outside the Cabinet)
1998-2001 Associate Attorney General and Associate Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
2001
-03 Minister of Family and Community Service and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women
2003-06 Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs
2003-07 Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
Liberal Senator 1984-2007, Temporary Chairperson of Committees of the Senate 1991-93. Ambassador to Italy from 2007. Married with no children. (b. 1952-)

1996-98 Minister for Family Service Judi E. Moylan
1997-98 Minister of Women’s Affairs
Liberal MP from 1993. Married with 3 children. (b. 1944-).

1996-98 Minister for Defence Industry, Science and Personnel Bronwyn Bishop
1998-2001 Minister for Aged Care
President of Liberal Party of New South Wales 1985-87 and MP from 1987.
In 2004 she lost her party's internal electon for the government-nominee for the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives to a man who never held any important political office in his 22 years as an MP. Member of the Speaker's Panel 2004-07 and Speaker of the House of Representatives 2013-15. Mother of a daughter. (b. 1942-).

1997-2000 Parliamentary Secretary of Foreign Affairs Kathy Sullyvian
Kathryn Jean Martin Sullivan was Liberal Senator 1974-84 Assistant Opposition Whip 1975 and Assistant Government Whip 1975-81, Deputy President and Chair of Committees 1981-83, MP 1984-2001 and Deputy Chair of Committees of House of Representative 1990-93, Deputy Opposition Whip 1995-96 and Member of Speaker’s Panel of The House of Representatives 1996-1997. Married. (b. 1942-).

1997-98 Parliamentary Secretary of Health and Family Service Trish Worth
1998-2001 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education, Training and Youth Affairs
2000-01 Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Public Service
2001-
04 Parliamentary Secretary of Health and Ageing
Government Whip of the Liberal Party 1996-97 and MP until 2004. Married. (b. 1946- )

1997-98 Parliamentary Secretary of Primary Industries and Energy Judith Troeth
1998-2004 Parliamentary Secretary of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
President of the Liberal Party of Victoria 1982-92, Country Vice-President 1989-92, Liberal Senator from 1993, Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs-Defence and Trade Committee of the Senate 1996-97, Temporary Chairperson of Committees of the Senate from 2006. Mother of 5. (b. 1940-)

1998-2001 Minister of Sport and Tourism Jackie Kelly
1998-2000 Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Sydney 2000 Games
2001-
04 Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
Liberal MP 1996-2007, in 2000 she was the was the first sitting Federal Minister to give birth to a child. Mother of 2. (b. 1964-).

1998-2000 Parliamentary Secretary of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Kay Patterson
1998-2000 Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Reconciliation
2000-01 Parliamentary Secretary of Foreign Affairs
2001-
03 Minister for Health and Ageing
2003-06 Minister of Family and Community Service and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women
Vice-President of the Liberal Party 1986-87, Liberal Senator from 1987 ans Temporary Chair of Committees of the Senate 1996-98. (b. 1944-).

1998-2004 Parliamentary Secretary of Environment and Heritage Dr. Sharman Stone
1998-2001 Deputy Government Leader in the House of Representatives (Parliamentary Secretary)
2001-
04 Parliamentary Secretary to the Vice-President of the Executive Council
2004-06 Parliamentary Secretary of Finance and Administration
2006-07 Minister for Workforce Participation
Liberal MP from 1996. Married .(b. 1951-).

 
2001 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander Affairs
2001-
04 Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Chris Gallus
Liberal MP from 1990. Mother of 3. (b. 1943-).

2001-04 Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer Helen Lloyd Coonan
2004-07 Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
2006-07 Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate
Liberal Senator from 1996. Married to
Andrew Rogers as her second husband, mother of a son with her first husband.. (b. 1947-).

2001-04 Minister for Veteran’s Affairs Danna Vale
2001-03 Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence
Liberal MP from 1996. Mother of 4 sons. (b. 1944-).

2001-04 Parliamentary Secretary of Defence Fran Bailey
2004 Minister for Employment Services and Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence
2004-07
Minister for Small Business and Tourism
Liberal MP from 1990. Mother of 2 daughters. (b. 1946-).

2001-07 Government Whip Joanna Gash
Liberal MP from 1996. Her parents immigrated from the Netherlands. Mother of 2 daughters (b. 1944-).

2003-06 Minister for Ageing Julie Bishop
2006-07 Minister for Education, Science and Training, and Minister assisting the Prime Minister for Women’s Issues
2013- Minister of Foreign Affairs (Third in Cabinet)
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 and Deputy Leader of the Opposition 2007-13. In 2013 she was the only female cabinet memeber. Lives with
Peter Nattrass, Mayor of Brisbane. (b. 1956-).

2003-04 Parliamentary Secretary of the Leader and the Deputy Leader of the National Party De-Anne Kelly
2004-06
Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence and Minister for Veteran's Affairs
2006-07 Parliamentary secretary for Trade
2007 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services
National Party MP 1996-2007 and the first woman from that party to hold ministerial office. Member of the Speaker’s Panel of the House of Representatives 1997-2002. (b. 1954-).

2004-06 Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Teresa Gambaro
2006-07 Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs
2007 Assistant Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
Liberal MP from 1998,
Member of the Speaker’s Panel of the House of Representatives 2002-04 and part of the shadow administration but not included in the government from 2013. Daughter of Italian immigrants. (b.1958-).

2004-06 Parliamentary Secretary of Family and Community Services (Children and Youth Affairs) Sussan Ley
2006-07 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
2013-14 Assistant Minister for Education
2014-17 Minister for Health
Liberal MP from 2001. Born in Nigeria by British parents and grew up in the United Arab Emirates and Australia. (b. 1961-).

2007-10 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and Social Inclusion Julia Gillard
2010-13 Prime Minister

MP from 1998, Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives 2003-06 and Deputy Leader of Labor from 2006 and Deputy Leader of the Opposition 2006-07. Her parents immigrated to Australia from Wales. She lives with her partner and has no children. (b. 1961-).

2007-11 Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon
2011-13 Attorney General
2012-13 Minister for Emergency Management
Labor MP from 1998. Daughter of a Polish father and an Australian mother and mother of a child born 2005. (b. 1967-).

2007-13 Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin
2013 Minister for Disability Reform
Deputy Leader of Labor and of the Opposition 2001-06. Mother of 3. (b. 1953-).

2007-10 Minister for Climate Change, Energy Effeciency and Water Penny Wong
2010-13 Minister of Finance and Deregulation
2013 Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate
2013 Leader of the Government in the Senate (Third in the Cabinet)
Penelope Ying-yen Wong has been Labor Senator from 2001 and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. She is her country's first openly lesbian minister and is born in Malaysia as daughter of a Chinese father and Australian mother. (b. 1968-).

2007-10 Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot
2010-13 Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade
Former Police Officer, Labor MP from 2004. (b. 1967-).

2007-10 Minister for Housing and the Status of Women Tanya Plibersek
2010-11 Minister for Human Services and Social Inclusion
2011-13 Minister of Health
2013 Minister for Medical Research
Labor MP from 1998. Daughter of immigrants from Slovenia, married to Michael Coutts-Trotter and mother of 3 and on materinty leave in 2010. Deputy Leader of Labour and Deputy Leader of the Opposition (b. 1969-).

2007-10 Minister for Youth and Sport Kate Ellis
2011 Minister for the Status of Women from
2009-13 Minister for the Early Childhood Education and Childcare
2010-13 Minister for Employment Participation
Labor MP from 2004. (b. 1977-).

2007-09 Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister for Early Childhood Education and Childcare Maxine McKew
2009-10 Parliamentary Secretary of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development
Labor MP 2007-10 unseating the former Prime Minister John Howard. (b. 1953-).

2007-10 Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister for Social Inclusion Ursula Stephens
2010 Parliamentary Secretary for the Voluntary Sector
Labor Senator from 2001. (b. 1954-).

2007-09 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing Jan McLucas
2010-13 Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers
2012-13 Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
2013 Minister for Human Services

2008-12 Government Whip Jill Griffiths Hall
Opposition Whip (Labour) in the House of Representatives from 2013.

2010-12 Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and for Immigration and Citizenship Kate Lundy
2012-13 Minister for Sport and Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister Assisting for Industry, Innovation and for the Digital Economy

2010-13 Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Jacinta Collins
2012-13 Manager of Government Business in the Senate
2013 Minister for Mental Health and Ageing and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate
Labour Senator 1995-2005 and from 2008 and Temporary Chairperson of Committees in 2002. (b. 1962-).

2010-11 Parliamentary Secretary for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Julie Collins
2011-13 Minister for Community Services, Indigenous Employment and Economic Development and for the Status of Women
2013 Minister for Housing and Homelessness

2010-13 Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Infrastructure and Transport Catherine King
2013 Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport
2013 Minister for Regional Services, Local Communities and Territories and for Road Safety
2013 Minister for Regional Australia, Local Government and Territories

2012-13 Minister for Sport, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister Assisting for Industry and Innovation Kate Lundy

2013 Minister for Higher Education and Skills Sharon Bird
2013 Minister for Regional Development, Regional Communications and Road Safety

2013 Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation Yvette D’Ath
Labour MP and Member of the Speaker's Panel of the House of Representatives 2011-13.

2013 Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water and for Disabilities and Cars Amanda Rishworth

2013 Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health and for Homelessness and Social Housing Melissa Parke
2013 Minister for International Development 

2013-15 Minister for Human Services Marise Payne
2015- Minister of Defence
2016- Acting Minister for Defence Materiel and Science
Liberal Senator from 1997.

2013-15 Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women and Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Michaelia Cash
2015- Minister of Employment, Minister for Women and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service
Liberal Senator since 2007. (b. 1970-)

2013-15 Assistant Minister for Health and Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate Fiona Nash
2015-16 Minister for Regional Development, Assistant Minister for Rural Health, Minister for Regional Communications
2016- Local Government and Territories, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Regional Communicationsh
Senator from 2005, Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate from 2008 and Deputy Party Leader from 2016. (b. 1965-)

2013-15 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Services Concetta Fierravanti-Wells
2015- Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affair
Liberal Senator from 2005. Before the elections she had been nominated to a ministerial post as member of the Shadow Cabinet. (b. 1960-)

2013- Government Whip Nola Marino
Opposition Whip (Liberal) 2010-13

2014-15 Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer
2015-16 Assistant Treasurer and Small Business Minister
2016- Minister for Revenue and Financial Services

2014-15 Parliamentary Secretary of Industry and Science Karen Andrews
2015-16 Assistant Minister for Science
2016- Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills

2015- Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resource Anne Ruston
Former Deputy Government Whip in the Senate




Last update 14.01.17