Minister for Foreign Affairs (Australia) explained

Post:	Minister for Foreign Affairs
Insignia:	Coat_of_Arms_of_Australia.svg
Insigniacaption:	Commonwealth Coat of Arms
Flag:	Flag of Australia (converted).svg
Flagcaption:	Flag of Australia
Flagborder:	yes
Incumbent:	Penny Wong
Style:	The Honourable
Appointer:	Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Department:	Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, also known as the Foreign Minister, is the minister of state of the Commonwealth of Australia charged with overseeing the creation and implementation of international diplomacy, relations and foreign affairs policy, as the head of the foreign affairs section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The current Foreign Minister is Senator Penny Wong, who was appointed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in May 2022 following the 2022 federal election.

Wong is the first female Foreign Minister from the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the third female foreign minister in a row, following Julie Bishop and Marise Payne. The position is one of two cabinet-level portfolio ministers under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the other being the Minister for Trade and Tourism. The Foreign Minister is vested with several subordinate positions, including the Minister for International Development and the Pacific, currently held by Pat Conroy, and the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, currently held by Tim Watts.

Scope

The minister is usually one of the most senior members of Cabinet – the position is equivalent to that of Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in Britain or Secretary of State in the United States – as shown by the fact that eleven Prime Ministers of Australia have also worked as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The minister is seen as one of the people most responsible for formulating Australia's foreign policy, as they along with other relevant ministers advise the Prime Minister in developing and implementing foreign policy, and also acts as the government's main spokesperson on international affairs issues. In recent times, the minister also undertakes numerous international trips to meet with foreign representatives and Heads of State or Government.

List of ministers for foreign affairs

The portfolio has existed continuously since 1901, except for the period 14 November 1916 to 21 December 1921. Prior to 6 November 1970, the office was known as the Minister for External Affairs. Between 24 July 1987 and 24 March 1993 it was known as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. Starting with the Keating government, the Trade portfolio has been administered separately by the Minister for Trade.

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

width=5	Order	width=150	Minister	width=150 colspan="2"	Party	width=75	Prime Minister	width=250	Title	width=150	Term start	width=150	Term end	width=130	Term in office
1			Protectionist	Barton	Minister for External Affairs	align=center		align=center		align=right
2	Alfred Deakin			Deakin		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
3	Billy Hughes			Labor		Watson	align=center		align=center		align=right	days
4	George Reid			Free Trade		Reid	align=center		align=center		align=right	days
n/a	Alfred Deakin			Protectionist		Deakin	align=center		align=center		align=right
5	Lee Batchelor			Labor		Fisher	align=center		align=center		align=right	days
6	Littleton Groom			Liberal		Deakin	align=center		align=center		align=right	days
n/a	Lee Batchelor		Labor	Fisher		align=center		align=center		align=right
7	Josiah Thomas					align=center		align=center		align=right
8	Paddy Glynn			Liberal		Cook	align=center		align=center		align=right
9	John Arthur		Labor	Fisher		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
10	Hugh Mahon					align=center		align=center		align=right	days
				Hughes		align=center		align=center		align=right
n/a	Billy Hughes		Nationalist	Hughes	Minister for External Affairs	align=center		align=center		align=right
11	Stanley Bruce			Bruce		align=center		align=center		align=right
12	James Scullin			Labor		Scullin	align=center		align=center		align=right
13	John Latham		United Australia	Lyons		align=center		align=center		align=right
14	Sir George Pearce					align=center		align=center		align=right
n/a	Billy Hughes					align=center		align=center		align=right
				Page		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
15	Sir Henry Somer Gullett			Menzies		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
16	John McEwen					Country	align=center		align=center		align=right	days
17	Frederick Stewart		United Australia			align=center		align=center		align=right	days
Fadden				align=center			align=center		align=right	days
18	H. V. Evatt		Labor	Curtin		align=center		align=center
				Forde		align=center		align=center
				Chifley		align=center		align=center
19	Percy Spender		Liberal	Menzies		align=center		align=center		align=right
20	Richard Casey					align=center		align=center		align=right
21	Robert Menzies					align=center		align=center		align=right
22	Sir Garfield Barwick					align=center		align=center		align=right
23	Paul Hasluck					align=center		align=center
				Holt		align=center		align=center
				McEwen		align=center		align=center
				Gorton		align=center		align=center
24	Gordon Freeth					align=center		align=center		align=right	days
25	William McMahon					align=center		align=center
					Minister for Foreign Affairs	align=center		align=center
				McMahon		align=center		align=center
26	Leslie Bury					align=center		align=center		align=right	days
27	Nigel Bowen					align=center		align=center		align=right
28	Gough Whitlam		Labor	Whitlam		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
29	Don Willesee					align=center		align=center		align=right
30	Andrew Peacock		Liberal	Fraser		align=center		align=center		align=right
31	Tony Street					align=center		align=center		align=right
32	Bill Hayden		Labor	Hawke		align=center		align=center
					Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade	align=center		align=center
33	Gareth Evans					align=center		align=center
				Keating		align=center		align=center
					Minister for Foreign Affairs	align=center		align=center
34	Alexander Downer			Liberal		Howard	align=center		align=center		align=right
35	Stephen Smith		Labor	Rudd		align=center		align=center
				Gillard		align=center		align=center
36	Kevin Rudd					align=center		align=center		align=right
37	Bob Carr					align=center		align=center
				Rudd		align=center		align=center
38	Julie Bishop		Liberal	Abbott		align=center		align=center
				Turnbull		align=center		align=center
				Morrison		align=center		align=center
39	Marise Payne					align=center		align=center		align=right
40	Penny Wong		Labor	Albanese		align=center		align=center	Incumbent	align=right

Notes

Also served as Prime Minister for some or all of their term.

Barton was knighted in 1902, while serving as Minister.

List of ministers for international development and the Pacific

The Minister for International Development was responsible, in the Rudd Cabinet, for the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the international development and humanitarian aid policies of the Commonwealth of Australia, administered through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).^{[2] [3] [4]} AusAID was abolished by the incoming prime minister, Tony Abbott, in September 2013 and under the operations of the Abbott Cabinet its functions were absorbed into DFAT.

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for International Development and the Pacific, or any precedent title:

width=5	Order	width=150	Minister	width=75 colspan="2"	Party	width=150	Prime Minister	width=375	Ministerial title	width=150	Term start	width=150	Term end	width=130	Term in office
1	Bill Morrison		Labor	Whitlam	Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs in matters relating to Papua New Guinea	align=center	30 November 1973	align=center	6 June 1975
Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs in matters relating to the Islands of the Pacific					align=center	6 June 1975	align=center	11 November 1975
2	Neal Blewett		Labor	Hawke	Minister for Trade and Overseas Development	align=center		align=center
Keating		align=center				align=center
	3	John Kerin		align=center			align=center		align=right
	4	Gordon Bilney		Minister for Development Cooperation and Pacific Island Affairs	align=center		align=center		align=right
5	Melissa Parke			Labor	Rudd	Minister for International Development	align=center		align=center		align=right	days
6	Steven Ciobo		Liberal	Turnbull	Minister for International Development and the Pacific	align=center		align=center		align=right	days
7	Concetta Fierravanti-Wells	align=center					align=center		align=right
8	Alex Hawke		Liberal	Morrison	Minister for International Development and the Pacific	align=center		align=center		align=right
9	Zed Seselja	align=center					align=center		align=right
10	Pat Conroy			Labor		Albanese	align=center	1 June 2022	align=center	Incumbent	align=right

List of ministers assisting the minister for foreign affairs

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs or any of its precedent titles:

width=5	Order	width=150	Minister	width=75 colspan="2"	Party	width=150	Prime Minister	width=375	Ministerial title	width=150	Term start	width=150	Term end	width=130	Term in office
1	John Gorton			Liberal	Menzies	Minister Assisting the Minister for External Affairs	align=center		align=center		align=right
2	Don Willesee		Labor	Whitlam	Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs	align=center	19 December 1972	align=center	6 November 1973	align=right	days
3	Bill Morrison				Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs in matters relating to Papua New Guinea	align=center	30 November 1973	align=center	6 June 1975
Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs in matters relating to the Islands of the Pacific					align=center	6 June 1975	align=center	11 November 1975
4	Gareth Evans			Labor	Hawke	Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs	align=center	13 December 1984	align=center	24 July 1987	align=right

List of parliamentary secretaries and assistant ministers for foreign affairs

The following individuals have been appointed as parliamentary secretaries and assistant ministers for Foreign Affairs or any of its precedent titles:

width=5	Order	width=150	Minister	width=75 colspan="2"	Party	width=150	Prime Minister	width=375	Ministerial title	width=150	Term start	width=150	Term end	width=130	Term in office
1	Stephen Martin			Labor	Keating	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade	align=center		align=center		align=right
2	Andrew Thomson		Liberal	Howard	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs	align=center		align=center		align=right
3	Kathy Sullivan					align=center		align=center		align=right
4	Kay Patterson					align=center		align=center		align=right
5	Chris Gallus					align=center		align=center		align=right
6	Bruce Billson					align=center		align=center
Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade					align=center		align=center
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs					align=center		align=center
	7				Teresa Gambaro	align=center		align=center		align=right
	8				Greg Hunt	align=center		align=center		align=right	days
9	Richard Marles			Labor	Gillard	Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs	align=center		align=center		align=right	days
10	Brett Mason		Liberal	Abbott	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs	align=center		align=center		align=right
11	Steven Ciobo					align=center		align=center		align=right	days
12	Tim Watts			Labor	Albanese	Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs	align=center	1 June 2022	align=center	Incumbent	align=right

List of parliamentary secretaries and assistant ministers for international development and the pacific

The following individuals have been appointed as parliamentary secretaries and assistant ministers for Foreign Affairs or any of its precedent titles:

width=5	Order	width=150	Minister	width=75 colspan="2"	Party	width=150	Prime Minister	width=375	Ministerial title	width=150	Term start	width=150	Term end	width=130	Term in office
1	Richard Marles		Labor	Gillard	Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs	align=center		align=center		align=right
2	Matt Thistlethwaite	align=center					align=center
Rudd		align=center				align=center
3	Anne Ruston			Liberal	Morrison	Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific	align=center		align=center		align=right	days

See also

• List of ambassadors and high commissioners of Australia

Notes and References

1. Web site: Ministries and Cabinets . 43rd Parliamentary Handbook: Historical information on the Australian Parliament . . 2010 . 9 July 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140813030853/http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p%3Badv%3Dyes%3BorderBy%3Dcustomrank%3Bpage%3D2%3Bquery%3DLazzarini%3Brec%3D12%3BresCount%3DDefault . 13 August 2014.
2. Melissa Parke appointed Minister for International Development . . Australian Government . 1 July 2013 . 28 July 2013 . dead . https://archive.today/20130705144236/http://www.ausaid.gov.au/MediaReleases/Pages/melissa-parke-appointed-minister-for-international-development.aspx . 5 July 2013 .
3. Oxfam welcomes new Minister for International Development . 1 July 2013 . Oxfam Australia . 28 July 2013 .
4. Web site: Betteridge, Ashlee . Rudd appoints Minister for International Development . 1 July 2013 . DevPolicy Blog . Development Policy Centre . Australia . 28 July 2013 .